Cllr makes a splash about the need for a swimming pool in Ratoath

A DUNSHAUGHLIN councillor has called on Meath County Council to plan, fund, and deliver a swimming pool in the Ratoath Municipal District

Cllr Fionnan Blake said during a Ratoath Municipal District meeting in March that the lack of leisure facilities has been raised with him on several occasions.

The local authority said the swimming pool project is not included in its Capital Investment Plan and therefore will not be assessed within the next 12 months. Cllr Blake said he still hopes a pool can be built in the local area within the next five years.

There are eight in total but only three are local authority pools located in Kells, Navan, and Trim with none in the Ratoath district area. A recent report by Swim Ireland found that Ireland has just one public pool per 81,000 people, compared with one per 14,000 in Scotland.

Cllr Blake said this is now required due to the growth in population in the area over the past 25 years. He also said schools in the area are often travelling outside the county for swimming lessons to pools in Coolmine and Blanchardstown.