Sale of sites will fund community centre build

For the last 45 years, the community of Kilcloon has been working towards the delivery of a much needed community centre. Plans for this new centre took a huge leap forward earlier this year when Meath County Council granted planning permission for a 426 square metre facility together with a community park/space. Alongside this, the council also granted outline permission for 13 sites, subject to local needs criteria.

These sites will be sold to raise funds for the building of the community centre. Leinster Property, based in Kilcock, are the sole agents for the sale of the sites. Eight sites are currently on the market, with deposits already taken on six of these. A further five sites will go on sale in phase two of the committee’s site development plan.

A new website for the project has gone live on Kilcloon.ie. while a new dedicated Facebook page for Kilcloon Community Centre is also now live. The website includes a video outlining the developing plans for the new community centre that was made with the participation of pupils from the local national school, Scoil Oilibhéar Naofa.

Chairperson of the Kilcloon Community Centre Committee Willie Rattigan said: “After many years of hard work, with planning permission granted by Meath County Council and a comprehensive site development plan in place, a communty centre that is fit to serve the needs of all the residents of Kilcloon, regardless of age, with multi-purpose, adaptable spaces to allow for a wide range of social and cultural events and activities, is finally within reach. We are looking forward to engaging with the community as we move forward with these exciting plans.”

A committee was first formed to seek a community centre for Kilcloon in the mid-1970s but it wasn't until the early 2000s that substantial progress began to be made. During this period, KCC registered as a limited company and achieved recognised charity status and, after many a false dawn over the years, the most suitable site for a centre, opposite the church in Kilcloon, came on the market. Thanks to the generosity of the community, the hard work of the committee and the help of the Credit Union, the field was purchased and, after four years, all loans repaid. Unfortunately, the global financial crisis of 2008 put all plans on hold. From 2013, engagement with Meath County Council led to concrete plans being put in place.

Phase one of the site development plan, which involves building an access road and other services into the site, is due to begin in 2021. Progress, updates and plans will be available on www.kilcloon.ie