JJ Digby of Digby Brady architects, presented a revised plan for the Clover Meats site in Ferrybank at the December Council meeting of the Piltown Municipal District, held in Ferrybank Library last week.
The initial brief for the site, according to Mr. Digby emphasised public consultation to determine community needs, as well as “accessibility for all … recreational uses such as walking running and exercise …” as well as “educational opportunities, including information on the heritage and biodiversity of the area, and trying to avoid segregation of different age groups—so the creation of multi-generational spaces and dog friendly spaces which would encourage the socialisation between the animals the owners themselves”.
On foot of these objectives, a public consultation meeting was held in May 2024.
“The two things that came through strongest on that evening were the need for the local community hall and a huge demand for playing pitches,” Mr. Digby said.
“We met with Abbey Community College and representatives from the GAA club and the camogie club to get a better understanding of their need for facilities. Abbey College have 16 GAA teams and 12 soccer teams but no proper sports field,” he said.
“As secondary school sports are played in the winter it is very challenging for them to arrange a pitch for their home games, because clubs are typically trying to renovate and preserve their pitches during these months. The schools are spending very large sums every year for bus transport.
“The GAA clubs already have a significant demand, and this is going up and up, particularly due to increase in engagement with camogie. They could field a ladies Gaelic football team but there’s just not the capacity in terms of facilities.”
Although GAA and soccer dominated the discussions, other uses and activities were also suggested by the public.
“People mentioned that not everybody plays GAA and soccer and there could be alternative uses, in particular for teenagers,” Mr. Digby said.
“I won’t run through all of these now but some of the other items that were raised were a sports complex, a swimming pool … music and the arts.
“There was mention of developing the entire site as a graveyard,” he added.
After this consultation, a draft master plan was proposed.
However, the second public consultation meeting made it plain that members of the community would not support having a green area which allowed for soccer and juvenile GAA but not the full-sized pitch needed for Adult and secondary school GAA.
“The majority of the people who attended criticised this [original plan] for not having a pitch large enough to play all sports at an adult level,” Mr. Digby said.
“Secondary school sports are played on an adult pitch. The green area wouldn’t be big enough. It came though strong and clear that a pitch should be provided that is large enough to play both soccer and GAA at an adult level.”
However, due to space restrictions, delivering this full-sized pitch will mean that other community elements, like the biodiversity pond, play area, multi-use games area, a quiet corner, an exercise equipment zone, and a bandstand would have to be omitted.
The elements retained from the original plan include a dog park, a ball wall, a padel court, a community building, a men’s / women’s shed, and a council storage yard.
The latest Clover Meats plan was unanimously passed by the Councillors of Piltown Municipal District. The project will go out for planning permission in early 2026.
Funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme
Aaron Kent
