Council seeks more details on Bower outdoor sport plan

A major outdoor sports project, which would include two artificial grass pitches and a synthetic sprint track, proposed for Our Lady's Bower in Athlone has been put on hold after Westmeath County Council requested more information in relation to the layout and drainage before a final decision can be made.

At the end of October, the all-girls secondary school submitted the ambitious plans to Westmeath County Council, seeking approval to develop new "outdoor sports, recreational and wellbeing facilities" on land beside Our Lady's Bower in Athlone.

What's proposed is a new building, which would provide changing rooms and storage facilities, as well as two artificial grass multi-sport playing surfaces with fencing and lighting. In addition, the project would include a synthetic sprint track with lighting, recreational facilities and outdoor exercise equipment, walkways, boundary fencing, a nature trail and seating.

A decision from the council had been due on December 21, however, it opted to seek further information from the applicant before giving a final verdict on exterior sports development.

The local authority is looking for a revised site layout map and associated plans which clearly detail the proposed drainage layout and drainage disposal methods for the hockey pitch, multi-sport pitch, running track, recreation area and changing rooms.

Setting out the background and the “urgent need” for the project, principal Anne Beades said in a letter lodged in support of the plans that back in 2008 they completed a “significant school building project” with the new premises located south of the railway line which separates it (new school) from the convent building, boarding school, and grounds. However, in 2014 the La Sainte Union trustees closed the convent/boarding school and have since sold the building and grounds which included a tennis court, basketball court, and a gravel hockey pitch.

“While the 2008 development included a full-size gymnasium and fitness suite, the school has no external facilities other than car parking areas,” the principal explained in the letter included in the planning documents submitted to the council.

“Since the sale of the convent grounds, the delivery of PE and extra-curricular activities has been limited predominantly to the indoors due to the absence of external sporting facilities,” the principal continued. “Combined with this, the absence of external sporting facilities has meant that we are not in a position to consider the introduction of Leaving Certificate Physical Education as an exam subject despite the huge interest and requests from our PE teachers, student cohort and parents,” the secondary school principal added, saying they currently lease external sports facilities and rely on the goodwill of other sporting agencies to access their facilities.

Since the sale of the convent grounds, the school has been working alongside the trustees “to establish the potential to develop trustee owned lands” on the school side of the railway line. “Our trustees recognise that we 'have no external sporting facilities and that as a result the school is impoverished'.

"The trustees have given us permission for the proposed project understanding that it meets the needs of the school; they have agreed that the development will take place on their lands next to the school building,” the principal stated in the letter, saying she hopes it provides insight into the current situation at the school on Retreat Road and will assist in identifying the “urgent need” for the project at the all-girls school, which has a current enrolment of 682 students.

A number of biodiversity mitigation works would be carried as part of the exterior sports project, the documents lodged with the council also revealed, including “calcareous grassland areas, planting of native trees and shrubs”.

The only submission in relation to the plans came from Irish Rail, who said they have no objection to the development adjacent to the railway line, but the State transport company recommended in the interests of safety a number of measures that should be carried out to upgrade the security of the boundary including a wall, no trees should be planted on the boundary that could impair vision or result or leaf litter, while any services going through Irish Rail land should be subject of a wayleave agreement.

Access to culverts or railway bridges should not be impeded, the letter signed by C. Hedderly, Senior Track and Structures Engineer added, saying that lights used during construction or in the project when up and running, “should not cause glare or in any way impair the vision of train drivers or personnel operating on-track machines”.