Mayo climbing wall project seeking funding lifeline

LOUGH Lannagh Leisure Centre in Castlebar faced a budgetary challenge in its proposed climbing wall project due to rising construction costs and an initial shortfall in funding from the Sports Capital Programme 2020.

However, a new lifeline has emerged, offering hope for the project's completion.

The project, which initially encountered a significant budget deficit, had two possible paths to consider, scaling back the project on a phased basis or seeking additional funding to see it through to fruition. After consultation with Sport Ireland, a promising opportunity presented itself under the Sports Capital Programme 2023.

Sport Ireland advised that an application could be submitted to increase the original funding of €230,000 to the maximum grant amount allowable, which stands at €500,000 for a regional project. Greater collaboration was sought and secured from project partner Atlantic Technological University (ATU), and an additional €150,000 in match funding has come as a boost.

The result of these efforts is a newly revised budget of €1.1 million, which comprises €500,000 in grant aid from the Sports Capital Programme and €600,000 in match funding, equally contributed by ATU and Mayo County Council. This substantial financial increase paves the way for the successful completion of the entire climbing wall project.

The project's funding application had a deadline of September 8, 2023, under the Sports Capital Programme. While the outcome of this application remains uncertain, the council is forging ahead with preparations.

The next step involves drafting tender documents to appoint a design team to oversee the project, with plans to publish these documents on the Etenders platform in the coming weeks.

In the event that the funding application is not successful, contingency plans are in place to scale back the project to ensure it remains within the available budget.

The Minister for State at the Department of Sport, Thomas Byrne, visited the facility yesterday during his visit to Castlebar.