Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire (Cork South Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

While that will be useful, there is a general proposal but there is very little meat on the bones of it. There is a proposed SHD for Lahardane but there are no details. There needs to be an opportunity for community input. It is proposed that there will be a community centre. The local community needs the opportunity to give input and there is no timeline.

Deputy Gould has raised this repeatedly, as has our local representative, Ms Mandy O'Leary-Hegarty, and Councillor Mick Nugent. If the Minister of State is in a position to meet with the city council on this, and indeed any of the other issues the council wishes to raise in terms of community infrastructure, that would be welcome.

I will also take the opportunity, because it applies to similar funding streams in terms of community facilities, to raise once again the issue of the need for a new premises for the Barrack Street Band, an issue on which we have been in contact.

As I said, this is a rapidly growing area with 2,000 people coming into it. There is a need for community infrastructure. If the Minister of State is in a position to meet with the council and the local community, it would be very valuable to try to progress the plan. There is a general sentiment from the council that it wants to progress a community centre but there is no detail in the strategic housing development plan.

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