Tim Lombard (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

It is great to have the Minister of State present to discuss Garrylucas and the world-class outdoor water-based activity centre that was proposed in 2021. The Minister’s announcement that day that she was going to put funding aside for as many as 19 or 20 such activity centres was a significant development. I will speak to the one proposed for Garrylucas. The idea that there would be significant investment in Garrettstown was welcome. The area is a world-renowned location and has everything going for it. Kinsale is 4 miles or 5 miles away and the area is used 12 months of the year. We saw the proposal to put a world-class outdoor water-based activity centre there as a fantastic moment and a move in the right direction.

Unfortunately, the proposal went astray and things went wrong for us. I am trying to work out exactly what happened. Of all the activity centres, only two did not proceed – one in Clare and the other in west Cork. There has been no explanation for the development at Garrylucas in Cork South-West not going ahead. There were only to be two centres in County Cork, one of them being in Youghal, and you could argue that Youghal is nearly in Waterford. Now, there will be none in the county on the so-called Wild Atlantic Way.

I am disturbed by how this proposal has not progressed. Geographically, it needs to move forward. The location was perfect and it was a great initiative that thought outside the box. I have four kids and we go to the beach often. It is a wonderful amenity, so we need to build the centre and ensure it is accessible. By “accessible”, I mean there need to be changing areas and toilets. This is basic stuff. The Minister of State is from a similar part of the world and knows the advantage of having a beach. Having amenities like toilets beside it is especially important.

I do not understand what happened to this major proposal, which was going to be a game-changer for us. I spoke to people in Kinsale. The tourism industry there was delighted, given the centre’s 12-months-per-year element. It would have made their industry more viable and more sustainable, as increasing the number of people using natural amenities like our beaches increases our tourism potential.

This was a missed opportunity. We need to know what went wrong and where it failed, and we need to know how we can get it back on the rails again and move it forward. The replies I have received make no comment of why the proposal was shelved. The one in Clare was shelved because of a planning issue, but according to the Department, we have no idea as to why the one at Garrylucas was shelved. The Minister of State might be able to shed light on the issue. The majority of the centres have progressed. The one in Clare has not because of a planning condition that the council could not solve. We need to know what happened to the centre at Garrylucas and what we can do to ensure we can get it back on the agenda.