Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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At its meeting on Tuesday 21 June, the Government approved my proposals for the development of the National Sports Campus at Abbotstown/Blanchardstown on an incremental basis. In particular I have asked the National Sports Campus Development Authority (NSCDA) to proceed with the development of a National Indoor Training Arena, which would include an Indoor Track. I am acutely aware of the difficulty of securing capital funding from the Exchequer because of the financial difficulties facing the Government. I have, therefore, asked the Campus Authority to explore other avenues of funding such as philanthropy and/or sale of some of the land.

I have also asked the Campus Authority to continue to pursue the policy of developing elements of the Development Control Plan in partnership with the main field sports viz. GAA, FAI, IRFU and Irish Hockey Association..

As provided for in Section 7 (8) of the National Sports Campus Development Authority Act, 2006, I have asked my Department to contact the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries & Food to put arrangements in train for the transfer of the land to the NSCDA. Abbotstown House is a protected structure under the Fingal County Development Plan. I believe that Abbotstown House would benefit from having an anchor tenant and that the Irish Sports Council would be an ideal tenant in this regard. I have asked the Campus Authority to consider this suggestion and to come back to me with proposals for the future use of Abbotstown House. In parallel with the core National Sports Campus project, the Campus Authority is also continuing its strategy of redeveloping and refurbishing existing buildings on the Abbotstown site for use by the wider sporting community, in particular the National Governing Bodies of Sport. Work is underway on the refurbishment of the former Marine Institute building as a headquarters for the NGBs.