Paul Donnelly (Dublin West, Sinn Fein)
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726.To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht if construction of a new national velodrome and badminton centre will commence before the end of 2024 and the estimated budget allocation for same.[34482/24]

Thomas Byrne (Meath East, Fianna Fail)
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The National Velodrome and Badminton Centre will be delivered in accordance with the masterplan, approved by the Government, for the further development of the National Sports Campus in Blanchardstown. The project will provide world-class track cycling facilities for our athletes who currently have to travel abroad for both training and competition, as well as providing the sport of badminton with integrated training, gym and medical facilities.

Planning permission for this project was awarded by Fingal County Council in January 2023 and Minister Martin and I recently granted approval for the project to proceed to tender stage. It is important not to pre-empt the tendering process in respect of the estimated project cost at this stage. However, I expect to be in a position to confirm the overall budget allocation by mid-2025. I would also expect that construction will begin in 2025, with a likely overall construction project timeline of 20 to 22 months.