Campaigners for a sports hub in Loughrea will lodge an application on unzoned land for the project, after the Minister for Local Government Alan Dillon overturned the recreational zoning in the new town plan voted through by area councillors.

Minister Dillon sided with Galway County Council Chief Executive Liam Conneally and the planning regulator to return the 45-acre plot on the bypass at Caheronaun to agricultural zoning.

The Loughrea Sports and Community Development Group (LSCDG) have secured an agreement to buy it at agricultural prices following a seven-year search for critical sports pitches and a clubhouse.

They have now vowed to press ahead with their application for the facility, hoping to follow in the footsteps of similar sports projects on unzoned land such as Kinvara and Maree, outside Oranmore.

Announcing this week that he is step down from his role due to work commitments, Chair of the LSCDG, Mike Feerick, said this latest blow has hardened the mood around Loughrea which is “anyone but Fine Gael or Fianna Fáil for Loughrea votes”.

“There is no realistic alternative for the provision of facilities that the town needs in the recently published Loughrea Local Area Plan,” he said.

“Unless we want our community to be without these facilities and our youth to remain as disadvantaged as they are in this respect, the LSCDG must and will continue forward with the planning application process.”

Vice-Chair Jim Collins insisted that applying directly for planning permission has always been a viable second option for the group.

“Many sports facilities across the country have successfully utilized this approach in their development efforts. The group’s decision to pursue rezoning was largely influenced by the guidance received from the Galway County Council planning department and our local elected councillors as part of the acquired lands were already within the town boundary.

“While the benefit of rezoning would certainly have been advantageous, it is not an absolute necessity.”

Outgoing Fine Gael TD Ciaran Cannon had been optimistic arguments would persuade Minister Dillon to side with the campaigners.

But “the very robust” advice from the CE and Office of the Planning Regular convinced the Mayo TD that the recreational zoning was not possible under local and national planning policy.

“The opportunity presenting right now to the LSCDG is to begin working on a planning application for these badly needed sports facilities,” he said.

“There are numerous examples locally where planning permission has been granted for major sporting facilities on unzoned land, most recently in Kinvara and Maree, and there’s no reason why we can’t succeed in Loughrea.”

His would-be successor Niamh Madden said she had organised for Taoiseach Simon Harris to visit Loughrea three weeks ago and meet with the group.

“I’m pleased that the Taoiseach has this week reiterated his support for the LSCDG and their plans,” she said.

“This project will be my priority for Loughrea, and I’ll have the support of my colleagues in Fine Gael, hopefully in government, to bring it fruition as soon as possible. I won’t rest until we do.”

Mike Feerick said the outgoing government had their opportunity to support Loughrea and its community in recent months and failed to deliver.

“The fact that the town of Loughrea has no pitches available for over 2,000 youth to play GAA football, camogie, junior hurling and soccer is an indictment of all our national political representatives over the past 30 years.”

A meeting with general election candidates was held on Sunday night asking them to explain how they would pursue the building of a swimming pool in the town.

The chair said as the project was now entering into a new phase of work, he was unable to commit due to upcoming international travel commitments. “I have been involved in the LSCDG for over seven years and it is important that new leadership rotates within the group and that more able people in the community become involved,” he stated.

“I suggest for the next phase of development, that the plans to develop a swimming pool for the town and playing pitches be amalgamated into one clustered development plan and facility. For sustainability reasons, a unified sports complex for Loughrea makes very great economic sense.

“I also believe that there is no other viable location for this needed complex other than the one identified by the LSCDG, given the size and central location of the site and its availability for purchase.”

Pictured: The proposed site for the sports development.