Ballycastle Sinn Féin Councillor, Cara McShane, has welcomed the £8.1m Levelling Up Funding for Ballycastle Leisure Facility.
The facility will include a 25-meter swimming pool, gym, wet play, changing places facility, walking/running trail, outdoor pump track and accessible play park.
Ballycastle was just one of ten projects that was successful in this funding round across all 11 Councils.
Speaking after the announcement, Cllr Cara McShane, said:
“This is brilliant news for Ballycastle and the wider Glens community. The indoor leisure facility for Ballycastle has been a legacy Moyle Council project for many years. I would like to thank the Strategic Investment Board officers and Council staff who submitted a strong application to the Levelling Up Fund in recent months. As noted in the application, Ballycastle has been ‘starved of investment.’
“The only indoor leisure facilities are in a 60+ year old converted school with no swimming pool and the community here has long campaigned for facilities/services equivalent with other parts of Causeway Coast and Glens Council area.
“The total investment in this wet leisure centre is around £15million, which will act as a growth stimulus.
“When completed, the indoor leisure facility will compliment Council’s investment in the Shared Campus project on Moyle road which will provide for outdoor pitches – including the conversion of a grass soccer pitch to 3G; floodlighting; upgrade of three court sports hall to four court; and upgrade of changing and ancillary accommodation.
“I know the people in this community will be delighted with this news. It is a significant step forward to finally realising a health and well-being project that has been long over-due and that will finally give Ballycastle a much-needed financial boost in the Causeway Coast and Glens area.
