A disused old primary school building in the heart of a Laois village is set to undergo a huge transformation into a community space with a playground and multi-use sport cour.
The building in question is the old boys primary school in Ballyroan which has long been described as an ‘eye sore’.
In April 2021, Sinn Fein Councillor Caroline Dwane-Stanley put down a motion looking for Laois County Council to improve the building.
At that stage, it had been designated as ‘derelict’ and had been the victim of vandalism and a hub for anti-social behaviour.
Then in June 2022, the building, which has been idle since 2017, the building was offered as a gift to the community by the Church who were the original owners.
Fast forward 18 months, Minister for Rural and Community Development, Heather Humphries, has included Ballyroan in a €4.5 million investment package.
The investment, under the Town and Village Renewal Scheme, will see 24 old and derelict buildings across the country repurposed for 21st century community use.
Local Fine Gael Councillor Barry Walsh, who is a member of the Ballyroan Community Development Association, outlined where he project now stands.
He said: “We’ve been trying to get a playground in Ballyroan for the last 20 years which was spearheaded by my predecessor Mary Sweeney but the right site was never available.
“The schools amalgamated six years ago and that school decame derelict which led to a lot of anti-social behaviour – breaking of windows etc.
“Before I became a Councillor, I was on the Ballyroan Community Development Association and the idea came up to do this.
“The church offered the site to the community but that was becoming problematic due to insurance and other issues.
“Last year, this scheme was announced and we applied for it straight away as it was ideal.
“We have already secured Part 8 planning for a playground, multi-use sports court, a car park and renovation of the school building.
“Now what the building will be turned into has not been confirmed yet and that will be subject to a later application.
“We have put in an application for additional funding of €500,000, on top of what we have secured, to do the construction of the playground, multi-use sports court and car park.
“We are waiting on a decision on that but we are delighted that we have gotten to this stage now.
“Everyone in Ballyroan wants something done with that site because it is such an eye sore and everyone wanted a playground so it ties in nicely.”
Cllr Walsh says that this is huge news for everyone in the community who have been seeking development like this for decades.
He said: “This is huge for the community who have been looking for this for 20 years – so it is a big step forward.
“Ever since the meeting in 2022, a huge amount of work has been done by the steering committee that was formed out of it.
“It has input from every ground in the village – GAA, basketball, youth club, active retirement etc are all represented and have a voice on what way we should go.
“Alongside this, we secured a grant of €50,000 for a feasibility study of the village and that is working away in the background.
“Consultants are doing a village-wide survey of what people want and identifying different types of sites that might suit different types of recreational activities.
“So every group in the village gets a chance to say what they would like to see happening and we have a ten year plan too which allows us to apply for grants based on that plan.
“We have a huge amount of volunteers who have skills – architects, planning experience etc – and they are all giving up hours of their time to help.”
The announcement represents the second year of investment under the Town and Village Renewal Scheme’s Building Acquisition Measure, which is designed to bring vacant and derelict properties back into use in our town and village centres.
These buildings will then be developed for a range of community purposes.
Minister Humphreys said: “I am delighted to announce the details of this €4.5 million investment under my Department’s Town and Village Renewal Scheme.
“This initiative is all about giving our local communities the tools to address the challenges of vacancy and dereliction in their towns and villages.
“Through this funding, we are taking those run-down buildings and turning them into facilities that will benefit communities for generations to come.
“By doing so, we will help to drive footfall into our town centres, increase tourism and, above all, make our rural towns and villages even better places to live, work, invest, visit and raise a family.
“This scheme is underpinned by ‘Our Rural Future’ – our five year rural development policy, which has changed Rural Ireland for the better.
“I am very pleased with the range of buildings which we have been able to support under this initiative, and I look forward to these buildings being developed for community use in the coming months.”
Local Election candidate for the area, Green Party’s Rosie Palmer, also welcomed the news.
She said: “I am delighted to read of the funding for the purchase of the former National School in Ballyroan for use by the Community.
“This Government, prompted by Green Party policy, is actively working to bring vacant and derelict properties back into use for the community and for housing.
“This project in Ballyroan is at the early stages and however significant community and voluntary effort has already gone into the plans in advance of today’s purchase announcement. Well done to all involved.”
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