Gorey Hockey Club to lease land from council
GOREY Hockey Club now has a piece of land to call its own after Cllr John Hegarty’s proposal to lease the five acre site at St Joseph’s was agreed on at last week’s Gorey Municipal District meeting.
‘They have been training in Riverchapel, Craanford and other places,’ said Cllr Hegarty. ‘It is a great piece of land and in the right location.’
Eddie Taaffe, district director, said the lease would be for 25 years and the Hockey Club can surrender the lease if another option of land becomes available to them.
Cllr Mary Farrell second the proposal as she said ‘we are dealing with a social need’.
Meanwhile, Cllr Pip Breen said he supports the idea but ‘it will be challenging to get the funding for five acres of a hockey pitch’.
‘If the site at Naomh Eanna became available to the public, I would like to give them that as it is partially ready,’ said Cllr Breen.
Cllr Malcolm Byrne said he supports the plan of a site for the club, but asked was there an alternative site as the one at St Joseph’s could be suitable for housing.
‘We could look into buying the Ramsfort Park site if it came on the market and rezone the land for our benefit,’ said Cllr Byrne.
Cllr Hegarty said the hockey club is happy with the site and the price. ‘There is no other option on the table,’ he added.
However, Cllr Hegarty agreed Naomh Eanna would be a better site, but said: ‘Why would we go buy a piece of land that is not on the market with money we don’t really have and leave them again without anywhere to train. It makes no sense’.
Cllr Byrne said: ‘Is there anything we can do to transfer the lease for them if a different and better area becomes available?’
Mr Taaffe said: ‘The hockey club are going in with their eyes opened and if they are happy with the site then we just get on with it’.
‘They can surrender their lease,’ added Mr Taaffe. All councillors agreed with Cllr Hegarty’s proposal to lease the land to the hockey club.