St Pat’s: ‘Flooding is our main concern’
BLENNERVILLE GAA Club St Pat’s said it fears it would have to relocate its grounds if Liam’s Lodge goes ahead - unless the Council undertakes work to solve ongoing problems with drainage in the area.
St Pat’s Chairperson Terry Boyle said the club has no objection ‘as such’ to the development of the expansive respite care home for children adjacent to its grounds.
The club is one of two parties to have appealed Kerry County Council’s decision to grant permission to the Saoirse Foundation’s plans for the respite centre for children .
It is not opposed to the building of the centre per se, but rather the feared effects of the proposed building at times of heavy rain.
“We’re not objecting to its development as such but there is a serious ongoing issue with surface water in Blennerville,” Mr Boyle said.
“Without the adequate infrastructure in place to deal with draining heavy surface water we fear the effect of a large building on our grounds.”
St Pat’s experienced extensive flooding in the heavy rains of late 2015 when the dressing rooms were inondated and an oil tank was dislodged - an occurence given a one-in-everyseven year likelihood by engineers referenced by St Pat’s.
Mr Boyle stated that the club is not satisfied with the conditions Kerry County Council imposed on Liam’s Lodge in granting permission as it does not believe the conditions go far enough in protecting the existing sportsfield and facilities from heavier flooding into the future.
“We are now talking to Kerry County Council with a view to getting the authority to carry out works that would solve the problem once and for all.
“I think that if that is dealt with and the problem solved, then as far as we’re concerned there won’t be an issue with the plan,” Mr Boyle added.