Council won’t fund new club
CHAIRMAN of Bray Municipal District, Cllr Chris Fox, dismissed any suggestion that the Carlisle Grounds will be rezoned to fund a new stadium.
Statements issued last week by chairman of Bray Wanderers, Gerry Mulvey, claimed that the club was financially sound but said that the club had ambitious plans to build a new stadium and training academy on the outskirts of Bray using money from the sale of Carlisle Grounds to fund the development.
Cllr Fox said that while he believed that the local authority should provide a greater level of support to Bray Wanderers there was no prospect of the current grounds would be rezoned and the proceeds going to Bray Wanderers.
Speaking after the statement was issued Cllr Fox said: ‘I do think there is an onus on the council to help the club, we all want to see a healthy Bray Wanderers. But my biggest gripe with the statement is the assumption that if the Carlisle Grounds was to be rezoned, the proceeds would go to the club.
‘But the statement is all the more surprising because if that is what they actually want then there is a process they can enter into and they have not done that.’
Mr Mulvey said that the club will be asking Wicklow County Council to rezone the lands at Carlisle Grounds with the proceeds being used to ‘fund the construction of what will be the best academy and sporting grounds in the country’.
Mr Mulvey didn’t indicate what value would be realised if the club lands were rezoned and sold however it is believed that with planning permission it could fetch between €8 to €10 million.
Cllr Fox said that any plans by the club to build a multi-sports facility are premature adding that the council is already considering a similar development at a 50-acre site based around a disused quarry to the west of the town.
‘ The hope is to build a regional sports centre which would include state-of-the-art training facilities’, he said adding this would complement Bray Wanderers offering at the Carlisle Grounds.’
Cllr Fox said that he had no real expectation of the council selling the Carlisle Grounds and giving the money to the club.