Mayor officially opens Meakstown Community Centre

Fingal’s newest community centre in Meakstown has been officially opened by the Mayor of Fingal, Cllr Brian McDonagh.

The €8 million facility was entirely funded by Fingal County Council and its opening is the culmination of a ten year project by the Council and the local community to deliver a community hub for the area.

The building’s circular design, green brickwork, and grassy roof showcase its innovative features and contemporary infrastructure. The facility is part of the wider development of Lanesborough Park, which will deliver outdoor play and fitness spaces for the community.

The Mayor of Fingal, Cllr Brian McDonagh, said: “This newly developed state-of-the-art facility is an excellent addition to Fingal’s wide range of community facilities. The community centre, public park, playgrounds, and the Bloom community garden will be a big asset to the people of Meakstown and beyond. It will be a place for young and old to engage in community activities which will help empower the development of the Meakstown area into the future. I would like to acknowledge the planning, foresight and hard work from community volunteers and council officials and that has enabled this facility to come to fruition.”

The Community Centre project was delivered by the Council’s Architect’s Department under the leadership of County Architect Fionnuala May. They brought together a skilled team, which included Henchion Reuter Architects, Roughan & O’Donovan Consulting Engineers, Matt O’Mahony & Associates, and Walsh Associates, with Vision Contracting undertaking construction of the energy-efficient circular building.

Situated in the southeastern corner of Lanesborough Park. Meakstown Community Centre is located alongside the new Meakstown Playground and Bloom Community Garden and is part of the wider development of the Dublin 11 park. The new facility features a circular plan with a sports centre at its core and a necklace of amenity spaces under a curved green roof. The strategic design allows the building to create a natural flow through the green space while maintaining views to the park for the existing residential neighbours. The building form has the further advantage of not creating any blank gable conditions, minimising unsupervised spaces, and subsuming the large volume of the sports hall into the contoured roof-scape offering only a modest single storey expression on all sides.

It includes a three-court sports hall as well as four large multipurpose rooms for activities such as dance classes, yoga sessions, Pilates, training workshops, and community meetings. There is also a parking provision for 40 bicycles, including electric bikes, cargo bikes, and scooters.

Meakstown Community Centre is the first of Fingal’s community facilities to incorporate a Changing Places accessible toilet which includes more space and equipment for people with disabilities who need assistance with personal care. It will now be placed on the national register.

The Chief Executive of Fingal County Council, AnnMarie Farrelly, said: “This community centre is the culmination of a lot of hard work carried out by Fingal County Council and the local community over the past 10 years. The funding for this community centre, in excess of €8 million, was provided by Fingal County Council and represents a huge commitment to the residents of Meakstown.  This community facility will prove to be a very valuable amenity for clubs in the area. I would like to acknowledge the planning, foresight and hard work from community volunteers and council officials and that has enabled this facility to come to fruition. The delivery of this community centre is thanks to their recognition of a need for a community hub for the area. I would like to thank the Council’s Architects Department, led by Fionnuala May, our Community Department led by Paul Carroll, and our contractor Vision Contracting Limited for their work in delivering this centre as well as Kevin Halpenny and his team in our Strategic Infrastructure Department for their work on the park, playground, and Bloom garden.”

The day-to-day operation of the facility will be undertaken on the Council’s behalf by a local voluntary Board of Management who represent many groups in the area and by Apleona Facility Management Company.  The Council’s Community Development Office and the Board of Management are currently carrying out consultation with residents of the area regarding the services they would like the new centre to host.

Paul Carroll, Director of Housing and Community with Fingal County Council, said: “It is wonderful to see the opening of this new state of the art community centre, which will be enjoyed by local residents, sporting and community groups for years to come.  The focus of Fingal County Council’s Community Development Office (CDO) is to develop engaged and integrated communities across Fingal, and successfully delivering this fantastic amenity is testament to that collaboration between the CDO and the local community. The CDO team will continue to actively engage with the local volunteer board to ensure the highest standards of governance and management of the centre for the enjoyment of current and future generations in Meakstown.”