Cllr. O’Driscoll slams Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown decision to remove Glenalbyn Swimming Pool from Capital Programme
Monday, 11th May 2026
This evening, the Executive of Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council presented its Three-Year Capital Programme (2026-28). The programme does not include provision for the return of a swimming pool at the Glenalbyn site.
The old pool was closed in 2013. For the last number of years it was included as a pipeline project by Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown Council with €10m ringfenced for the site’s redevelopment.
Local Councillor Eoin O’Driscoll (Fine Gael) said that “The Executive’s decision to end its plans for a new swimming pool at Glenalbyn are deeply disappointing.
“There has been clear demonstrated cross-party support amongst elected Councillors for the redevelopment of a swimming pool at the Glenalbyn site. The Executive’s decision goes directly against the expressed views of elected representatives and the local community.
“There is strong local demand and need for a swimming pool to return to the Glenalbyn site. I firmly disagree with the decision taken by the Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown Executive on this issue. Along with other Councillors tonight, I have asked the Executive to reconsider this decision. We need a swimming pool for Stillorgan”.
Cllr. O’Driscoll continued “The effective exclusion of elected Councillors from the development of the Capital Programme reflects a serious democratic deficit in local government. Local residents rightly expect their views to be reflected, through input from their local representatives, in major decisions by the Council.
“The Capital Programme allocates over €1.5 billion of taxpayers’ money. It has not been developed with any substantive democratic input. We need to look, at a national legislative level, to change how these decisions are made and give meaningful powers to our local representatives to make the decisions local residents expect of us.”
ENDS
Leave a comment