FORMER Mayor Daniel Butler has welcomed the publication of a feasibility study that sets out the existing community activity through the many groups and clubs active in the Raheen area.
Compiled by Community Planning and Development Consultant Paul O’Raw for Limerick City and County Council, the report was compiled and supported by a number of public consultation events and also through meetings directly with various community groups.
This feasibility study on the need for a multi-purpose community centre for the area of Dooradoyle, Raheen, and Mungret is an initiative of councillors in the Metropolitan District.
“Since being elected, I have identified the need for a community centre to serve this very large and growing community. Growing up and living here, I know the real need there is for this community centre but this report now confirms that officially for us to be able to move forward,” Cllr Butler told the Limerick Post.
“It was important to ensure that as many from the area had an opportunity to set out their vision for the centre so that we can consider that as we move forward to identify a location and design.
“We will also need to identify a group to manage and run the centre as part of this process and thankfully we have lots of active and capable people living locally.”
This is the first stage in a two-stage process. The brief for stage one is to consult with the community on the need for a centre. Based on findings from stage one, the brief for the second stage will be to identify a location and to develop a project design.
The Raheen-based representative went on to note that, given the scale of the area, that there may even be reason to look at two locations.
“The community centre will be about activity and services but it is also about putting in a flag that says this is us as a united community, something we lack right now,” Cllr Butler concluded.
