FINAL PLANNING PERMISSION has been granted for the National Velodrome and Badminton Centre at the Sport Ireland Campus outside of Blanchardstown.
The facility will house the first indoor velodrome track in Ireland, and will become the new headquarters for Cycling Ireland and Badminton Ireland.
Designs for the new centre include a 250m cycle track, with 12 badminton courts within the infield. Other spaces, including the entrance and café, changing rooms, offices, training facilities and bicycle hire/stores, will sit under the track at ground level.
The building will be multi-functional, with approximately 1,000 permanent seats and 2,500 temporary seats to accommodate events and activities.
For years Irish cyclists have had to train abroad due to the lack of an indoor velodrome, with some Cycling Ireland athletes relocating to Spain.
Cycling Ireland Interim CEO, Chris Kitchen said:
“The news that planning approval has been formally granted for a National Velodrome is a testament to the hard work of many at Sport Ireland, Sport Ireland Campus and Cycling Ireland. We’re delighted to move one step closer to the development of a state-of-the-art velodrome on the Sport Ireland Campus that can help bring Irish cycling to the next level.”
Cycling Ireland has described the new building as a “catalyst for future development of high-performance sport facilities on the Campus, while also helping to promote the benefits of cycling to the wider community.”
The Sport Ireland campus in west Dublin will be divided into two sections, with the northern half hosting large open sports fields and training pitches and large ‘big-box’ sports facilities.
In contrast to this, the southern part of the campus will focus more on organic landscapes, with pockets of woodland, public trails and smaller, pavilion-type buildings.