€12.5m plan for basketball arena could provide major boost for Drogheda area

Cllr Wayne Harding has welcomed the advancement of plans to deliver a €12.5 million basketball arena on the grounds of St Oliver's Community College.

“This will be an extraordinary addition to the town of Drogheda in relation to sports facilities and as chairperson of LMETB and St Oliver's Community College I am delighted to have played my part along with the many other stakeholders involved in the project,” said Harding.

“Martin O Brien, CE of LMETB has assembled a very strong design team and has sourced seed funding of €3.7 million,” he added.

Drogheda Wolves, Special Olympics Ireland, the 1,600 pupils of St Oliver's and the young people of the wider Drogheda area will be among those to benefit most from this ambitious plan according to the Fianna Fail councillor.

“I believe that this should be the catalyst to make the Rathmullen/Marleys Lane/Donore Road area of Drogheda into a sports and education campus,” said Harding.

“LMETB are leading the way with the largest secondary school in the country at St Oliver's and a state-of-the-art apprentice electrician training facility at Drogheda College.

“There are two other education sites on Marley's Lane as well as the Drogheda Boys pitches and the Aura Leisure Centre with its indoor astro turf pitches and St Nicholas GFC on the Rathmullen Road.

“Planning is now lodged with Louth County Council who will become the lead sponsor of the project. But LMETB have committed to an extraordinary project for the town of Drogheda and counties Meath and Louth.”