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06 Sept 2025
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06 Sept 2025
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Two local councillors have vigorously hit out at the planned redevelopment of the old squash courts into a cultural hub in the city centre, with poor accessibility the main bone of contention.
The construction, which will be funded under the Urban Regeneration and Development Fund (URDF) and Kilkenny County Council at the Abbey Quarter site is worth €665,000 and will be under the stewardship of the Watergate Theatre.
Councillors Maria Dollard and David FitzGerald told members they could not support the project in its current guise, with Cllr Dollard heavily critical of the lack of a lift or means of access to the second floor on site for those with additional needs. - READ MORE HERE
In a statement to Kilkenny Live, Cllr Dollard said: "I fully accept the need for this really important facility and it is very badly needed.
"We have no accessible publicly funded theatre space in Kilkenny. I believe that if public money is being used to develop any facility that it must be fully accessible as per the updated Part M regulations," she said.
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"Disabled people, older people and those with limited mobility are tax payers and any new facility that uses public money should be fully accessible. As a Green Party Spokesperson on Disability and a member of the Kilkenny Access Group, I could not support the development of anything less than full accessibility to all the facilities including the offices and meeting rooms on the first floor," Cllr Dollard continued.
"People are disabled by their environment not their impairment and in 2025 we have a duty to make all publicly used buildings accessible to everyone."
In response to questions raised over access, a council spokesperson noted access to that area would be minimal and the installation of a lift 'would not be appropriate' due to limited space.
"This is not a building we’re building from scratch, we’re re-purposing it," the spokesperson added.
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