Sport

Skibbereen Rowing Club has big plans to expand 

January 26th, 2021 5:15 PM

By Jackie Keogh

Olympic medal-winning rowers Gary and Paul O’Donovan pictured at Skibbereen Rowing Club.

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SKIBBEREEN Rowing Club has applied for planning permission to extend its training facilities.

The planning application for the construction of a new gym, training facility, and equipment store alongside the existing rowing club was submitted to Cork County Council before Christmas.

‘It’s a new Covid training area,’ the club secretary, TJ Ryan, confirmed.

‘Space is so tight, and we need room to spread out the rowing machines and the kids more.’

The club is currently closed under Level 5 lockdown restrictions, but Ryan said the centre was operating with ‘limited capacity all along.

‘We had to spread training sessions out over three or four sessions,’ said Ryan, who also described the proposed extension as ‘for the future.’

With the planning application nearly at the two-month stage, the club secretary, said the club is hoping that it will be approved and that construction of the portal frame building – measuring 18m by 12m – will be constructed 'fairly quickly.'

The structure is expected to cost €30,000, but the secretary said: ‘It’s all good to go, we are just waiting on planning.’

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