THE SWIMMING POOL at Templemore Garda college is to be re-opened to local community groups, following protests over its closure to the public.

The Journal reported last week that Tipperary locals were set to stage a protest after authorities stopped the community from using the college’s pool.

A statement from the Garda Press Office said: “It has been decided by Garda management that, as there will be an increase in the number of recruits in the Garda College from late November, that the Garda College pool will be available to local community groups from that time on.

“This access will be subject to individual community groups receiving the appropriate license from the OPW.”

Until recently the pool inside the training college was used by members of the public to learn to swim during times when Garda recruits were not using the facility.

An individual is understood to previously have applied to the Garda college for a licence to use the pool for group training, but this was rejected.

The statement continued: “In 2017, governance measures were introduced that involved the granting of pool licenses by OPW to any group external to the Garda College who wished to use the pool.

“Whilst Garda Management are consulted, licenses are issued by the OPW for the benefit of the local community on a not for profit or commercial basis.”

Demonstrators said the closure was the latest incident in a series of issues experienced by the local community in the town following decisions by management at the centre.

According to locals, including Fianna Fáil TD Jackie Cahill, the pool has been used by those in the area for 40 years.

Independent TD for Tipperary Michael Lowry said in a statement today: “Further to my conversations with Minister for Justice, Helen McEntee, on Monday and earlier today, the Minister has now confirmed to me that the Garda Training College has been instructed to re-open the pool to both Garda Recruits and local schools by the end of November.

“I welcome the fact that this unnecessary impasse has now been resolved and that the long-established good relationship between the College and the community can be restored.”

With reporting by Eoghan Dalton and Niall O’Connor