About

Fobairt Pobail Maigh Cuillinn has secured full planning permission to build an energy-efficient, multi-function community venture centre. It shall provide the capacity for community activity groups, sports, business, medical and government services. There is a major lack of essential community space within the parish of Maigh Cuilinn. This new centre  will provide the  space for a variety of activities for all age groups in our diverse community. It will focus on a high standard of  integrated services , in particular for the disadvantaged  and vulnerable groups. This project will help tackle a wide range of existing community issues, including education, training, social exclusion, poverty and disadvantage,while supporting the needs of children, young people and the elderly. The location is unique and rarely does such a site become available that is  walkable, attractive and safe while reducing some barriers to physical activity.

Fundraising

Click here to view our Fundraising page:

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This project has Community Approval

Community consultation/surveys has been completed including collaboration with the local authority/community groups and other relevant bodies.  

This project will  provide a significant contribution to the community and beyond, including direct and indirect local jobs and investment

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This project will help bring about social change and improve quality of life for all age groups within the community while advocating for equal opportunities and social inclusion.

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This low-emission Energy Efficient Building will also facilitate the reduction of the carbon footprint

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Mission Statement

This project will bring about social change and improve quality of life for all age groups within the community while advocating for equal opportunities and social inclusionHelp tackle the lack of amenities that face our community, but also with broader impact, not just in the immediate locality, but to the wider community the proposal will deliver benefits from job creation to environmental, sports and recreational tourism and social inclusion perspectives

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Regional event centre

Event Space contributing to the local economy. The provision of a Regional Event centre capable of hosting events for 1,200 people as well as a venue to showcase local talent and activities

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A place for creative endeavour

This creative hub that will support and nurture up to 20 creatives artisans, this enterprise space will provide a dedicated space for creative start ups. A place that champions all sports, from basketball to karate, this will be a place that all sporting codes can use and call home. 

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A caring and sustainable space

A caring space: Beyond a touch-point for key social services from childcare to elderly support, the building will also act as a unique entryway to the natural environment. Situated in 30 acres of woodlands that will include new and mature forest, adjacent to canals and lakes it will also act as an environment learning space. Supported by community gardens, this will be a place where a community can learn how to better integrate and nourish its environment. This combination of facilities and services will reduce Carbon footprint by keeping activity local to Maigh Cuilinn, by reducing the need to travel daily to Galway City or other locations. The Community Social Enterprise Centre will be the ‘anchor tenant’ on the 30 acre site, and the catalyst for complementary development guided by the ‘Maigh Cuilinn 2030’ study outputs and FPMC Vision for the site.

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Unique project

This project is unique as this 30 acre of land located in the heart of the village is owned by the community.The concept of centralised Community facilities, while not new has rarely been implemented anywhere in Ireland due to a lack of suitable sites and the inability to utilise the sites to service all community facets. The project, because of its location to the proposed Connemara Greenway and Blueway lends itself ideally to a Park and Cycle hub to reduce N59 traffic, and the Amenity Centre where the needs of all age groups are catered for in one parkland setting, can only enhance the health and well-being of the community through its activity offerings.

 

Sustainability

Contribution to Sustainable Green Practices and the Environment

The proposed centre will incorporate best practice based low-carbon, environmentally friendly design and structure thus making the building both low-cost and sustainable to maintain.

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Carbon Footprint

This community venture will facilitate the reduction of the carbon footprint as the travel and associated ‘carbon-kms’ representing local community groups traveling to access alternative facilities will be dramatically reduced and in some cases eliminated. For example, the local basketball team ( Which caters for over 370 members) currently have to travel to access adequate training and match facilities. It is estimated that the community centre would directly contribute to the elimination of 80,000 carbon-kms annually equating to a reduction of 10.5 tonnes of CO2 from this one example alone.

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Low emission Energy Efficiency

To reduce energy costs this new community venture will maximize the latest and most advanced eco- systems including a geothermal heating and cooling system, solar power, as well as low-flow toilets, water-saving taps and rainwater harvesting. This venue will be built to the highest standards of Environmental friendly and Energy efficient Design practices.

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Energy Efficient Power Delivery Systems

Our new zero carbon building will incorporate energy efficient technologies including an air source heat pump heating system, LED lighting technology and solar panels as well as high quality insulation.
This new community enterprise venue will be a prime example of how we can save on energy cost while providing much needed facilities to support the health and well-being of all in our community whom choose to avail of its facilities. The building’s design will eliminate the use of fossil fuels, reduce overall energy consumption and include on-site renewable energy systems. It will be 100 per cent powered through a mix of solar photovoltaic panels while air handling units will improve heat recovery efficiency by up to 85%.

Eco and Environmentally Friendly Design

Outdoor green design is also an important part of this project. In addition to the building featuring a biodiverse green landscape plan and include the planting of new native trees to improve surrounding green space

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Key features include:

• 100 per cent electricity powered (no fossil fuels).
• Rooftop Solar Photovoltaic (PV) thermal hybrid panels that generate both heat and electricity simultaneously.
• Air-source heat pumps that use the outdoor air as a source of thermal energy in heating mode.
• Heat recovery units to bring efficiency by 85 per cent.
• High performance building design with air tightness testing process.

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