COMHAIRLE CONTAE ÁTHA CLIATH THEAS
SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

MEETING OF TALLAGHT AREA COMMITTEE (2)

Monday, April 27, 2009

QUESTION NO. 8

QUESTION: Councillor J. Neville

" To ask the Manager to have arranged an investigation of the open space to the rear of Scoil Carmel, Firhouse, which appears to be allowing vehicular access in to the Dodder Valley Park and the subsequent nuisance for residents in Glenview and could the Manager have the matter resolved ?"

REPLY:

In recent years the Parks Department has been actively undertaking boundary and entrance improvement works to the Dodder Valley Linear Park in order to prevent unauthorised vehicular access, one of the most recent improvements being modifications to the existing machinery access swing barriers located at the rear of Morton’s Pub.  However, it appears that motorcycles are gaining access through privately owned lands adjoining the public parkland, and because of the off-road nature of the vehicles, they are travelling through the river to gain access to the park area. 

Residents in the immediate area have been provided with a contact telephone number for the Park Ranger Service based at Tymon Park.  The co-operation of the residents in promptly contacting and alerting the rangers to the presence of motorcycles has been and continues to be  very valuable in addressing the incidence of this activity in the Dodder Valley Parklands.  On a number of occasions during the past year, the Park Rangers received support from An Garda Síochána from both the Tallaght and Rathfarnham districts in pursuing the perpetrators of these illegal activities. 

At this point, the continued monitoring of the Park by the Park Ranger Service in association with the Gardai and the subsequent issuing of prosecutions is considered to be the most efficient means of addressing the issue.  In this context, the ongoing co-operation of the residents in promptly contacting and alerting the Park Rangers to the presence of motorcycles remains of utmost importance.

In addition, arrangements have been made by the Parks & Landscape Services Department to undertake an inspection of the Dodder Valley Linear Park area to the rear of Scoil Carmel with a view to establishing the location(s) which appear to be enabling unauthorised access by motorcycles in order to determine what further measures can be implemented to prevent their access.