COMHAIRLE CONTAE ÁTHA CLIATH THEAS
SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

MEETING OF RATHFARNHAM AREA COMMITTEE

Tuesday, November 10, 2009

QUESTION NO. 12

QUESTION: Councillor J. Lahart

"To ask the Manager for an update on the progress of works at Rathfarnham Castle playground?"

REPLY:

The Parks Department has and continues to work with local residents and Residents Associations to ensure that Rathfarnham Castle Park, and its features and facilities including the playground, function as a valued asset within the locality. 

The Parks Department has recently completed a major upgrade of the CCTV system to monitor activity in the playground particularly outside of park closing hours.  The upgrade included the installation of additional cameras with enhanced functionality which now gives complete coverage of the playground and the support lighting is now an infra-red system which significantly enhances the night-time vision of the cameras.  The CCTV system is linked to a remote monitoring centre.  Motion sensors in the playground activate the cameras and trigger an alarm in the monitoring centre which cause personnel to view the cameras and take a series of actions - voice over alert to people to leave the area via speakers adjacent to the playground, alert Parks Deparrtment emergency contact, and alert the Gardai if the need arises. 

The Parks Department has prepared a design and costing for the provision of toilet facilities at Rathfarnham Castle Park, which would serve both the playground and broader parkland area.  The estimated cost of providing the toilet facilites is approx. €40,000 including ancillary site and construction works.  The proposed facilities would be similar to those installed at the Willington entrance to Tymon Park and would be located within the courtyard complex adjacent to the Seismograph House with direct access from the main avenue and signposting from the playground.  The proposed location has been indicated to representatives of the Rathfarnham Castle Residents Association in discussions on this matter.  It was intendend to advance the installation of the toilets during 2009 but due to recent and further reductions in the Council’s budget, this work has been re-scheduled to 2010.  The Parks Department remain committed to giving this matter priority as early as possible in 2010 subject to the necessary budgetary provision.

In order to address issues of anti-social behaviour in Rathfarnham Castle Park, access gates to the park from Castleside Drive and from Woodlands are being locked at night outside of park opening hours.  The Parks Department is currently seeking quotations and specifications for the automation of these gates to enhance the opening hours of these gates to meet the needs of local park users.  Earlier this year, an agreement was reached in principle with the Residents Associations of Rathfarnham Castle and Rathfarnham Wood, as well as the OPW to seek the night-time closure of all access gates to Rathfarnham Castle Park.  The matter of closure of the entrance from Rathfarnham Woods will be addressed in the coming weeks in consultation with their Residents Association as an upgrade of the entrance is required to replace the existing anti-cycle gate with a secure and lockable gate which would be similarly automated as per the Castleside and Woodlands entrances.   The control of access from Rathfarnham Road and the car park is being addressed by the OPW under Planning application SD09A/0133.