COMHAIRLE CONTAE ÁTHA CLIATH THEAS
SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL
MEETING OF SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL
Monday, September 12, 2011
MOTION NO. 9
MOTION: Councillor E. Tuffy
That this Council believes that the review of the Council's Play Policy and the Five Year Playground Programme should be given more priority and brought to a conclusion so that a Report can be given to the September Council meeting, and that it is the view of the Council that a new Playground Programme should include plans for smaller local playgrounds in small parks or estate open spaces, and or provide for collaboration with school and church authorities for playgrounds to be located in school and church grounds, and that the new Programme should include one or more pilot projects for adult exercise spaces adjacent to playgrounds.
REPORT:
South Dublin County Council adopted its first Play Policy on July 10th 2006. The Play Policy which was formulated by Sports, Recreation, Community and Parks Strategic Policy Committee recognises that it is a child's right to live happily and the primary way that this can be done is through play.
The policy aims to:
- Promote the importance of Play for children
- Recognise and actively support all children having the right to play (as stated in the 1998 United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child)
- Enable all children in local communities across South Dublin access to good quality play opportunities.
- Provide a framework by which play provision for children in the County can be developed and expanded.
Specifically it is a Countywide Policy on the Development & Management of Playgrounds and Play Areas (2006) and is a Council strategic plan which outlines its commitments towards the support and
development of facilities. It outlines the future development of and management of playgrounds and play areas in South Dublin County.
The Council adopted its Sports Strategy on 17th November 2010, and many of the objectives of the Play Policy are now covered in the Sports Strategy
This is the first strategic plan for sport, recreation and physical activity for South Dublin County. It seeks to prioritize the direction of sport and recreational development in the county for the period 2010 – 2016 (in line with the timeframe for the new County Development Plan). The plan is a framework to guide South Dublin County Sports Partnership (SDCSP), South Dublin County Council’s Sports Office and the Strategic Policy Committee (SPC) of the County Council with responsibility for Sports, Recreation, Community and Parks. It is primarily concerned with the promotion and co-ordination of sport & recreational physical activity in South Dublin County.
Core Issues:
• Raising awareness of the importance of physical activity to the target groups
• Channelling information on opportunities available
• Reaching those most disadvantaged, socially & economically. Social disadvantage may include a language barrier, disability or poor access to transport.
• Restricted Funding
• Supporting Volunteers – there is an increased level of volunteerism but they need coaching and assistance
• Supporting Club Development through training, information, access to small grants, promotion etc.
• Facilitating true partnership between all the players in this field
• Maximising use of facilities. Lack of facilities not given as a reason for non participation. There are a lot of good facilities in the county and we need to ensure that they are used as efficiently as possible.
Strategic Goals:
• To build our networks and further facilitate working in partnership.
• To strengthen information provision and our knowledge base
• To improve and maximise the use of our physical environment and built facilities
• To reach communities, particularly those experiencing disadvantage, through the provision of programmes and innovative responses e.g. Link 2 B Active for unemployed
• To increase the capacity of leaders and sporting clubs to retain existing members and reach those least active.
• To learn and develop though our work
The 5 Year Playground Construction Programme was adopted by the Council in December 2006 and arises from the Council’s Play Policy – Developing Play in South Dublin County 2006 – 2009.
The detail of the playground construction programme, as approved by the Council, is set out below:
| Location | Electoral Area |
| Griffeen Valley Park | Lucan Clondalkin |
| Rathfarnham Castle Park | Terenure Rathfarnham |
| Rathcoole Park | Tallaght |
| Sean Walsh Park | Tallaght |
| Tymon Park | Tallaght |
| Corkagh Park | Lucan Clondalkin |
Two of the playgrounds listed on the programme have been completed and are now in public use.
The playground at Sean Walsh Park, Tallaght was opened to the public in March 2009 and the one at Rathfarnham Castle Park was opened in 2008.
The provision of new playgrounds at Griffeen Valley Park, Tymon Park, Corkagh Park are at various stages.
- A Part 8 proposal for the development of the Griffeen Valley Park (Grange Lands) was advertised and adopted in June 2006. This proposal included for the provision of a playground as part of the development of the park.
- Design work on playgrounds at Corkagh Park and Rathcoole Park is subject to identification of suitable sites.
- A public consultation process as part of the Part 8 requirement of the Planning and Development Act 2000 and the Planning and Development Regulations 2001 to 2006(Part 8) was undertaken in relation to the proposed replacement playground at Tymon Park (on the Tymon North side). A report on this was presented to the Tallaght Area Committee (2) on the 27th June 2011 and was NOTED by the Elected Members and is listed as an item on today's Council agenda.
All of these projects are subject to the identification of finance as part of the Capital Programme.
Playgrounds have been provided under successive RAPID Playground Programmes at Quarryvale, Collinstown Park, Killinarden, Fettercairn, Jobstown, Brookfield, and Kiltalown. Unfortunately, the playground at Collinstown Park was subject to continuous vandalism and had to be removed.
A new playground was also provided with the new swimming pool in Clondalkin in 2008 and a number of playgrounds have also been provided in the county by private developers e.g. at Adamstown, Balgaddy, The Belfry and Ballycullen.
The total public investment in playgrounds in South Dublin County in recent years amounts to approximately €1.5 million.
It is not feasible for the review of the Play Policy and the Five Year Playground Construction Programme to be brought to a conclusion in time to have a Report brought before the September Council meeting as suggested, but this motion, if carried, will be brought directly to the attention of the review group. We are also aware that there is a proposal by Minister for Children and Youth Affairs to set up a network of Local Authority Play & Recreation Officers and South Dublin County Council will play a major role in the network. The network is envisaged to ensure that the focus on play and recreation area is maintained at this difficult time for local authority and central Government budgetary allocations.
It must also be re-iterated that any future projects are subject to the identification of finance to carry out the works proposed.