COMHAIRLE CONTAE ÁTHA CLIATH THEAS
SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

MEETING OF RATHFARNHAM AREA COMMITTEE

Tuesday, June 11, 2013

MOTION NO. 18

MOTION: Councillor J. Lahart

"That the Manager outline what steps are being taken from a planning perspective to locate a children's playground in the Knocklyon area."

REPORT:

Following from a discussion on the Review of the Play Policy that was presented to the Elected Members at the June 2012 Council Meeting it was agreed that the Playground Construction Programme would be amended to remove those which have now been constructed and to include those playgrounds that were promoted by the Elected Members in the years following from the adoption of the first Playground Construction Programme. The list of playgrounds to be included in the Programme is now amended to include these recommendations as follows:

Location	Electoral Area	Review
Griffeen Valley Park (Grange Lands)	Lucan	Part of 2007 – 2012 Programme A Part 8 proposal was advertised and adopted in June 2006. This proposal included for the provision of a playground as part of the development of the park
Rathcoole Park	Tallaght	Part of 2007 – 2012 Programme Design work on playgrounds at Rathcoole Park is subject to identification of suitable sites
Tymon Park	Tallaght	Part of 2007 – 2012 Programme A Part 8 proposal for a new playground to replace the old Tymon North playground at Tymon Park (adjacent to the Tymon North entrance to the park) was Noted by the Elected Members at the Council meeting in July 2011.
Corkagh Park	Clondalkin	Part of 2007 – 2012 Programme Proposals to be formulated
Waterstown Park, Liffey Valley	Lucan	Part 8 completed and adopted in 2003. Proposals to be formulated
Hermitage Park	Lucan	Proposals to be formulated
Ballyowen Park	Lucan	Proposals to be formulated
Ballycragh Park	Tallaght	Proposals to be formulated
St. Dominic's Park	Tallaght	Proposals to be formulated
Beechfield Park	Tallaght	Proposals to be formulated
Woodstown Park	Rathfarnham	Proposals to be formulated
Whitechurch Park	Rathfarnham	Proposals to be formulated

The advancement of a playground construction programme is subject to a scoping exercise having regard to a range of factors including sustainability, distribution of existing playgrounds in the area, proximity of a maintenance depot for routine maintenance and upkeep, Part 8 planning approval, as necessary, and the identification of the necessary finance in the Capital Programme.

It can be seen from the table above that there are no playgrounds listed for consideration in the Knocklyon area.  However in the area surrounding Knocklyon there are public playgrounds located in:

·        Bushy Park (3km approx)

·        Loretto Park, Nutgrove Avenue (3.5km approx)

·        Seán Walsh Park, Tallaght (3.5km approx)

·        Rathfarnham Castle Park (3km approx)

·        Tymon Park (2km approx)

There are also privately maintained playgrounds situated in Boden Park, Scholarstown and in Hunterswood.

At a recent meeting held with the Knocklyon Network to discuss a range of issues, including the provision of a playground in the area, it was suggested that if at some stage finance becomes available to undertake such a project that it be located in an area that has local housing supervision and that would adjoin a local primary school to maximise its use. 

The scoping exercise referred to is underway at present and using the parameters listed above to develop a county wide priority listing.  It is expected to have the report available for presentation to the Council in the near future.