COMHAIRLE CONTAE ÁTHA CLIATH THEAS
SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

MEETING OF LUCAN AREA COMMITTEE

Tuesday, September 23, 2014

MOTION NO. 1

MOTION: Councillor P. Gogarty

Cathaoirleach's Business

"That the Chief Executive reviews the management and security of its parks, in advance of the budgetary process, with a view to providing the most cost-effective enhanced service possible, including longer opening of car parks during daylight hours for sports clubs, the liaison with community Garda and mountain bike units and the appointment of designated neighbourhood liaisons for a better response to ongoing problems in blackspot areas."

REPORT:

The Council's park system consists of Regional Parks in Clondalkin  (Corkagh Park), Lucan (Griffeen Valley Park) and Tallaght (Tymon North Park). Typically these parks are around 120ha in size which is large enough to cater for local recreational need as well as meeting the needs of a larger catchment population. A number of national standard facilities are located in Regional Parks such as the National Basketball Arena in Tymon Park and the Cycle Ireland Cycle Race Track facility in Corkagh Park.  

In addition to these three parks, the Council provides extensive parkland along the Rivers Liffey, Dodder, Griffeen, Camac, Poddle as well as along some of the smaller streams and rivers in the county. These linear parks, extending along the rivers, provide considerable recreational opportunities. In recent years, their value in terms of greenways and sustainable transport has emerged and the Council has been successful in drawing down grant assistance to construct walking and cycling routes. 

The residential areas of the county are served by a network of Neighbourhood Parks, which on average are about 16 ha in size. These parks provide for the majority of the recreational and amenity needs of the residential areas of the county and they are well used throughout the year.

In terms of safety, the Council's parks are considered to be generally safe during park opening hours. While detailed crime statistics are not available, based on reported incidents, the levels of crime in public parks is very low. For the most part, the low levels of crime that do occur are generally against property rather than against the person. Vandalism, alcohol consumption, anti-social behaviour and occasionally theft and damage to parked cars are the main type of incidents which take place. As with any crime, members of the public are always encouraged to report such incidents to An Garda Siochána and the Council.

As the Council's public parks are  available for use seven days a week, the Council provides a Park Ranger Service. The Park Rangers are mobile and patrol the main parks each day providing information and guidance to parks users. They also enforce the Public Parks and Open Spaces Bye-laws as necessary and provide a response to the members of the public who may find themselves in difficulty. 

The park opening hours are set out in the Bye-laws and are linked to daylight hours. In the winter, parks close at 5.00pm as darkness falls. In the summer, the opening hours extend to 9.00pm. The opening hours of the parks in South Dublin County are  consistent with the opening hours of parks in other Local Authorities and are considered to be more than adequate in terms of recreational opportunity consistent with public safety.

It should also be noted that the Park Rangers are covered by the Working Time Act. The further extension of park opening hours would have to be combined with curtailment of hours elsewhere to ensure that the Council remains in compliance with the Act.   

There is regular communication with An Garda Siochána, both formal and informal. Members of the Community Gardaí and Mountain Bike Units regularly visit and pass through the parks in the county. They also provide enhanced patrolling where there is evidence of criminal activity or intent. Local Gardaí meet with local park managers several times a year to share information and experience. They also provide the first line of response for Park Rangers in situations where members of the public are engaged in dangerous, threatening or criminal behaviour. 

Council staff and local managers are involved in various forms of ongoing liaison with local residents and community groups both formal and informal. Contact is available through the Safety Fora, Deputations process, the Customer Contact System, Fix Your Street, Estate Management and via the Elected Members. There is also regular contact with groups such as Residents Associations, Tidy Towns Committees, Community Councils, and through schemes such as Social Credits and Community Cleanups. It is considered that there are sufficient structures in place at the present time with a variety of options for contact / communication between the public and the Council.