COMHAIRLE CONTAE ÁTHA CLIATH THEAS
SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

South Dublin County Council Crest

MEETING OF LUCAN AREA COMMITTEE

Tuesday, November 25, 2014

QUESTION NO.12

QUESTION: Councillor L. O'Toole

"This Council welcomes the plans for open play areas in the county which was presented to the members last month. Could this Council consider the requirement of teenagers as part of these plans considering the number of teenagers in the Lucan area?"

REPLY:

The Five Year Play Space programme is specifically targeted at children up to 8 years of age. Recreational facilities for teenagers is more complex and is covered by national policy and guidance, in particular the Department of Children and Youth Affairs policy document - Teenspace - a National Recreation Policy for Young People. The National Play Policy defines recreation as

"...comprising all positive activities in which a person may choose to take part that will make his or her leisure time more interesting, more enjoyable and personally satisfying."

"Recreation can include reading, recreational sport, art, music in a group, ‘hanging out’, camping, surfing the Net and many more activities. Recreation can be distinguished from organised sport because it does not necessarily involve competition; it is subject to the starting and stopping wishes of the individual and is less constrained by rules."

In keeping with this definition, the Council has either directly provided, or facilitated, a range of recreational opportunities for teenagers in the Lucan area. This includes playing fields for a range of codes, an athletic track, an all-weather hockey pitch, tennis courts, a skate park, a multi use games area, off road pedestrian and cycle paths, model car track, youth café, public library, sports and leisure centre, tennis courts and an extensive public park system for both active and passive recreation.

The matter will be raised for discussion with the Community Department to identify further initiatives / measures that might be brought forward for consideration by the Members to cater for teenage recreation.