COMHAIRLE CONTAE ÁTHA CLIATH THEAS
SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

MEETING OF LUCAN AREA COMMITTEE

Tuesday, September 27, 2016

MOTION NO.9

MOTION: Councillor D. O'Brien

"This area committee would like a report on the Playspace at Haydens Park.  Residents in the estate feel very let down by the council on the way the area has been looked after since it was finished. Grass has not been cut around the playspace and it is starting to look in a very bad way. The residents were told before this play space was finished that the area would be looked after."

REPORT:

The playspace in Griffeen Avenue is designed as a natural place for children to play and have close contact with nature. The natural setting is created by the use of simple natural materials such as rock, earth, sand, gravel and wood along with native planting and meadow grass. It is set in a park with many hectares of close mown grass. In the whole of Griffeen Valley Park this is the only area not maintained as short mown grass and it a deliberate intention not to have it so.

Increasingly, in urban areas the general public have become so accustomed to mown grass that they often regard natural areas such as meadows as either abandoned or unmaintained. However, it is very important that we make room for nature in our parks. This is especially important where children play as the benefits of play in natural settings are very well documented.

In many areas (most notably Waterstown Park) there is often initial scepticism from the general public when Parks attempt to develop wildflower meadows and allow the grass to grow. However, as people come to understand the reasoning there is usually huge support for areas maintained for wildlife and nature. This year the Council even received criticism when park users thought that we had cut the meadows too soon in Waterstown. This contrasts directly with the complaints and calls to mow all the grass in Waterstown when the park was developed over a decade ago.

On the positive side we have not had any reports of anti-social activity at the playspace and there is no evidence that the area is being used for drinking as residents originally feared.

The pictures attached were taken in mid-summer (June 21) following a number of complaints about long grass. Some residents assumed that the grass not being cut meant that the area had been abandoned. Following these complaints Operations staff strimmed the grass along the paths and also strimmed a number of walkways through the meadow where desire lines were obvious. This was to indicate that the area was being maintained. It is important to note that although the grass was long that there was no litter and the area was extremely clean.

The plan is to mow the entire area in September to help develop the area as a natural wildflower meadow. As well as providing wildlife benefits there are known benefits to children being in natural places especially for mental health. Indeed the area has been much praised by Lucan Autism Network who frequently bring children to the playspace.

The experience in Waterstown Park is that when people understand why an area is not being cut that they look at the area with a completely different perspective. In order to inform people of why the grass is maintained as meadow it is proposed to install signage at the playspace before next summer.

At the time of the development of the playspace there were huge fears that the area would attract too many people and traffic into Haydens Park and that it would be a source of anti-social activity. These fears have not been realised. Several parts of the playspace were not developed at the time because of these fears but residents requested the Council to review this decision with the option of finishing the playspace as initially proposed if the feared problems did not arise. This would include installing the oak logs across the dry river bed and installing the mini shop fronts. There was also an option of building a ruined Mill as another play feature between the playspace and the river.

It is intended to meet with residents again when the playspace has been in situ for one year (December) and ascertain if residents are in favour of completing the playspace as originally intended and given their experience over a full calendar year.