COMHAIRLE CONTAE ÁTHA CLIATH THEAS
SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

MEETING OF TALLAGHT AREA COMMITTEE

Monday, April 23, 2018

MOTION NO. 8

MOTION: Councillor M. Duff

"Owing to the significant number of anti social incidents involving scramblers and quads on the green space in Tymon North, bounded by St Aongus Green, Park, Road and Tymon North Road, that this Area Committee calls on the Chief Executive to install a boundary fence around this green, in consultation with the residents regarding it's design, in an effort to reduce this type of activity."

REPORT:

"The request to install a boundary fence around the green at St Aongus Green, Park, Road and Tymon North Road will be examined to determine what works are necessary and these will be costed in due course.  It should be noted that similar requests have been received in relation to other parks and open space areas where joyriding is occuring and similar action has been requested to be taken to curtail this anti-social activity.  Some of the areas where boundary fencing has been requested in addition to the area in question here are Killinarden Park, Butler McGee Park, Jobstown Park, Dodder Valley Park, Tymon Park (at the Basketball Arena), Bancroft Park, Glenshane Green and other parks and open space areas in other parts of the County.  This list continues to grow and the potential cost of both honouring commitments already given as well as responding positively to new requests received is also growing and has the potential to escalate to a level where the current provision in the capital budget cannot meet what is required.

Arrangements are currently being made to tender for a range of possible fencing and other options including wall construction which can be used in different locations according to what is required at each.  Each location needs to be examined to determine the exact extent of boundary fencing (or other alternative treatment) which is required, and both these factors will in turn determine the likely cost of implementing a solution at each location.  This will all then need to be considered within the context of the current budget provision.

It should be noted that the issue of scramblers was raised on the agenda of the March meeting of the County Council, the following report was given in repsponse to that motion.  The Council is acutely aware of long and on-going problems associated with scramblers and has been in liaison with An Garda Síochána in relation to this issue for some time.  Public Realm works have been initiated in some loction in an attempt to combat the problem e.g. run of 1.2 metre high fencing along the side of the green space areas, provision of bollards etc and we continue to explore opportunities to address the access problems. 

The subject and potential for establishing a regional Task Force was recently considered by the EPR&CC SPC at its February 2018 meeting following referral to it from the November 2017 Council Meeting, having initially been considered and referred from the October 2017 Clondalkin ACM.  Cllr Francis Timmons was nominated from the EPR&CC SPC and the motion was also noted at the recent Land Use Planning & Transportation SPC. Given the ongoing engagement of the Council's Road Safety Officer with An Garda Síochána and Motorcycling Ireland in relation to such issues, it has been agreed that the Council's Road Safety Officer will sit on this group.  It is now also proposed to make direct contact with the other Dublin Authorities and AGS to seek nominations for a Regional Task Force."