COMHAIRLE CONTAE ÁTHA CLIATH THEAS
SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

South Dublin County Council Crest

MEETING OF TALLAGHT AREA COMMITTEE

Monday, March 25, 2019

QUESTION NO. 11

QUESTION: Councillor K. Mahon

Following on from a recent deputation with Lower Bancroft Residents' Association can management please update on the implementation of agreed actions, (listed below) particularly regarding restricting scrambler access to Bancroft Park at West Park gym and at the new library site?

- tidy the public area at the end of Bancroft Close

- secure the perimeters of Bancroft Park from scramblers

- install more suitable fencing on the park walls at Bancroft Close and Castle Park

- facilitate higher visibility and safety for pedestrian access between Castle Park and Bancroft Close.

REPLY:

It was agreed at the deputations meeting with the Bancroft residents association that the Council's Public Realm Section would clean the area inside the park at the entrance from Bancroft Close and Castle Park.  This clean up was carried out subsequently.  The park will be examined again with regard to litter and illegal dumping and a further clean up will be arranged.

At a follow up meeting in the park a number of locations were examined with regard to the need to secure the perimeters of Bancroft Park from scramblers etc.  It was agreed that fencing would be erected at the entrance into the park at Westpark gym off the Greenhills Road.  The matter has been examined further and it is estimated that approximatley 120 metres of fencing is required at this location along with a number of kissing gates on pathways.  Funding has been provided in the Capital Works programme in 2019 for this work and a tender process has now commenced to procure the fencing works. 

At the meeting on site a number of entrances to the park were examined where scramblers are gaining access across low gates and railings, such as at Bancroft Close/Castle Park and at Tymon North Gardens.  it was agreed that railings and gates would be raised at these locations and these works have been included in the tender process mentioned above.  The issue of youths congregating at the Bancroft Close/Castle Park entrance was raised at the site meeting also, and the Council subsequently had metal studs fitted to the top of the boundary wall to prevent people from sitting on it. 

The matter of higher visibility and safety for pedestrian access between Castle Park and Bancroft Close was referred to the Council's Roads Dept.  This matter has been examined in the past, Roads do not install kissing gates on public footpaths and are not in favour of doing so at this location at Castle Park/Bancroft Close.