COMHAIRLE CONTAE ÁTHA CLIATH THEAS
SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

South Dublin County Council Crest

MEETING OF SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

Monday, June 08, 2020

QUESTION NO. 7

QUESTION: Councillor David McManus

To ask the Chief Executive for figures provided for the repair and maintenance of playgrounds within South Dublin County Council annually for the years 2014-2019 and if a figure is available for repairs due to malicious damage to playgrounds and if a statement can be made on this matter.

REPLY:

It is recognised that quality recreation and leisure facilities contribute to the quality of life of those which they serve, and as part of South Dublin County Council’s recreation and amenity portfolio the council delivers a range of services including the provision and maintenance of open spaces; playgrounds and play spaces; playing pitches and other sporting facilities. Playgrounds and play spaces play a very important role in the lives of children and are a crucial part of ensuring healthy childhoods in communities across the county. 

The concentration in recent years is on the provision of new play spaces that offer opportunities to play and which allow children to develop their imagination, challenge their abilities, deal with risk and, critically, adapt to their own environment. The issue of vandalism is taken very seriously and the council continuously works to prevent it. When designing play facilities we concentrate primarily on using suitable materials. There is also an emphasis on restricting potential for anti-social activity through choosing locations carefully, ensuring openness, visibility and selecting very robust equipment.

Playground equipment is one of the most heavily-used facility within our parks. By their nature they are subject to wear and tear and, as we have increased the number of playgrounds in recent years,  repair costs have increased accordingly. The expenditure on repairs to playgrounds shown below includes costs for on-going maintenance, normal replacements for wear and tear as well as repair following incidents of vandalism; in some cases the repairs also incorporate design changes to prevent damage going forward or works to make an item more robust. Please note the increase in expenditure matches the roll out of additional playgrounds during the delivery of the recent programme and the extra maintenance cost for their upkeep. Expenditure on repairs and maintenance to playgrounds for the years 2014-2019 is as follows: 2014: approx. €50,000. 2015: approx. €50,000. 2016: approx. €100,000 2017: approx. €90,000. 2018:approx. €110,000 2019: €140,000 approx.

There have been some isolated incidents of vandalism within our playgrounds but in recent years there has just one incident where a play unit was destroyed beyond repair. These incidences of vandalised and broken equipment are low as increasingly more robust equipment is used. The Council have moved away from using predominantly rubber safety surfacing to natural materials which are less flammable and as a result our playgrounds are much less susceptible to vandalism.

The Council is also acutely conscious of the community benefits derived from sporting activity and currently provides and manages c 163 playing pitches and athletic facilities serving GAA, soccer, rugby, cricket and athletic clubs within the county. On-going problems associated with scramblers and quads are negatively impacting on such sporting / recreational facilities, and the council continue to liaise with An Garda Síochána, community representatives and residents of various housing estates in relation to this issue. 

With regard to preventing attacks on our public facilities, the Council urges people to report any vandalism that they are aware of to the Council and the Gardai.  We also would implore children not to get involved with individuals or groups whom they suspect are intent on vandalism, and we would remind parents to be mindful of their children’s activities. 

The Council have made large commitments in providing high quality play, recreational and sporting facilities across the county in recent years, and are committed to keeping them open and operational. We have a close relationship with local Gardai across the County, who have given a lot of resources to preventing problems in / at our facilities and we will continue to cooperate with them, and the public at large, in the management of this anti-social problem.