COMHAIRLE CONTAE ÁTHA CLIATH THEAS
SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

MEETING OF SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

Monday, September 14, 2020

QUESTION NO. 32

QUESTION: Councillor F. Timmons

To ask the Chief Executive to issue a report into the Playspace programme and how many are planned for future and timeframes? Also, to look at a council scheme to upgrade as required and maintain the finished Playspaces. Also can areas apply to Council for a playspace and is there an email where people can contact re playspaces?

REPLY:

The Playspace programme in South Dublin County Council is a programme that commenced in 2014. The provision of playgrounds in the recent past concentrated on large, formally equipped and defined playgrounds with highly specialised equipment. The playspace programme aims to provide opportunities to play. This type of play allows children to develop their imagination, challenge their abilities, deal with risk and, critically, adapt their own environment.

The Play Space programme was established following the identification of a deficit of play areas for children in this county. This was documented in the policy document ‘Developing play in South Dublin County’ adopted by the Council in June 2006. However the development of play areas / playgrounds did not result in the immediate aftermath, due to the economic downturn and lack of development generally.

In recent years there has been an emphasis on the physical and mental well-being of children. Over the past 20 years there has been a significant rise in levels of obesity, childhood diabetes, high levels of stress and increasing sedentary lifestyles. A report the National Taskforce on Obesity estimates that 300,000 children in Ireland are now obese.

Due to a variety of factors children are less likely to wander far from their own homes. A study in the UK documented the distance children travelled from home for play; the results showed that the distance children roam from home on their own has shrunk by 90% since the 70s; 43% of adults think a child shouldn't play outdoors unsupervised until the age of 14. So children are increasingly confined to the immediate environs of their homes.

Delivery of Playspace Programme 2014-to date.

The Play Space Programme is in the final stages of completion. The programme has been very successful to date and has progressed through the significant active involvement from elected members and local communities, and direct engagement with children; this Council is recognised favourably for creating new play opportunities close to where children live. A new type of play space delivery has been achieved – using the concepts of Natural Play and where children can create their own play opportunities.

With the recent completion of a playspace at Collinstown, the programme has delivered to date, 27 new playspace projects, as well as the refurbishment of 6 existing playgrounds. The refurbishments incorporate significant new natural playspace elements and provide new equipment where required. There are some final playspaces from the programme at various stages of completion and, as we are now approaching the completion of the programme, it is the intention to carry out a final report on the programme and its outcomes. Going forward suggestions for new playspaces can be made to cccounter@SDUBLINCOCO.ie and will be forwarded to the public realm team for consideration subject to funding and resource availability.