COMHAIRLE CONTAE ÁTHA CLIATH THEAS
SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL
MEETING OF LUCAN / PALMERSTOWN / NORTH CLONDALKIN AREA COMMITTEE
Tuesday, November 28, 2023
MOTION NO. 12
MOTION: Councillor E. O'Brien
That this Area Committee ask the CEO to examine the feasibility of creating a "sports hub" in Griffeen Valley Park at the area known locally as "AGP 0" which is the area to the rear of Lucan Community College and the complex occupied by Lucan Harriers & Weston Hockey Club bounded on either side by Esker Drive, Esker Cottages and the L1011. Such undertaking would take account of the demand for year round accessible sport & leisure facilities in the greater Lucan area and examine, in consultation with those organisations who currently use the existing facility on an ongoing basis and the many local schools located within walking distance of the amenity who find it difficult to locate suitable pitches and other facilities for daytime use upgrading the current footprint to provide for greater usage by amongst other things;- -bringing the entire footprint to the same or similar level, -the installation of a 4G or such similar all-weather facility as is deemed appropriate, -provision of appropriate space for such minority sports as can be provided for, -lighting to maximise the usage of the facility, -such other contingencies which the CEO may deem appropriate but may not have been accounted for in this motion. This committee asks the CEO to include a cost/benefit analysis in the study and to outline what measures would be required to be taken in the event the full Council acceded to a request to create the sports hub and to return the study to the Lucan, Palmerstown, North Clondalkin Area Committee or such other committee as may be constituted covering those areas, for further discussion
REPORT:
South Dublin County Council commissioned a Sport Pitch Strategy (SPS) in 2020 to provide the Council with a clear evidence base and set of recommendations for future outdoor sports facility development across the district. A SPS is a strategic assessment that provides an up-to-date analysis of supply and demand for playing pitches (grass and artificial) in the local authority. The strategy and the evidence upon which it is based is delivered using insight from specific Governing Bodies of Sport, national guidance and local stakeholder input. The strategy focused on the following sports: Soccer, GAA, Rugby Union, Hockey, Cricket and Athletics. The SPS is an important document in the future locations of additional floodlit artificial grass pitches as it provides evidence based upon local team usage and future team generation rates that would be the predominant users of the facility. The SPS demonstrates that there is a need to provide AGP’s as a vital asset to the local community in terms of a training and match-play facility for clubs, teams and others. The delivery of the SPS is reviewed on a regular basis and implementation is reported and discussed at the relevant SPC.
Artificial grass pitches can support far more matches and training sessions compared to regular grass pitches and the sports pitch strategy recommends the provision of at least 5 No. pitches across the county to allow for an even distribution and facilitate use county-wide.
At present; there is a council approved and funded Astro Pitch Programme agreed and underway. 2 No. artificial grass pitches pitches have been delivered (at Airlie Park and Sean Walsh Park) as part of this programme of delivery, the other 3 no. required locations are in the west and east of the county and the new Strategic Development Zone area at Clonburris. Within the Lucan Area, the areas proposed for Artificial Grass Pitch provision include Airlie Park (construction completed) and there are other new pitches currently at the planning stage in the Clonburris Area. The Clonburris SDZ plans were agreed with the council and approved by An Bord Pleanála. Other Artificial Grass pitches have been proposed elsewhere across the county to allow for a distribution of facilities across the county.