COMHAIRLE CONTAE ÁTHA CLIATH THEAS
SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

MEETING OF LUCAN / PALMERSTOWN / NORTH CLONDALKIN AREA COMMITTEE

Tuesday, March 26, 2024

QUESTION NO.3

QUESTION: Councillor S. Moynihan

To ask the Chief Executive if the Council would seek to acquire the former playing pitch adjacent to Larkfield House and the Coldcut Club, beside Harelawn estate, for provision of an astro pitch, for the Palmerstown-Fonthill LEA.

REPLY:

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 (1 No. GAA sized / multi sport Artificial Grass Pitch and 1 No. soccer sized / multi-sport Artificial Grass Pitch) within the SDZ 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. There are no plans or budget allocated for an additional Artificial Grass Pitch at the location proposed.