COMHAIRLE CONTAE ÁTHA CLIATH THEAS
SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

MEETING OF SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

Monday, May 12, 2025

MOTION NO. 3

MOTION: Councillor E. Ó Broin

This Council agrees to create a programme for the installation of small playgrounds in housing estates that want them.

REPORT:

South Dublin County Council completed its playspace programme in 2019 following an investment of almost €3 million. This programme was designed to address the deficiency of play opportunities in the immediate environment of children’s homes. It was an innovative programme based on encouraging children into the outdoors to engage in active, imaginative, constructive and social play. The playspaces are designed to adapt to the particular place where they are installed. They focus on creating appropriate settings for play (rather than equipment for children to play with); are located where children live, with the emphasis on natural playspaces; which focus on the type of play that is most important to younger children. The Council's programme was in response to the recognition that play is a very important issue, impacting the health and wellbeing of children growing up in this county. The programme resulted in a significant increase in play provision across the county and within parks and open spaces, playgrounds and natural playspaces now number 63 in total across the county.

Subsequent to the delivery of SDCC's own playspace programme programme and based on the experience derived from it, South Dublin County Council implemented additional, new policies within the County Development Plan to ensure that natural playspaces are provided in tandem with the delivery of residential areas in the current development cycle. These policies are delivering playspaces at pace, close to homes across the county, in tandem with the development of new residential areas.

Public Realm have already initiated work on developing a new play policy, integrating the experience gained during the playspace programme and this process will also gather data reflecting the current level of play provision across the county. This includes reviewing the facilities developed as part of the previous playspace programme and the significant number of play areas that have been developed as part of new housing developments in the county. In addition, Active South Dublin is also conducting a review of recreational amenities throughout the county, and the findings from this will be integrated into the report on playspaces. Once this analysis is complete it can inform any new playspace programme, to ensure that any future installations meet the needs of the community effectively.