MEETING OF CLONDALKIN AREA COMMITTEE
Wednesday, April 15, 2015
MOTION NO.12
MOTION: Councillor F. Timmons
That the Chief Executive presents a report with reference to the Neighborhood Playground for Newcastle village, is it the case that the funding for the Playground in Newcastle has been reduced from €120,000 to €65,000.
REPORT:
The Local Area Plan (LAP) for Newcastle was approved by the Elected Members in 2012 and provides for a park area as part of the plan. An existing planning permission for part of the LAP includes for the construction of a Play Space. This permission will be revisited as part of the compliance process when the Receiver and Liquidator for the development begin the process of discussion with the Council on the construction of the park itself and which is unlikely to take place until early 2016.
The play space for Newcastle should be of a Neighbourhood size and that caters for both children up to 8 years of age and those older than this. The only available area in which to achieve this would be in the proposed new park – in effect a small Neighbourhood Park.
Efforts were made in the consultation process to locate an alternative site in Newcastle but none was considered to be suitable. There has been no reduction in funding: it is simply that the site in which to utilise the funding does not currently exist. Renewed contact will be made with the groups in Newcastle to locate a suitable site for a Play Space to cater for children from 1 to 8 years of age – these play spaces currently cost up to €65,000 to construct but this is site dependent and dependent on the complexity of the play space to be provided.
