Labour’s Deputy Duncan and Corina Johnston (area representative) are calling on Fingal County Council to urgently address the ongoing safety concerns at Ballymastone sports grounds. Donabate.
Johnston said: “Duncan Smith TD and I have written to Fingal County Council demanding that a permanent resurfacing of a suitable and long lasting nature be carried out as a matter of urgency on the existing car park at Ballymastone, Donabate.”
Johnston continued: “As we enter into the dark evenings this project must be deemed a priority to avoid injury for the many children who are dropped off and collected at the car park. At an on-site meeting earlier this year, arranged by Deputy Smith the council undertook to carry out remedial work on the carpark. “
Smith added: “it is incredible that the car park surface has returned to the desperate state it was a few months ago when we had an on-site meeting with the council with temporary remedial works agreed.
“This reinforces what we stressed at the meeting, that the remedial work would not be a long term solution required by the clubs and parents and as a result we would be revisiting this issue very shortly. “
Johnson said: “In view of the failure of the council to resolve these on-going issues, the patience of parents, who have to drop and collect their children at this location has run out.”
As such, Labour submitted the following question to a recent council meeting:
“To ask the Chief Executive if she would prioritise and commence the construction of the new entrance road and cycle path into the Ballymastone Recreational Hub, Donabate given the serious safety concerns being expressed by parents in respect of the current narrow access road with children unable to cycle or walk to and from the grounds?””
Fingal County Council’s response at the time was: “The request for the development of this new access is acknowledged. This work will be progressed through the relevant procurement process having regard to the need for the provision of these facilities.”
The council have since responded to a Gazette enquiry, stating “Whilst improvement works had been carried out at the request of the clubs using the grounds, the carpark is still only temporary in nature pending the development of the sports and school campus.
“Once that is completed there will be around 200 spaces available, but it remains our hope that there will also be reduced car dependency as the new recreation hub will allow for improved connections with new walking and cycling routes.
“In the meantime, we have provisionally arranged to meet with local representatives and the clubs on site to discuss how best to address the concerns they have with regard to the surface at the temporary car park.”
Johnston responded by saying this was very disappointing and “that temporary recurring solutions are becoming costly for the council and not the answer.”
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