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A GROUP OF locals who help maintain a Green Flag winning park in Tallaght is campaigning against the building of apartments they say will hurt their efforts in the community.
The plans are for an area attached to Sean Walsh Park and would see a total of 81 new one or two-bedroom apartments that the council says are specially designed for older persons.
The public park is located beside Tallaght Stadium and across the main road from The Square shopping centre.
Earlier this year, the park was awarded a Green Flag for its standards in cleanliness, horticulture and recreation.
A local group called the Tallaght Litter Mugs has been active in cleaning the park and says that the new development will hurt its efforts because a depot on the site will be moved to make way for the apartments.
The council says the depot will be moved to an existing depot in Tymon Park, a short drive away.
In a petition set up to help with their efforts, the Tallaght Litter Mugs group says the depot is one of a number of reasons why they are opposed to the plan.
“We do not want to lose the SDCC depot as this will severely erode the ability to maintain the high standards within the park, thereby threatening our Green Flag status,” the group states.
Tallaght Litter Mugs also says that the plans will see the removal of a “socially inclusive community garden” and could spread an invasive knotweed found at the site by way of the Whitestown Stream which runs alongside the site.
An Ecological Impact Assessment noted that knotweed was found at the site and said that it must be “removed and treated ahead of construction work”.
The plans will also see the removal of a small house and garden that is used by the caretaker of the depot that been used the house farmyard animals and has become a kind of local amenity.
The group also opposes the plans on the basis that the site is not appropriate to house old people given its proximity to Tallaght Stadium, something the group refers to as “extremely poor planning”.
A spokesperson for South Dublin County Council previously told Echo.ie that the proposed housing scheme has been planned with the aim of alleviating some of the pressure on the housing list.
Local councillor Pamela Kearns told TheJournal.ie that the councillors have been assured that the depot moving from the site to Tymon Park will not hurt cleanup efforts.
Kearns says that the site is not actually part of the public park and that the site is relatively small compared to the wider Sean Walsh Park.
“You can’t keep saying that housing is needed and then object to each development that comes along,” she added.
Councillor Mick Duff also says he is confident that the depot in Tymon Park will be sufficient to collect the green waste from Sean Walsh Park.
“It’s an emotive issue when you hear people saying things like ‘Save our Park’ and ‘Don’t Build on our Park’, but the reality is that the park is untouched,” Duff says.
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Not in my back yard crowd again. A building going up near the park terrible.
@john s: It’s in the park John and directly behind the Tallaght Stadium, no Nimbyism just not great planning, there is alot of housing being built in Tallaght atm both private and council and if the relevant authorities exerted pressure on building companies to include small zoned areas for older people in their planning applications like they have in plenty of estates in Tallaght they wouldn’t need this. Sean Walsh Park is what it is a Park and should be kept that way.
@Shane Hanlon: Shane I do not know the area I only commented on the article where a local councillor stated that the site in question is not part of sean Walsh park at all. Obviously they are lieing when they siad that. I suggest people in the local community should not vote for a councillor who spreads lies. Or maybe she is telling the truth and the site is not part of the park an not in my back yard thinking is alive and well in tallaght also.
@john s: Pamela Kearns isn’t from Tallaght. Shes from templeogue.
@Darragh O’Connell: but is she a representative covering that area? Did she lie ? Or is she telling the truth ?
At the minute looks like she is telling the truth
@john s: the site of the new homes is not freely open to the public. So can it be part of the public park? I suppose it depends on your positive and perspective.
@john s:
A lot of ignorance on display here.
“I don’t know the area” but I’m going to comment anyway.
This is not in anyone’s backyard. It’s part of a beautiful park that serves the community here. The area where the proposed development will be is a depot base of operations for those working in the park on its upkeep. It is also the site of a community garden, allotments and small farm.
As for the NIMBYism claim, Tallaght has given plenty of land over to social housing and has suffered incredibly from the outset due to corrupt and bad planning.
This is a land grab of a public amenity, and it is officially a part of the park as you would see with a little bit of research. https://www.facebook.com/WatergatePark/
@Dermot Bohan: ok if I were u I would challenge the local representative in the article who according to your response is telling lies.
Tallaght does not own land so how can it give it away. U need to look at the local representatives if u have a problem with how they are behaving. I imagine the vocal minority will have little impact on the silent majority when it comes to voting in the tallaght area
@Barry O Connor:
Public libraries have staff rooms and toilets not open to the public, so should they be considered part of the library?
The proposed development is on a council Depot and caretakers house it will not be on a area generally used by the public it is housing for the over 55s and badly needed and in a ideal position close to transport and shops it will not effect the park
It’s a wonder the blueshirts aren’t building a direct provision centre on it for their cronies. they’re cleaning up at the moment.
Plenty of other green areas in surrounding areas of park why cant they build else where ?
While I understand that parks are important, what do people want?! They complain about needing housing and then object it!!
While your at it why not do an article about the people in the liberties who are campaigning to save their allotments ? They’ve been told to down everything by the end of the year to make way for housing..
@Siobhán Ni Mhurchú:
‘We need more of this, not less’: Liberties locals up in arms over plans to ‘bulldoze’ allotments and community garden https://jrnl.ie/4355395
@G to the de B: cheers for that ..
If they built up the apartments a few story’s higher there wouldn’t be a need for them to build in parks and green areas
@Sean English ️: Yes, elderly people are only delighted to carry shopping up several flights. If there’s ever a fire drill, they can easily struggle down at top speed on their bionic limbs.
hmm old folks housing opposite a football stadium they may have point https://consult.sdublincoco.ie/en/consultation/proposed-older-persons-residential-development-land-situated-between-sean-walsh-park
have your say