Calls for seating in parks to be wheelchair accessible
Calls have been made to make the seating in Airlie Park in Lucan wheelchair accessible “just to even make one bench usable” for those who need them.
The lack of wheelchair accessible seating in Airlie Park was made clear, and a review is expected to be carried out to see how the standard can be improved.
A review of access routes to seating areas in the park will be carried out to determine the condition and accessibility of each location and any deemed inaccessible will be noted.
Those noted as inaccessible will be compiled into a programme of works that the council will then carry out in the park.
However, significant funding may be required to carry out the full project and the timeframe for upgrading is subject to the number of locations and extent of areas involved.
Councillor Vicki Casserly complimented the design of the seating but stated that it was not practical for those who use mobility aids.
Cllr Casserly said: “While I welcome the design and it’s really nice, it’s not actually of practical use for persons who use a mobility aid and our family is just one of them.
“Whilst I appreciate that significant funding may be needed to have some of the works carried out, even if there was a portion of them that could be done from the outset just to even make one bench usable.”
The Lucan councillor added that she had flagged the seating with members of council management prior to their installation.
She called for the local authority’s Disability Equality Officer to be brought on board to help ensure that the improved seating delivered is of an acceptable standard.
South Dublin County Council Park Superintendent David Fennell said that they will approach this issue with the view to improving as many benches as possible before the year is out.
Mr Fennell added: “If there’s large areas that require additional works we will have to look at it in the context of the 2027 budget.
“But I would be positively disposed to carrying out a large proportion of them in the coming year.”
Funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme.
