Children are using pub toilet instead of pavilion

CHILDREN are running across a main road to use bathroom facilities in a pub instead of booking the use of a “state of the art pavilion” with changing and storage facilities, according to a councillor.

At the recent Tallaght Area Committee Meeting, Cllr Teresa Costello called for a review of the booking system used for the Dodder Valley Park pavilion.

South Dublin County Council has an online pavilion booking system, with sports clubs required to pay a one-off registration fee of €50 before booking the amenity for €15 per hour.

In her motion, Cllr Costello says that “Aherns pub consistently allow children using the pitches to use toilet facilities while the pavilion remains closed due to the lack of booking”.

Speaking at the meeting, Cllr Costello said: “I’ve raised this because the pavilion which was much welcomed in Dodder Valley Park was opened in October 2021 and has only been booked 58 times since October 2021.”

“By my calculations, that’s not even once a week,” Cllr Costello said.

“To have such an excellent facility in our park that isn’t being used, I can only think that there’s something with the current booking system that’s not meeting the community needs.

“Is it too expensive for them to book the pavilion for use?

“It’s there and I think it’s such a shame, I would have expected to be told it was booked 500 times since October 2021.

“If money is being invested into something like this, it’s slap bang in the middle of our area in a park full of football pitches and a park that there’s park runs, I would expect it to be booked an awful lot more times.”

Cllr Charlie O’Connor raised the point that Dodder Valley Parkrun is there every Saturday morning in the park and they raised the point that “they had nowhere to go spend a penny” – a euphemism for urinating.

“They were there in large numbers, they were being encouraged by the council to go so, and they had nowhere to go to spend a penny, if I can use that phrase,” Cllr O’Connor said.

“The public who believe the council is their servant, not their master, and I’m sorry for putting it that way and I’m not ambushing you manager, they feel that if they’re in the park, and they’re using the facility and it’s an excellent facility, that if they want to use a loo, they shouldn’t have to go over to an adult pub.”

Cllr Kieran Mahon suggested making the Dodder Valley Parkrun crew anchor tenants of the pavilion facility and stated that he disagreed with charging for the use of the amenity.

Senior executive officer of the council’s environment, public realm and water section, Sharon Conroy, said that the figure has increased since replying to the councillor’s original question.

“The pavilion opened during Covid restrictions and at that time, obviously people were keeping their distance, a number of clubs asked could they use the pitch but didn’t want to use changing rooms,” Ms Conroy said.

“Actually, it was used a couple of times without being booked through the system, so that number of times would not be counted in that 58 original.

“Since that, it has now been booked 81 times and that was up to when I answered this. In fact, when I checked today, it has been 88 times, so it is increasing all of the time.

Ms Conroy explained that when the pavilion is booked, clubs get use of changing rooms, referee’s room, toilets, and the pitches – saying “it is not a public toilet”.

“I’m not sure why they have to run to Aherns pub, or is that there is some games taking place where they haven’t actually booked the facility?,” Ms Conroy pondered.

The current set-up with the booking system is “working very well” as clubs get the hang of the booking system, according to the council.