Meeting arranged to discuss plans for running track in Tymon Park

A meeting has been arranged between the council, a Rathfarnham athletic club and the Dublin Athletic Board to discuss a potential new track in Tymon Park.

A meeting has been arranged with South Dublin County Council, Dublin Athletic Board and Rathfarnham WSAF AC in the coming weeks to discuss the possibility of creating a new 1500m grass track in Tymon Park North.

Tymon Park currently does not have a dedicated cross-country or grass running track within its 300 acres.

However, SDCC noted that the regional park “offers a wide range of sporting and recreational facilities to meet the needs of the local community and visitors alike” and that they support active use of the public amenity.

The park contains approximately 13.8 km of surfaced footpaths, which the local authority stated are regularly maintained and are widely used for walking and running. Several sporting and recreational events are held in the park, including the weekly parkrun that takes place every Saturday at 9:30 am.

The council added that they support the use of Tymon Park for running events, subject to conditions.

SDCC stated: “South Dublin County Council facilitates and supports cross-country events when requested, subject to ground conditions, seasonal considerations, and the need to protect grassed areas and biodiversity.

“In addition, many park users make informal use of boundary grass areas, where mowing strips have been provided alongside long-flowering meadows.”

At the planned meeting with Rathfarnham WSAF AC and the Dublin Athletic Board, the council will discuss the request of the local club in detail and consider any potential options within the constraints that they have events held in the park abide by.

Over €200k is expected to be spent to improve facilities across Tymon Park this year through the council’s Public Realm section.

€210k will go towards a new pedestrian entrance at Limekiln car park, footpath upgrades and dog run upgrades, including new equipment and landscaping features, as well as age-friendly picnic benches and other park benches, and age-friendly workout equipment as seen in the Dodder Valley and Greentrees parks.

The recently completed Tymon Park enhancement project had cost SDCC €3.1m to deliver and went over the initial budget of €2.6m.

Funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme.