New Tymon Park (Tallaght side) playground could be completed next month

By Echo Reporter

THE new playground at the Tallaght-side of Tymon Park is due to swing into action and open up to the public in late March, according to the latest information from South Dublin County Council.

At Monday’s Tallaght Area Committee meeting, local councillors Mick Duff (Labour Party) and Charlie O’Connor (Fianna Fáil) asked council management to give a progress report on the new playground and when it would be open to the public.

The Tallaght-end of the park has been without a playground since early 2010, when the original, 20-year-old timber playground – with its famous giant slide – was decommissioned due to health and safety concerns.

The delivery of the much-needed playground was plagued by continuous delays over the years, a situation which frustrated residents and resulted in the creation of a community campaign called The Vanished Playground – which lobbied for the return of the playground to the busy park.

This week, South Dublin County Council said: “Works on the playground at Tymon Park have been ongoing since November and are on schedule to be completed by mid-February.

“Depending on ground conditions over the next month, we expect we expect that the playground will be open for use in late March 2017.”

Speaking with The Echo after the council’s response, Cllr O’Connor said: “It’s time that this playground has been delivered.

“It’s been on the council agenda for a number of years but there have been so many delays, and myself among other councillors has been critical of those delays.

“The community has been without something that it needs for far too long and it’s now time that the playground is completed and opened to the public.”