‘Ongoing battle’ against burnt out cars in Killinarden Park
By Aideen O'Flaherty
ISSUES with burnt out cars and scramblers in Killinarden Park are ongoing, after two cars were set alight in the park last weekend.
As previously reported in The Echo, issues with cars gaining access to the park have been ongoing for several years, with South Dublin County Council erecting a boundary wall in order to deter access to the park, however the wall has been repeatedly breached.
The car burnt out and turned upside down in Killinarden Park on Sunday (February 24).
Last April, playing pitches in the park that are used by Croí Ró Naofa GAA Club were damaged by tyre tracks that ran through the park and across the pitches, and the club had to cancel matches as a result.
In June, it was revealed that the cost of securing the boundary wall on one side of Killinarden Park would total €110k.
And last month, Sinn Féin councillor Dermot Richardson claimed that a new infill housing development had created a new access point to the park – which had inadvertently allowed access for scrambler bikes and cars.
Sinn Féin councillor Cathal King told The Echo: “It’s an ongoing battle, legislation is needed on this.
“We’re chasing our tails trying to provide funding to secure the park.
“The money that’s being spent securing pitches and moving burnt out cars would be much better spent on youth facilities in the area, we could be putting that money into the community for positive things.”
A spokesperson for South Dublin County Council told The Echo: “The council’s architects’ section has been reviewing the options, particularly with regard to cost, aesthetics, and effectiveness with regards to finding a solution to preventing cars from accessing Killinarden Park.
“A wall is the best option along the extended perimeter. A site review is being carried out [on Wednesday, February 27] and we will look at what temporary measures can be put in place. The abandoned/burnt out cars were removed on Tuesday [February 26].”
