Park with plans for €6m upgrade labelled ‘lawless’

A CONCERNED resident has labelled Killinarden Park as “lawless” and a “no-go zone”, as South Dublin County Council prepares a near €6m regeneration of the amenity.

At the West Tallaght Community Safety Forum Public Meeting in The Plaza Hotel on Tuesday night, a resident voiced concerns about the “pass the book” culture formed around addressing the Tallaght park.

“On the way down here tonight, I counted 12 scramblers in the park,” a Killinarden resident said.

“I never see the Gardaí in the park, I can honestly say in the more than 20 years I’ve lived in Killinarden that I have never seen a Garda foot patrol in the park, or on my road.

“It was mentioned with the upgrade of the park that passive use of the park would be a deterrent to crime.

“But, passive users have been driven out of the park by young people on scramblers and anti-social behaviour.

“The odd time you might see a Garda car when Croí ro Naofa are playing a gaelic football match, but that’s it.”

Another resident who was present at the meeting, of which members of An Garda Síochána and South Dublin Council were also in attendance, spoke candidly about the reality of the park.

“Killinarden Park, it’s lawless, it’s a no-go zone,” the resident said.

“The responsibility shouldn’t just fall on the guards, it falls on the council as well.

“There is significant investment going in to regenerate the park, there’s a natural boundary in it, but they won’t care.

“The other day, one of them came flying up the N81 doing a wheelie, so it’s on the bypass as well, not just in the park, I almost crashed my car with them.

“Addressing these issues needs collective effort because at the minute, it seems to be just pass the book, nobody is taking responsibility for it.”

In the South Dublin County Council 2023 – 2025 Capital Programme, the Killinarden Open Space Regeneration project is listed as having a total expenditure of €5,780,000.

Part 8 works to transform the park have been approved, with the active travel elements of the project supported through a National Transport Authority grant worth €3,595,000, which is included in the total expenditure.

The council reported at the start of April that it was working with tenderer towards final pricing and works agreement with start date expected in the coming weeks on the Killinarden Park regeneration.

Community response to the plans, which include new raised playing pitches, CCTV, play trails, strategic walk and cycleway, and enhanced lighting to tackle anti-social behaviour, was unprecedented with 1,268 responses during the public consultation stage.

With residents speaking about the “gangs” hanging around the park, coordinator of the Tallaght Drug and Alcohol Task Force, Grace Hill, echoed the need for support.

“These are very disadvantaged areas in need of supports,” Grace Hill said at the forum.

“I just want to say that not every group of young people is a gang.

“It could just be a group of young people creating social space for themselves.

“What I think we need to do is think, what are we doing in terms of outreach for these young people?”

For full access to all content on Echo.ie and to support the continuation of local news and local journalism in your community subscribe HERE. Thanks for your ongoing support.