Permission sought again by club for floodlit Astro pitch

TALLAGHT Town AFC has once again applied for planning permission for a floodlit Astro pitch in their home ground in Carolan Park, Kiltipper.

This follows on from the club’s previous planning application for the pitch being refused permission last February, in a move that club chairman Alan Merriman described as “soul-destroying”.

In their current planning application, which was lodged on August 23, the club is seeking permission for the construction of a new all-weather pitch complete with perimeter fencing and floodlights.

The documents submitted with the new planning application include a bat assessment, a site layout plan and drainage network drawings.

A planning statement is also included, where the club outlined its role in the community and the importance of the development of the floodlit Astro pitch going ahead.

“Tallaght Town AFC holds an important place in the community of west Tallaght and provides essential facilities and activities for the youth of the area,” the club wrote.

“The club currently has a membership of over 300 children and imbues in them an ethos of health and wellbeing, fitness, responsibility and comradery.

“The club’s long-term commitment to the community is demonstrated in their continuous efforts in developing the site.

“This project is central to that development and will facilitate an increase in activity at the site and stimulate a growth in the club membership, providing an outlet for the youth of Tallaght in a safe, secure and supervised arena.”

A decision on the planning application is due from South Dublin County Council by October 18.

The club’s prior attempt to secure planning permission for the floodlit pitch was an unsuccessful one, as the council refused planning permission for it in February.

The local authority cited concerns about the impact the proposed floodlit pitch could have on local wildlife, including bats, and that it could be “intrusive” in the overall landscape of the area.

The council stated that it “considered that the introduction of floodlighting in a darkened environment could negatively impact protected species, including bats, which are light averse.”

It further added in its decision to refuse planning permission: “The site is located in an exposed area within the Athgoe and Saggart Hills Landscape Character Area (LCA) as per Appendix 9 of the Development Plan.

“Intensive floodlighting at this location would be visible from a distance and intrusive in the landscape.

“This could result in an impact to the setting of the LCA, which is deemed to have a medium/high sensitivity.”

Speaking at the time of the decision, the chairman of Tallaght Town AFC, Alan Merriman, pointed to the presence of permitted floodlit pitches in other sports clubs nearby, in areas similar to Carolan Park, and the increasing proliferation of residential developments in the locality.

“There’s housing estates all around us, like Marlfield, Deerpark, Elder Heath . . . they’ve built all these housing estates with no facilities,” said Mr Merriman, who lives in Ellensborough.

“When you look at the whole area of Tallaght and anti-social behaviour, sport is the number one thing that keeps young people away from anti-social behaviour.”

He also expressed frustration at the council refusing permission for the pitch, instead of seeking additional information from the club about their areas of concern.