Work starts on high kerb-type stud wall in park
By Aideen O'Flaherty
CONSTRUCTION work on a foundation for a high kerb-type stub wall around Killinarden Park is now underway, as the park’s perimeter has been repeatedly breached by people in cars and on scrambler bikes.
The park has been at the centre of numerous instances of anti-social behaviour, including the removal of the moving section of the park’s kissing gates with an angle-grinder last month, while 14 cars have been burnt out in the park so far this year.
Killinarden Park has had numerous instances of anti-social behaviour
Pitches in the park, which are used by Croí
Ró-Naofa GAA Club, have in the past been left unplayable as a result of burnt-out cars, and the club has had to cancel matches as a result.
Sinn Féin TD for Dublin South-West, Seán Crowe, raised the issue with South Dublin County Council at a meeting of Oireachtas members on Monday, where he asked when a boundary wall would be erected.
Deputy Crowe told The Echo: “It’s appalling for people in local clubs who give their time volunteering, and they end up trying to clean the pitches. Most weekends there’s burnt-out cars there.
“This is a problem – we seem to have people constantly burning out cars in the park.
“It’s a small minority that’s doing it, but the amount of money and manpower that the council has to use [to clean and secure the park] . . . the boundaries that have been put in don’t seem to be sufficient.
“We need to do something to stop the blight of this landscape in Killinarden.
“It’s almost like every time something is put up to secure the park, it’s taken as a dare to see how they can breach it.
“We need to be more responsive. What’s happening there is criminal, and it needs to be stamped out.”
The council responded to Deputy Crowe’s question by stating that “construction works on a foundation for a high kerb-type stub wall have now commenced and once construction on this is completed, a railing will then be installed on top of the kerb.
“It is expected that these works will be completed during the second half of August.”
The local authority added that these works are being managed by the council’s Architects’ Department “as part of the new housing scheme”.
A council spokesperson said: “The council’s contractor is due to commence the park boundary re-instatement works imminently as part of completion works associated with the delivery of new homes at Glas Beag.
“The costs for these works are included in the overall project costs for the new social homes.”
