Parks Department severely under resourced, say Dublin city councillors

The Parks Department of Dublin City Council is severely lacking funding, resources and staff, according to north Dublin representatives.

Councillors of the North West Area Committee were speaking at a recent meeting when it was revealed that several requests lodged with the Parks Department over the past couple of years have either been put on the back-burner or ignored completely.

Fianna Fail councillor for Ballymun and Finglas, Keith Connolly said that “there is loads of stuff not happening, very slow replies or no replies at all in some cases.”

Connolly says that although he has only been in the council for two years he has seen a “massive disimprovement” in the operation of the Parks Department.

Social Democrats councillor for the area Mary Callaghan said that “great work” is being done by the Parks Department but some issues are not being addressed.

“We have some great new playground and upgrades of playgrounds,” she says.

“I think the individuals and management there are very good at what they’re doing but I think there is a massive resource issue.”

Callaghan says that when councillor ask for “basic things”, such as removing fallen trees, filling in tree pits and fixing trip hazards, they are being told “it is in on a list.”

“Some people have literally been waiting years to have a tree replaced,” she says.

“It’s like the system has broken down with regard to maintenance.”

In response, Fergus O’Carroll, senior parks superintendent said that he was “sorry” councillors feel they were not getting responses but the department receives “very few requests from the North West area.”

“I don’t feel the system has broken down,” he says.

Callaghan also raised the issue of the lack of amenities for teenagers in parks in the area, saying little progress has been made since she became councillor.

“We have the opportunity to build facilities for teenagers but at the moment there is nothing happening,” she says.

“I have been a councillor for two and a half years and we haven’t delivered anything in our parks for that age group and it’s not for the want of asking.”

O’Carroll says he is “all for” more teenage facilities if they can “find the right items for the right locations.

“But they are tricky,” he says.

“A lot of the community are scared of the congregation of teenagers and we get reports of teenagers meeting up in parks and this is seen as a bad thing.

“We are trying to encourage healthier uses of the open spaces and we are open to these things.

“Money and the proportioning of budgets is a tricky one,” he says.

“The Parks Improvement Programme is not a very deep budget and it is spread very thin across an entire area

“Unfortunately, recreational equipment and amenities for teenagers comes in at the more expensive end and I think a robust discussion on what people would like and where, would be a good start.”