DUBLIN City Council has agreed to erect a protective fence around the perimeter of a playground on the Southside to protect against attacks by vandals.
In April thugs caused thousands of euros worth of damage to swings, slides and other play utilities at the Brickfield Park playground in Drimnagh that was built by the council in 2004 at a cost of
?¬180,000.
The council revealed that it has spent around
?¬5,000 annually on repairs due to normal wear and tear and minor vandalism at the playground over the past five years.
However, the local authority said that in the past 18 months there has been an increase in the level of vandalism due to what it described as
“sporadic antisocial behaviour
? in the park.
This increase in vandalism and the recent attack prompted local residents and Sinn Fein activist, Daithà Doolan, to call on the council to erect a fence around the facility to prevent vandals from causing further damage.
Mr Doolan handed in a petition recently to the city council that was signed by hundreds of local residents, urging the local authority to erect a fence around the playground.
Liam Fitzgerald, secretary of the Drimnagh Community Group, believes the council would save money by erecting the fence, as it would most likely prevent vandals from causing any further damage.
“The playground has been there for a few years and it has been vandalised before,
? he said.
“In fairness to Dublin City Council they have replaced things but it has got to the stage now where the swings and things that the kids play on are costing money to replace all the time. When you add it all up against the price of a fence to put around the playground you would definitely save money in the long run.
?
Mr Doolan said it must be a priority for the council to release the money to allow staff to go ahead and put up a fence.
“Our children and our community deserve nothing less,
? he added.
“This is the only play ground in Drimnagh. It must be protected.
?
A spokesperson for the council’s Parks Department said it had ordered a two metre high secure fence about four weeks ago at a cost of
?¬13,000.
“It will be erected within the next two weeks to deter unauthorised access to the playground at night and to limit further damage to play equipment and the safety surfacing,
? the spokesperson stated.