Council agrees to resurface Ballymastone carpark

Fingal County Council has revealed that it is planning on carrying out permanent resurfacing works at the Ballymastone sports campus carpark in Donabate.

The condition of the carpark has been the target of criticism by local councillors and party representatives in recent months who say that the uneven, pot-holed dotted surface has caused a health and safety hazard.

Temporary repair works carried out by the council earlier this year failed to alleviate the problem, councillors say.

Labour party representative for the area, Corina Johnston said the resurfacing works are badly needed.

“Duncan Smith TD and I have been campaigning for this work to be carried out for nearly two years now,” she said.

“At an onsite meeting earlier this year we stressed the need for a permanent solution to the car park surface and the need for the provision of lights in the car park given the number of children accessing the sports grounds across the dark car park.

“At that time the council proposed to carry out temporary repairs and to give consideration to installing lights in the car park.

“Within a few weeks the car park surface returned to the desperate state it was a few weeks earlier.”

At this month’s council meeting, councillor Seána Ó Rodaigh tabled a motion calling on the CEO “to agree that the only solution is permanent resurfacing and will she undertake to have this work carried out before the winter evenings set in.”

Johnston says that the surface has been a concern for parents dropping their children off for sports training.

“As a parent who has been a coach to underage Soccer and Gaa teams in recent years and visits Ballymastone on a very regular basis I was keenly aware of the deterioration of the surface which highlighted the serious health and safety concerns for parents as they transported their children to the facilities in Ballymastone.

“Recently, damage has been done to vehicles due to the extensive potholes on the surface.”

“Patience has now run out from the club members and facility users.

“I would ask that permanent resurfacing works of a suitable and long-lasting nature be carried out as soon as possible to avoid injury and the further one step forward, one step back nature of temporary works.”

Fingal County Council says a procurement process will begin shortly and expects the works to be completed in the fastest possible time.