Greens call for changes to Ballymun Plaza

Green Party MEP Ciarán Cuffe and Ballymun-Finglas Green Councillor Caroline Conroy say they welcome proposals from Dublin City Council to upgrade the Ballymun Civic Plaza through a series of landscape developments.

The Dublin Greens have also called on the Council to include native Irish trees, encouraged the inclusion of a playground, covered seating and cafe-style outdoor facilities.

“Enhancing parks and green spaces is an essential community service,” Ciarán Cuffe, Green Party MEP for Dublin said.

“While the vaccine rollout is doing very well, we know it is likely that we’ll have to spend more time outdoors.

“So let’s make the Ballymun Plaza space even more user friendly.

“Why not create a small ‘micro-playground’ similar to the one in Smithfield Square and perhaps include a tea/coffee kiosk with a toilet available to the general public during opening hours.

“Additionally, we can also use this landscaping project to promote trees native to Ireland, with a few edible nut and fruit trees thrown in for good measure!”

Caroline Conroy, Green Party Councillor for Ballymun-Finglas said:

“The Plaza sits in the centre of Ballymun, but local people find the current design too open and empty.

“We have a great opportunity here to break the plaza into different areas, along the lines proposed, making it a comfortable and calming place where people will meet for a chat, or go to see a live theatre performance.

“A few refinements would go a long way, like including an area for a pop-up market, more bike parking, and a covered seating area for community groups to meet outdoors.”