'Prioritise the provision of playground in Donacarney' - McKee
A NEW playground for the Donacarney area needs to be prioritised according to Fianna Fail Cllr Stephen McKee.
The local councillor submitted a motion at a recent Laytown/Bettystown council meeting that Meath County Council immediately begin planning and preparing for the provision of a community playground on Council-owned land (marked as a spot objective site in the new County Development Plan) in the centre of Donacarney.
He said a site has been identified beyond Glen Boann estate opposite Maiden Hayes on Church Road, Donacarney.
“We know there are a serious lack of public amenities including infrastructure in that area to serve the existing and future local population. The site in question on Church Road is ideal as it is within walking distance of local housing developments, and it is close also to residents in the Colpe area.
“I previously tabled a motion during the county development plan which is seeking designation of the playground on the site on behalf of local residents.
“The zoning is in place for that and I do accept that it is in the county development plan. My motivation for submitting the motion is to ensure that it is not just written on a piece of paper in the country development plan that it is acted upon and is progressed as soon as possible.
“I am heartened by the response of the council that it may be possible to commence the planning and design and element of the project within a year and I’d like a commitment from the council.”
Fine Gael Cllr Sharon Tolan said it was unwise to focus on just one location:
“There are a number of possible locations that I have been discussing with the planning department, I would ask if Cllr McKee would accept an amendment to remove that spot objective site in relation to it because there are ongoing discussion in relation to that ideal location.”
McKee responded saying he was keen to keep the site on the Church Road as part of the motion.
A representative of Meath County Council said there were a number of factors when identifying a suitable site including engineering works and road safety issues and a consultation process will come into play when choosing a site.