DLRCOCO have published the independent report prepared by Connect the Dots who were commissioned to capture stakeholder views from the recent public information/consultation/engagement sessions held in January regarding the latest plans for Shanganagh Park.

The full report is available at here and via www.dlrcoco.ie/Shanganagh23 

but of particular interest is the summary on pages 20/21 (reprinted below) which demonstrates the overwhelming stakeholder support for protecting the central meadow and instead using existing pitch footprints in and near the park to deliver enhanced facilities for sports clubs.

It begs the question as to why DLRCOCO have been so determined to force through these plans when the majority of all other stakeholders favour the alternative, more sustainable solutions that have community backing?!

According to the latest communication from Connect The Dots on behalf of DLRCOCO, “A revision of the plans presented at these sessions is being considered by DLRCC for the next phase of consultation. Another public consultation session will be held at this stage, giving the community a further opportunity to speak with DLRCC representatives about the revised plans and to share their opinions”.

So the community enter another holding pattern and have to brace for yet ANOTHER consultation session, all the while the Council continue to remove trees and hedgerows in the park with apparent impunity – the cutting ban can’t come soon enough!

The question now as DLRCOCO go away to revise their plans once more is whether this time they will actually listen to the many voices of reason and experience from those who know the park best?

Time will tell but it is thanks to a massive community effort from all sides to #SaveShanganaghPark that we have forced this climbdown by the Council from their original and overly presumptuous timelines of launching a new Part 8 on 03 February.

The ball is once again back in the Council’s court – let’s see what they do with it…

 

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The report’s key findings and conclusions as listed on pages 20/21 are as follows:

Key Findings & Conclusions

The demands on Shanganagh Park are intense, as one of a limited number

of open green spaces in an area undergoing increased levels of

development. It was clear from the consultation process that Shanganagh

Park is much loved by the local community and that it plays many important,

but often conflicting, roles for different users. Participants had very strong

feelings on the proposed plans, with most generally expressing negative

opinions. It was accepted that sport would continue to play a role in the park

in some capacity, but the presented designs were generally not felt to be an

appropriate solution to the demand for more sporting facilities across the

county.

 

Throughout each session, a number of related themes emerged that

captured the key concerns that the community had about Shanganagh Park.

 

A summary of these themes can be found below.

 

1. A park for everyone

The consultation process gathered insights from a rich variety of park users.

All life stages were represented, from young families and teenagers through

to older people. Different users have different accessibility requirements.

Reasons to visit the park vary - to play an organised sport, to hang out with

friends, to walk the dog, to get some much needed headspace, among many

others. The park should remain a space that meets the needs of all visitors.

 

2. Location of sports in the park

The need to provide additional facilities to meet the huge demand for sports

participation in DLR County was generally recognised. However, a recurring

suggestion across all sessions was that the existing location of sports in the

park was much better suited to facilitating this than the area proposed in the

plan. The existing pitches at the front have additional benefits of being close

to public transport links and parking facilities. Any noise or light pollution

associated with sports activities is lessened by virtue of them being located

in an already busy area.

 

3. Importance of open spaces

In the context of a quickly developing area, huge value was placed on the

quiet, natural space that the central meadow provides. Such spaces provide

much needed respite from the bustle of daily life and allow people to

connect with nature in an otherwise built up environment. DLRCC should

recognise the immense value of this type of use of the park as much as they

value the benefit of formal sports for health and wellbeing.

 

4. Biodiversity in the park

The park plays an important role as a biodiverse haven in a built up area. A

variety of wild flora and fauna call the park home, with the area proposed for

the pitches known to be one of the richest areas for biodiversity. Disturbing

these habitats with the introduction of floodlights and crowds of people

would have a huge impact. In the midst of a climate emergency, DLRCC

should be protecting such habitats and putting nature ahead of people.

 

5. Parking & traffic

Parking & traffic in and around the park is already known to be a serious

issue, for local residents in particular. Sustainable travel policies are not felt

to be a realistic solution to the additional footfall the proposed new facilities

would bring. The proposed location was also felt to be leading the flow of

traffic directly to existing pressure points in nearby estates. DLRCC should

rethink the plans and traffic management systems to find a way to solve and

not exacerbate these issues.

 

6. Meaningful community consultation

There was a general sense of frustration in relation to community

consultation on previous development plans for the park. A lack of trust in

DLRCC was noted by many. Many were encouraged by the increased

transparency and engagement being shown in this current period of

consultation and hoped that this would translate into meaningful changes

being made to the plans. This would go a long way towards starting to build

a positive relationship between DLRCC and the Shankill community in the

future.