Shankill Tennis Club have contacted their members asking them to consider supporting the Council’s controversial plans for Shanganagh Park. This is surprising not least given they did not participate in the sports club consultations on the draft plans in January.
This is their justification:
“Shankill Tennis Club supports investment in Shanganagh Park and improving the sports facilities in our community. We would like to ensure our members are aware of the planned investment in the Park. We believe it will enhance the current Park facilities. As our community grows the importance of accessible sporting facilities will be hugely beneficial to all. We are asking members to review the information on the project and to consider expressing your support. Here is link that you can use to do so … There may be club members that have concerns on the impact this development will have on the local community and plan to object to the revised plans. We respect their decision to do so.”
Like Shankill GAA Club who are also asking their members to support the Council’s deeply flawed plans, the tennis club also benefits from significant Council support (which may explain their position but doesn’t excuse it).
Theirs is a disappointingly blinkered approach, astonishingly focussing solely on sport facilities while ignoring the many other negative impacts this development will create, especially a loss of natural parkland, biodiversity impacts and the consequences of significantly increased traffic and risk of accidents for Quinn’s Road and Castle Farm residents as well as the wider Shankill community.
#SaveShanganaghPark supports the protection of this valuable and shared amenity and the sustainable development and enhancement of existing sport facilities in and near Shanganagh Park, something this plan fails to deliver, despite claims by the Council that the plans reflect community feedback.
They don’t.
This is why we are asking the public to OPPOSE the plans and demand in your submissions by 22 May that the Council respect the very clear outcomes/recommendations of the stakeholder report it commissioned by Connect the Dots and is available at https://www.dlrcoco.ie/sites/default/files/atoms/files/shanganagh_park_phase_1_development_-_pre_part_8_public_consultation_report.pdf
According to the report, the sports clubs themselves “were very vocal on the need to ensure that residents' needs and concerns were considered. The location of the pitch was challenged as being too close in proximity to nearby housing, with the impact of parking, floodlights and more people congregating at estate entrances to park highlighted in particular.”
So for the tennis club to now weigh in with only scant regard for the issues and earlier discussions and encourage its members to support a mediocre plan instead of opposing it and demanding BETTER facilities (rather than just more) is highly questionable are the Council starting to apply pressure on clubs to support this or get nothing?
If true then members should not tolerate this and demand their club take a neutral stance at a minimum.
OPPOSE THE PLANS!
DEMAND BETTER FOR OUR PARK AND OUR COMMUNITY
Register your opposition by 22 May via https://dlrcoco.citizenspace.com/parks/parks-shanganagh23-proposed-sports-area/consultation/intro/
It’s quick, it’s free, and it will ensure we have a vibrant and biodiverse-rich park with proper sport facilities, not a sport campus with a small green area and no wildlife that no one can get in or out of due to traffic congestion!
For more please visit, sign and share www.change.org/SaveShanganaghPark