Town continues 13-year battle for teen play area

After 13 years of battling to build an outdoor table tennis and ball play area for its teenagers, a Cork town council is increasingly worried that funds promised to it by the county council are to be diverted elsewhere.

At the last census there were 525 people aged between 12 and 18 living in Passage West, a town on the outskirts of Cork City. With a 63% increase in housing stock in the town during the boom, the teenage population is expected to grow by over 50% in the next 10 years.

According to the town council, teenagers have little to do there aside from scheduled sports and events at a youth cafe. Ever since a playground was built 13 years ago, the town council has wanted to develop a multi-use games area that would provide a day-long outlet for teenagers. The project received strong support from the local youth club that was being charged to use similar facilities in other towns.