Part of €1m security budget to go to Tallaght park plagued by joyriding

South Dublin County Council has said a €1m budget for park security will be used to restrict access to a particular park in Tallaght plagued by joyriding and anti-social behaviour.

The Irish Examiner reported yesterday that two pitches belonging to a local GAA club at Killinarden Park had been destroyed by joyriders and scrambler bikes and that a burnt out car was left on one of its pitches.

Croí Ró Naofa GAA Club said that the joyriders struck twice in recent days, once over the weekend and again on Wednesday night.

The club's PRO Anthony Clinton said that its junior and senior pitches had been left “unplayable” until next year because of the damage.

He said the future of the club, which has been there for 19 years, was “in jeopardy” and that the experience was “soul destroying” for the club and the 100 or so local people using it.

Mr Clinton said that 18 cars had been left burnt out in the park so far this year, with around 17 cases last year.

He said the cars were left on their pitches four times this year and five times last year.

In addition to the cars, he said quad bikes and scramblers were constantly “tearing up and down” including during matches and training.

In a statement, South Dublin County Council said that after receiving reports this week of scrambler and joyriding activity in Killinarden Park they had inspected the damaged pitch areas and removed the burned out vehicles.

It said they had scheduled the “necessary pitch re-instatement works” and that vandalised park gates and fencing were repaired or replaced as soon as the incidents were reported.

The statement said: “A meeting has been arranged by the council to take place next Monday 21st with members of the Croí Ró Naofa GAA Club, council staff and an Garda Síochána in order to examine options.”

It said every effort was being made to repair the damaged pitches, but that, in the meantime, alternative pitch accommodation would be allocated to the club for a long as they required it.

It said: “The council is currently developing a Masterplan for the Killinarden area which includes the proposed regeneration of Killinarden Park providing for a number of active and passive recreational amenities.”

It said there would be full consultation with the local community, sporting and youth groups in respect to the regeneration of the park.

“On-going problems associated with scramblers, stolen cars and quad bikes in some parts of the county is not only causing difficulties for South Dublin County Council but also distress to residents and sporting clubs as their quality of life is being impacted negatively through extreme damage to community open spaces and playing facilities,” it said.

It said the council was adopting a two-pronged approach to the issue:

*carrying out works to restrict access by erecting barriers at park and open space boundaries;

*participating in a High-Level task force team along with An Garda Síochána, Department of Justice & Equality, Motorcross Ireland and others to try to advance a solution to this problem

It said the council had approved budget provision of over €1m for a programme of works to install perimeter fencing and reinforce boundary treatment in a number of parks, including Killinarden Park and three other parks.