Greenspace and Community Park for Ashbourne

Ashbourne Playspace Network is an advocacy group of actively engaged local parents seeking to increase the quality and availability of freely accessible, open public greenspace in Ashbourne, Co Meath. Ashbourne Playspace was formed in the Spring of 2012 by a group of concerned parents advocating for a safe and suitable playground for their children. Ashbourne Playspace has since evolved to become an advocacy group campaigning for adequate freely accessible and public open greenspace for all residents of the town. In 2015, we launched our Community Park campaign to advocate for a large public park within the town.

Context:

We bring it to the Council’s attention that Census 2016 identified Ashbourne as the fastest growing settlement in County Meath and the second fastest growing town in Ireland with a population of 10,000+, with the third youngest population in larger towns in Ireland. Planning for additional residential and employment zones is provided for in this plan, ensuring that the town will continue to expand as a highly sought-after residential and employment area. However, it is critical that future planning and development of the town also carefully considers the provision of social infrastructure, (i.e. sufficient freely accessible and open public greenspace) to ensure it remains a positive and desirable place to live.  

It is acknowledged that there is a pressing need for the construction and delivery of residential units to alleviate the current housing crisis. However, Ashbourne Playspace asserts that a balance must be struck in terms of meeting the need for additional homes while remaining cognisant of the wellbeing and health of the members of our community. This is within the context of historical neglect of the town, and we note the Council’s acknowledgement that ‘in the past residential development has preceded community facilities’ (Section 5.1 Ashbourne Written Statement). Any future provision of parkland will mostly comprise a retrofit of amenities that have long been overdue to the town. We are aware that provision has been made within the current CDP for an additional 1300 residential units within the town and this is to be welcomed.

Evidence in support of a Regional-Sized Community Park:

1. Ashbourne Playspace has engaged in and used every possible local authority mechanism to bring to Meath County Council’s awareness to the deficit in freely accessible and public open greenspace in our town. In 2017 the group commissioned an independent report by planning consultants Future Analytics Consulting Ltd. to review the provision of greenspace in the town. The findings of this research determined the following:
   1. Ashbourne enjoys 96.0ha of open greenspace within the boundary of the town. However, there is a significant shortfall in freely accessible and public open greenspace in Ashbourne.
   2. This is because the majority of this open greenspace (80%) falls under the ownership of private sports clubs and requires paid membership to access these amenities; it is therefore not freely accessible to the public.  
   3. A further 12.5ha of greenspace was identified as falling within existing residential developments and was not intentionally developed as ‘parkland’, but developed primarily for the benefit of the residents of these estates. In support of this view, we observe that the Chief Executive in Sept 2020, in response to Submission No. MH-C5-439 (submitted under Draft CDP Chapter 7 Community Building Strategy and Volume 2 Ashbourne Written Statement), confirmed that areas of public open space within a residential setting are provided to cater primarily for the recreational needs of the residents of that estate and should not be incorporated into amenities intended for the wider community. We would submit that the same rationale still holds true in 2021.
   4. In conclusion, it was found that Ashbourne currently has a total of 3.8 hectares of freely available and accessible public open space. However, a portion of this has not been advanced in terms of accessibility, landscaping, design, functionality and connectivity. As such, it is not accessible to many residents within the town.
   5. Of significance here, the research concluded “The town lacks a sufficiently sized open space area that is openly available to the entire community. Such space should be of appropriate quality with landscaping and design, as well as features and facilities that address the needs of both the existing and future populations of the town”.
2. In acknowledgement of the significant shortfall in greenspace in Ashbourne, the Council have committed to “prioritise the delivery of a town park of regional scale…in Ashbourne” (SOC OBJ 12 in the Draft Meath County Development Plan, Part 7 Community Building Strategy). Fingal County Council define “Regional” as parkland in excess of 50ha. Navan’s regional-sized park, Blackwater, comprises 26.7ha.

Contra-viewpoints regarding the need for a Community Park:

In her written response to Motion no. 111 / submission MH-C5-411, the Chief Executive gave the following opinion: “The quantum of land detailed on the map submitted with this motion is far in excess of that required to facilitate the public park and that for which funding would be available. The precise location and scale of the public park can be determined as part of the detailed LAP process in consultation with the Elected Members and Residents of Ashbourne. A detailed assessment of same can be carried out as part of the LAP process as the selection of the lands for the public park will have to consider access, permeability with adjoining land-uses, biodiversity, site servicing etc. It must also be pointed out that the information provided with the FAC Report doe not reflect the open space provision throughout Ashbourne and has been tailored to provide a particular viewpoint. It is the strongly held view of the Chief Executive that the formal designation of the public park for Ashbourne should be considered within the proposed Local Area Plan for Ashbourne”.

Playspace refutes these claims on the following grounds:

1. Future Analytics is a reputable Planning Consultancy whose research was independent and free from influence. The Future Analytics report, and the follow-up addendum, have been published since 2017 and, to date, the findings have not been refuted by evidence-based research.
2. Future Analytics maintains a solid reputation, were subsequently acquired by KPMG, and their services have been procured by numerous local authorities, including Meath County Council. For example, Future Analytics completed a report for MCC for the Draft Meath County Development Plan 2020-2026 Retail Strategy and came to a similar conclusion, namely “Ashbourne’s rapid growth in population has been accompanied with only limited growth in open space and recreation space…The level and quality of open space and recreation provided for the adjacent residential population are also low”. 
3. In relation to the assertion that the research underestimated the amount of freely accessible and public open greenspace within the town, we again draw attention to the findings of the research as outlined above. We would be concerned if any attempts were made to misrepresent lands under the ownership of private clubs as being open to the general public. This is simply not true. During Level 5 lockdown, members of Playspace reached out to private sportsclubs on behalf of the local community and requested permission to access their grounds for exercise and recreation; these requests were denied. 
4. In relation to the issue of cost, there is the potential to access a number of funding streams once this land is secured for a public park. Historically, Ashbourne has experienced under-funding in public amenities which falls in sharp contrast to our neighbours in other towns in Meath. Future Analytics observed that “…it is clear that Ashbourne has not been afforded an appropriate level of financial support for social infrastructure projects. Even though the town has undergone considerable growth in recent years and is the county’s second largest town, it appears that it failed to receive its fair allocation of funding and attention for needs that reflected its importance and its population size”. It is time to right this historical oversight.
5. In relation to the suggestion that this project be put back to the LAP, Ashbourne Playspace would argue strongly against this. While understanding the complexity of developing a public park, we assert that any redirection of decisions on this land back to the LAP is a repeat of work already done. We were witness to extensive assessment work on local lands over the past six years. To re-commence a process already exhausted would result in a severe delay to the expanding community in getting the greenspace it badly needs and a very poor use of public funds.
6. In relation to size of the proposed park, again we draw attention to the findings of the Future Analytics research which determined that Ashbourne requires a minimum of 33.4ha of open and publicly accessible greenspace by 2026 (see reports attached). Meath County Council’s own population growth projection as per the Ashbourne Written Statement of the County Development Plan exceeds that of Future Analytics and leads to a figure of 35.9ha of greenspace required. Ratoath, Ashbourne’s neighbouring town of comparable population size, also lacks a community park and it would be reasonable to anticipate that residents of Ratoath and surrounding areas will also make use of Ashbourne’s Park. In effect, this park will serve at least double the population that it is intended for.
7. In terms of accessibility, the area of land (formerly Killegland Farm) identified for the development of an 80-acre (33ha) park meets this criterion and offers a golden opportunity for the town. It is within 1.5kms of all homes within the town making it accessible by foot/bike for a large majority of residents. It is within easy reach of the town centre and services provided there (e.g. carparking, public toilets, restaurants etc.). The lands do not require any major new roadways. It is within easy reach of the three hotels in Ashbourne, providing additional incentive for visitors to the town to remain local and spend local.
8. Residents of Ashbourne are required to travel outside of the town to access a park. This contravenes Council Strategy in relation to climate action and active travel.

It must be noted that the Chief Executive made her comments prior to the motion going to vote in January 2021, although her responses were not published until after the vote. This motion no. 111 submitted by the local Councillors received unanimous support from Councillors across the County and highlights that it is widely accepted that Ashbourne requires a regional sized Community Park to meet the needs of the residents of the town.

Lived Experiences:

The international pandemic, Covid-19, and resulting Level 5 restrictions in Ireland highlighted the real deficit in terms of freely accessible and open public greenspace in Ashbourne.

• Private sports clubs remained closed and their grounds were not open for public use.
• Residents were forced, in their thousands, to rely on public pathways through the town and residential estates for exercise and recreational purposes. Social distancing under these circumstances was challenging.
• A well-documented increase in online shopping and home deliveries resulted in a significant increase in delivery drivers accessing residential areas. With children home from school, this posed an increased risk to children’s safety.
• Ashbourne Playspace Committee is made up of local parents who, for almost a decade, have strived to be active, productive, and engaged citizens. Ashbourne Playspace has engaged in and used every possible local authority mechanism to bring to Meath County Council’s awareness the deficit in public greenspace in our town. Being confined to 5km during Level 5 restrictions proved depressing and tedious as we sought to find safe ‘playspaces’ for both young and older members of our families in a town that lacks a park, forest or coastline. Social media and discussions with family further afield highlighted the considerably better options and amenities other towns enjoyed during this incredibly difficult time.

Summary:

In order for the Council to meet its stated objective of the delivery of a regional park for Ashbourne “in order to strengthen the community… and to make the town a more attractive place to live” (Section 5.9 of Ashbourne Written Statement), Ashbourne Playspace urges the Council to support

Motion No.111 / Proposed Ashbourne Amendment No. 7 submitted by our local County Councillors, unanimously supported by Councillors within Meath, and reflecting the wishes of the residents of Ashbourne, to amend the zoning from R/A Rural Area to F1 Open Space under the Draft Meath County Development Plan (2021-2027)  with the view to create a public park of minimum 80 acres in Ashbourne.

We respectfully request that this submission be given thorough consideration by the Planning Department and the Chief Executive in advance of finalising the Meath County Development Plan 2021-2027.

On behalf of the members of Ashbourne Playspace Network we thank you in advance for the inclusion of this submission in your review.