Against: ‘The concern is that putting the playground on the proposed location will attract more anti-social behaviour’

Plans to locate a playground on the Fairgreen in Longwood village have been met by opposition from several residents living in the vicinity of the proposed development who feel it is the wrong location.

Those against locating the playground on the village green have cited heritage considerations and concerns about anti-social behaviour, the lack of parking in the area, and the volume of traffic as reasons for their opposition.

They argue that there are more suitable locations that could be pursued and want to leave the green undeveloped. They also feel there was no meaningful consultation with local residents around the Fairgreen and that they should have been spoken to before any planning application was made.

One of those who objected to the plans is Ciarán Greene whose gate is about 10 metres from where the council is proposing to build the playground.

He said that while all locals are in agreement regarding the need for a playground in the village, some residents feel that the proposed location is wrong.

Speaking on behalf of residents who are opposed to the location, Ciarán outlined the main concerns as being the heritage of the Fairgreen, anti-social behaviour, parking and traffic.

“The Fairgreen in Longwood has been used by residents of the area for up to 900 years,” said Ciarán. “ It originally held fairs several times a year. It has been used for generations as an area for recreation such as hurling and football. The concerned residents feel that it should be kept as an open green space with no developments upon it.”

He added that there is a problem with anti-social behaviour at the proposed location and that it is known as a problem area for drinking and drug selling/taking. “The location is next to a Garda station, however, the Garda station is unmanned and has, on occasion, been vandalised. The concern is that putting the playground on the proposed location will attract more anti-social behaviour and could lead to the playground being vandalised.”

Another concern is lack of parking. Ciaran said: “There is a small amount of parking nearby that is usually taken up by people working in the nearby playschool or by people using the village hall. There will be nowhere else for people to park other than on the kerbs nearby. This will cause hazards on the local roads around the Fairgreen.”

In terms of traffic, he said the local road on one side of the Fairgreen caters for traffic from three housing estates, a construction site, a playschool, the village hall, agricultural traffic, buses from the Enfield to Navan route and people accessing the Royal Canal Greenway and said there is no traffic calming on this road and no pedestrian crossings.

On the other side of the green is a regional road which he said is an extremely busy road with many HGV's using it to access the local quarries.

“Again, there is no traffic calming on this road and the only pedestrian crossing is further up the village near Stoney's pub. Neither road is safe enough to cater for the children/families that will be using them to access the proposed playground location.”

Ciaran said that there is a proposal in the planning to add a new, wider footpath on the old Garda barracks side of the road leading down from the main street but says this would make it impossible for two cars to meet along this stretch of the road.

He also feels that there was no meaningful consultation with local residents around the Fairgreen.

“The normal part eight consultation process was followed but the local residents feel that they should have been spoken to before any planning application was made. This area is one of the older residential areas in the village. There are three residences within 10 metres of the playground, directly across the road. No consideration was made for these people and how the development might impact them.”

Ciaran argues that there are other locations around the village that could be looked into that he said would make much more sense such as the former VEC site that has been vacant for nearly a decade, the parish land between the two schools or that other locations could be sought around the new housing developments that are proposed in the village.

“Overall we feel that the proposed development of a playground on the Fairgreen in Longwood is not in the best interest of the people of Longwood. We are all in agreement that a playground is needed but we want to see it put in the correct location with the correct amenities nearby.”