FOR... ‘If this doesn’t happen another generation of children in Longwood will lose out’

A LARGE group of parents who are in favour of the playground going ahead at the green in Longwood gathered at the weekend to show their support for the proposal.

Longwood Playground Committee was formed in recent years and has been working with the council to deliver a playground for the growing village. However, efforts to secure a playground for Longwood go back many years before that.

“We have a golden opportunity in front of us,” said Laura Ryder of Longwood Playground Committee. “If this doesn’t happen another generation of children in Longwood will lose out”.

Calls for a playground go back close to two decades and sourcing a site has always been the major stumbling block. Funding was secured in December 2022 in connection with another site being explored which Laura explained ultimately could not be made available to the council to use.

She said they had been “so excited” to get the funding and had managed to hold on to it while sourcing another site and that Meath County Council has since got agreement from the Diocese to proceed with planning permission for a playground on the green.

“We cannot keep the funding any longer. If this project is unsuccessful, funding will only be available in the future for a site owned by the council with planning permission in place,” she said.

Referring to the Trim Municipal District Council meeting on 21st March, she said four of the six local councillors had spoken about the project and a final decision was postponed until this Friday, 11th April. “At that meeting, councillors will vote in favour of, or against the project, which will determine whether the project goes ahead. If the project doesn’t go ahead funding will be lost and with it Longwood’s chance of having its own playground,” said Laura.

Another member of the playground committee, Ann-Marie Fennell said they had spoken to so many people in the village who were looking forward to having a local playground.

“Most had no idea it is in danger of not happening and are gobsmacked that all councillors are not on board. There has been groundswell of support now that people know it is under threat and hundreds of locals have signed a letter of support to let our local councillors know that so many of their voters in our village really want them to allow this project to go ahead.”

Ann-Marie said the meeting of 21st March had heard that objections were centred around themes including anti-social behaviour and the historical significance of the green.

“Anti-social behaviour is certainly an issue, but we believe this should not mean that the children of Longwood don’t get a playground. Anti-social behaviour must be tackled as a separate issue. However we also believe that a playground might help, as parents being in the area with their children could naturally deter loitering. We also think that allowing the green to become a core part of local children’s youth could lead to them building a connection with the green and leading to them being less likely to disrespect it in the future.”

Committee member Laura Mullen said the historical significance of the green and the village being granted a fair in 1611 was another issue raised at the meeting but the committee feels that adding a playground would only add to the green's place in community.

“We love the green in our village. We are not looking to disrespect it. We would argue that adding a playground would only add to the green’s place as the heart of our community and allow it to play a wonderful role for the use of the community in the present day.

“Ultimately we think a playground on our village green will help so many more people than it will hinder. We want this planning application to be successful. We want the voices of those who want a playground in Longwood to be heard.”

Aine Mulligan another member of the committee said they are hopeful Meath County Council can work to resolve any concerns and “allow this much needed facility for Longwood”.

She said committee members are prepared to manage and/or mitigate concerns in any way the council might deem appropriate, “with a view to a playground becoming a much-loved and respected part of the village for generations of children to come”.