Residents of Oranhill in Oranmore have set out a vision and plan for a new public park showcased on a new website www.oranhillpark.ie
The community is working hard to tackle the shortage of recreational facilities in both their own estate and the village of Oranmore and to this end, will hold an online public meeting on Tuesday April 12 to spotlight the vision and plan for Oranhill Park.
With over 500 further housing units either planned or in progress, in Oranhill and surrounds, added to the existing 338 units, the absence of recreational or amenity space included in any of the developments has been identified as a critical need in the community.
The new planned housing will add a further 1,400 residents to the 900+ existing residents, three times the number of Kinvara village as a comparison.
Before Christmas, residents spotted an opportunity to put a disused NAMA-managed site that has remained unsold for a number of years to good use. They have now created a vision and plan for a new park: Oranhill Park, a public park with recreation facilities and green space which would be available to all residents of Oranmore.
Benefits would be numerous from reducing car journeys to Rinville, to providing safe cycling and walking in a central location, to improving biodiversity on our doorsteps.
Resident Carol O’Connor said they are really excited about the plans for the new park and what it would mean to our residents and to the wider village.
“We have been asking for so many years for recreational space for the community. From children’s play areas to dog walking sections to woodlands, this will be an amazing place for the community to exercise, get access to nature and enjoy fun events together,” she said.
Years of successive Oranmore Local Area Plans, including the current LAP 2012-2022 have called for “Objective CF 8 – Provision of Recreation and Amenity Facilities in Oranhill to ensure the provision of recreational and amenity facilities as an integral part of any development proposals for Oranhill. This is at long last an opportunity to finally deliver on that objective.
Jill Holtz, Chair of Oranhill Residents Association, points out that it is well documented that the costs of not putting in proper amenities and recreational space, from anti-social behaviour and vandalism to health issues when people can’t access exercise space.
“So as well as all the benefits this park would bring, this could also potentially save money in the long term as well. We hope Galway County Council support residents in taking this ideal opportunity just as our local councillors, senators and TD’s have already done.”
