A number of Mayo county councillors have raised concerns that a newly drafted play strategy could halt the development of playgrounds in the county for the next ten years.
The draft strategy was put before members at the recent January meeting of the council and Independent councillor, Michael Kilcoyne, told the meeting he feared the result would be 'no new playgrounds being built'. He said that his understanding was that under the proposed plan, funding would be spent on upgrading and maintaining existing playgrounds.
His fellow Independent colleague, Cllr Mark Duffy, also voiced concern, asking whether new playgrounds that had already been granted planning permission and ringfenced for funding, would now go ahead, such as the one proposed for the Killala Road in Ballina. Cllr Seamus Weir said he knew that an application for a new playground in Knokcmore had been turned down four times. Other councillors from across the county also raised questions as to what would happen with future playground plans.
Director of Services for Mayo County Council, Joanne Grehan, told the meeting that at no point did the council say that no more playgrounds would be developed, but that 'there are 49 playgrounds in the county and there has to be a focus on ensuring their are maintained and fit for purpose'.
She added that the council would support helping communities source funding for new developments, and the plan, as it stood, allowed for two review options during the ten-year period. The councillors agreed to send the plan back to a special policy committee for further review.
