Shocking damage delays opening of Laois playground

WANTON destruction that was apparently caused by parents as well as children has delayed the opening of a long-awaited new playground.

Fencing and barriers surrounding the play area at the People’s Park in Portarlington were knocked down and broken, so that people could access the unfinished site.

As a result, newly-seeded grassed areas and mounds were trampled and damaged and will have to undergo repairs and reseeding, which will further delay the opening of the state-of-the art playground.

According to many disgusted locals who complained on social media, parents and other adults were among those who broke through the fencing and removed barriers to access the site, despite warnings that the playground was closed to allow turf mounds to seed.

Portarlington councillor Aidan Mullins was among those to condemn the destruction, which happened at the weekend.

The Independent councillor said on his Facebook page: ‘Some people broke through the fencing around the children’s playground in Portarlington at the weekend and damaged the recently seeded grassed areas/mounds.

‘These will now have to be repaired and reseeded, which will further delay the opening of the playground. If you see people in the playground, please notify the gardaí immediately. I'm told that parents were involved along with the children.’ 

The post on Tuesday received dozens of comments from followers, with some describing the destruction as shocking.

One commenter said: ‘How on earth could parents actually do it, that's shocking.’ 

Another wrote: ‘The amount of parents that were in it with kids yesterday was unreal. I thought it had opened already, so I'd say it wasn't all the youths’ fault somehow.’ 

Others called for the installation of fencing that could be locked at night, similar to the fence around the astro pitch, together with security and CCTV.

The old playground at the People’s Park suffered regular vandalism and locals hope that the magnificent new playground, with an array of top-quality equipment, will not suffer the same fate.

The playground includes a natural play area for younger children with mounds and banks of grass, to encourage traditional natural playing such as rolling and climbing. There are also wheelchair-accessible picnic benches and a roundabout.

The playground is part of a €680,000 redevelopment of the People’s Park, whose official opening was scheduled to be held in late March but has been postponed for now.

A paved central plaza that can be used as an outdoor event space, new park furniture, sculptures and artwork, a tree trail and an edible garden are just some of the attractions at the revamped park, which will be a major asset for the town.

Funded by the Department of Rural and Community Development and Laois County Council, the project had input from local organisations that included the Portarlington Community Development Association.