Playground equipment in Offaly town in need of urgent replacing

DEPUTY Carol Nolan together with local election candidate Jonathan O’Meara hascalled on Offaly County Council to prioritise the replacement of playground equipment which has considerably deteriorated and poses safety issues to young children.

Local mother Laura Maher who is concerned about the neglect of the playground in recent years brought the issue to the attention of Deputy Nolan and Jonathan O’Meara.

The playground is very much needed in the area as there are a significant number of young families who frequent the playground regularly throughout the week. There is an urgent need to replace and upgrade the playground equipment, which has considerably deteriorated with rotting wood and rough edges visible on some pieces of equipment.

Local candidate Jonathan explained “there has been significant investment of grant funding directed towards children’s playgrounds throughout the towns and villages of Offaly over the last number of years, however the town of Ferbane appears to have slipped through the net.”

“Deputy Nolan and I recently visited the playground on invitation from a concerned parent and we both saw first hand how dilapidated the local amenity is.

“Carol and I agreed that there is clearly a health and safety issue with the majority of the playground equipment and overall it looked out-dated and not fit for purpose. Last year the Department of Children allocated €450,000 across the country to Local Authorities for the refurbishment and development of playgrounds and play areas. Unfortunately, no projects were successful in Offaly.

“I would appeal to Offaly County Council to make Ferbane playground a priority application to the Department of Children this year. This would ensure that the children of the town and the surrounding parishes can experience the delight and adventure that comes with playing outside in the open air.”

Concluding Deputy Nolan stated that she and local election candidate, Jonathan O’Meara were more than happy to work constructively with Offaly County Council in seeking resolutions to this issue which will ensure that young children from Ferbane and surrounding areas have a safe and enjoyable place to play.