End the Stillorgan Park Lockout – Richmond

Minister Neale Richmond, TD for Dublin Rathdown, has written to Uisce Éireann calling on them to open access to 15 acres of renovated parkland at the Stillorgan Reservoir to the 6,000 residents and 26,000 employees in Sandyford and communities across South Dublin.

Minister Richmond said: “Greenspaces are vital in our communities, not only do they provide a place for people to socialise and exercise, but it would bring economic benefits to our local businesses as well by encouraging people to stay local, and socialise locally.

“The recently renovated Stillorgan Reservoir contains 15 acres of parkland that is not accessible to the public but which presents a fantastic opportunity for a new park for families and workers in the area.

“Sandyford has over 6,000 residents, 1,000 businesses and 26,000 employees and counting.

“These workers, these families and this community deserve to have access to a park and greenspace where they can socialise, bring their children, have their lunch break or get some exercise.

“As it stands, hundreds of workers and residents are looking out of their windows at perfectly good parkland, locked behind a gate.

“Dublin has a long and sorry history of locking local communities out of parks and green spaces, this cannot be the same for Sandyford.

“I am once again calling on Uisce Éireann to allow the Sandyford community to benefit from this land by opening it for public access.

“Even reserving a fraction of the land available to Uisce Éireann could be transformative for the local Sandyford community, our residents, businesses, schools and childcare facilities.

“With the rate of home building and the growth of businesses in Sandyford, this park would benefit a rapidly growing population who currently do not have access to a community park.

“Now is the time for Uisce Éireann to do the right thing and allow the people of Sandyford to access the parkland at the Stillorgan Reservoir,” Minister Richmond concluded.