Hearty undertaking to revamp play parks in South Armagh    

THERE has been quite the hearty undertaking on the part of councillor Martin Hearty to have several play parks in south Armagh made fit for purpose once more.

The Sinn Fein Councillor, who in conjunction with the council’s Active and Healthy Communities committee, has seen to it that extensive redevelopments will be carried out on the play parks in Rathview, Ardross and Lismore.

The redevelopments , which will include new bespoke  facilities such as slides and swings  to aid disabled children in play,  are set to be carried out over the course of the next several months with a completion date set for January.

 According to the Slieve Gullion councillor the redevelopment of these recreational sites is a necessity as it has been determined by the council’s own grading system that they currently are not fit for purpose.

Not fit for purpose

“I had been contacted by a number of residents about the state of the parks in the area so I got in touch with Active and Healthy Communities to discuss the possibility of getting them refurbished.

“They met with me with me and showed me the plans that were in place as part of the Play Strategy Review 2024-2029. The strategy was already in place and I was getting information for my constituents on when they would see tangible results.

“Ardross, Lismore and Rathview are three parks that have been set for refurbishment because they meet the required standard.

“A brand new park is being built in Ardross, they have the space there but it is a whole new park. There are going to be new facilities in it such as play sets as well as changes to the rubber padding. It is going to be in the same site, using the same space but it is a brand new park.

“There is a points system to determine  which parks need upgrades within the councils budget and these three parks fell below the acceptable standard. It is not just a case of me as a local councillor saying they were not fit for purpose, the council has evaluated them and by the measures they use which are based on best practice elsewhere, they have also decided that they are not fit for purpose.

“Ardross has started on time now in October, Rathview in November and Lismore in January. These are provisional times, the provisional timeline that they have set out. They are hoping that the final works will be completed early next year.”

Able Play

With  the committee’s play strategy being  applicable across the entire council area, one feature that children in south Armagh will be able to avail of alongside their counterparts throughout the district are facilities for those who live with a disability.

 As Councillor Hearty himself explains the AHC committee  themselves are particularly delighted with regards the facilities that are going to be introduced on these sites to aid disabled children.     

  “Whenever I was talking to the Active and Healthy communities officials they were particularly delighted about some of the features that are going to be put in to aid disabled children. The parks will have a specific set up for disabled children. They were quite pleased with this.

“There are a certain number of amenities such as slides and swings that will be specifically designed for use by disabled children. These will be in all three playparks and this is something they are trying to introduce across the council, that each of the parks will have facilities that are accessible for all children.

“There are many more parks around the area but obviously the council has limited resources but we are delighted that we are getting these three parks done. They were in need of it. If you have ever been out to Rathview, it is a stretch to call it a park as it had one badly worn climbing frame. You could see where space had been set out for other  facilities but there was nothing there so it was very badly needed.”