Frustration grows in Kildare community as park remains undelivered

SALLINS residents are voicing growing frustration over delays to a long-awaited public park which was promised a decade ago.

Local campaigner, Fergus Carpenter told the Kildare Nationalist that the site earmarked for the development of a community park was purchased by Kildare County Council in late 2016 following a major local campaign.

More than 2,000 submissions were made as part of the local area plan process at the time.

However, nearly a decade later, residents are concerned that the land remains undeveloped.

Mr Carpenter said that while funding commitments have been announced, government delays have stalled progress.

Kildare County Council allocated approximately €1.5 million to the project in late 2023, while a further €3 million was approved under the Large Scale Sport Infrastructure Fund (LSSIF).

Despite the announcement, the funding has yet to be transferred from central government to the local authority, which is a key step required before the council can proceed to tender for construction.

“The money is effectively still sitting in government coffers,” said Mr Carpenter. “Until it’s actually in the council’s account, they can’t move forward.”

The delay has been attributed to administrative processes within the Department of Sport, with extensive documentation and ongoing requests for further detail slowing the release of funds.

The issue has become increasingly contentious in the context of wider development plans for Salins.

A new settlement plan, Sallins Settlement Plan, which outlines future housing and infrastructure, is currently under public consultation, prompting local concern that housing delivery will once again outpace community facilities.

Residents argue that a lack of social infrastructure has been a persistent issue in Sallins decades.

“There have been repeated acknowledgements, even from the council itself, that Sallins lacks adequate community facilities. Things like centres, pitches and public spaces but we’re not seeing delivery,” said Fergus.

The latest plan includes proposals for new and upgraded community amenities, including a new community centre, refurbishment of the existing parish hall, and the potential redevelopment of a vacant historic building in the village.

However, confidence in delivery remains low among residents, who point to the absence of significant investment in community infrastructure over the past number of years.

“Give us the park, and maybe people will start to have confidence that these other projects will actually happen,” said Fergus.

Concerns have also been raised about the local club Salins Celtic, amid indications that housing could be developed on lands currently used by the club.

While the proposed park will include playing pitches, there is no guarantee the club will have a permanent base there.

“They don’t want to be in a situation where they’re booking shared pitches,” said Fergus. “They need a home ground.”

To date, there has been no formal commitment to provide the club with a long-term facility, leading to uncertainty among players, volunteers and the community.

The issue has sparked renewed community mobilisation, with a recent public meeting held to rally support.

“There’s a real sense of frustration and anger building,” said Mr Carpenter. “People have been pushing for this for years.”

Kildare County Council was contacted for comment, but noted that the Sallins Settlement Plan is currently in a public consultation period and said: “As this process is currently underway and to ensure the integrity of that process is protected we will not be issuing a comment at this stage.”

However the council said that the settlement plan will replace the Sallins Local Area Plan 2016-2022, and will “provide a planning policy framework to guide the future sustainable development of housing, employment, transportation, retail and social infrastructure for the town of Sallins.”

Funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme