#SaveShanganaghPark
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If you love sport and nature then please support this GoFundMe initiative which is raising much-needed funds to cover a legal challenge on behalf of #SaveShanganaghPark, a community-backed campaign seeking to balance the needs of nature and the community with the wants of developers and sports clubs to ensure the sustainable development of public parkland during a climate and biodiversity crisis.
Shanganagh Park is a much-treasured public amenity in a natural, scenic and tranquil setting, rich in important biodiversity, used by many local (and not so local) sports clubs, and greatly valued by the community and all who benefit from it, whether it be for passive or active recreation, or simply enjoying the free Green Prescription that the park offers.
Funds will help cover a High Court Judicial Review of damaging and unsustainable Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council (DLR) and An Bord Pleanala (ABP) decisions/permissions granted with respect to the redevelopment of Shanganagh Park, located between Shankill and Bray on the Dublin/Wicklow county border and the Irish Sea.
If the challenge is successful, up to 100% of the campaign's legal costs (anticipated to be €20k-€25k approx.) will be reimbursed by ABP and DLR (subject to opposing lawyers agreeing final costs!). Any reimbursed costs will be used to refund tracked donations via the GoFundMe site insofar as possible/practicable. Any surplus funds or donations unable to be refunded via GoFundMe will be donated to local sports and community initiatives - there will be no personal gain from funds donated.
Thank you sincerely for your support and please help spread the word - visit www.change.org/SaveShanganaghPark
For those with a few minutes more!
#Save Shanganagh Park is a community-backed campaign to balance the needs of sport with those of nature and all who benefit from the wonderful and much-treasured amenity that is Shanganagh Park.
What's so special about this park? Visit it and you'll see!
Nestled between the mountains and the sea, it is home to rich and locally important biodiversity and offers clean air, woodland trails, wildflower meadows, open skies, and sweeping 360-degree views, taking in the Irish Sea from Howth to Bray Head, the Sugarloaf, Wicklow and Dublin Mountains, Carrickgollogan, the Leadmines, Ticknock and Killiney Hill.
Amidst this natural beauty, Shanganagh Park is also home to a number of local (and not so local) sports clubs and provides low-impact facilities for GAA, soccer, baseball and cricket teams from nearby and further afield, and is managed by Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council (DLR).
It straddles the less-accessible seaward side of the park to the east and the busier, sport-focused section of the park to the west which is made up of several existing sports pitches and located by the main road, transport links and carpark.
It is source to recharge the batteries for physical and mental well being, reconnecting with nature and provides a much-needed haven for those looking to take some time out from the hustle bustle of daily life for themselves, their young children, elderly parents, or those with reduced mobility.
The natural heart of the park is currently a biodiverse-rich mix of wildlife, woodland, hedgerows and wildflower meadows, low-impact baseball and cricket grounds, and green trails accessible by young and old for passive and active recreation all year round.
So what's the issue?
Dun Laoghaire Rathdown Council (DLR) wish to redevelop this much-loved heart of the park into an "intense active recreation zone", reducing the natural footprint of the park and increasing the sporting footprint on top of already generous existing facilities. This "square peg into round hole" approach will effectively turn a public park into a sports campus.
DLR have proposed a series of drastic alterations to this space as part of an overall "Shanganagh Park Masterplan" - a plan which is not budgeted, has no timelines against it, and was designed pre-Covid when public perceptions around the use and enjoyment of the Park were very different.
Crucially, DLR plans go against the wishes of the community (including many members of the sports clubs the plans are supposed to serve) who have been clear in their support for a more sustainable development approach which prioritises the preservation of the park's "heart" and the upgrading of existing facilities within the Park itself and surrounding areas (for more see the Save Shanganagh Park campaign website).
DLR plans are available here and include one full size/two half-size pitches, floodlights, netting, cages, wire fences, a running track, a basketball court, storage containers and more - the public were NOT consulted on the latest plans which were subsequently approved by a Council vote on 12 February 2024 - watch the recording of the meeting here. No toilets, changing rooms or additional parking are included despite greater numbers planned, creating greater noise, light, litter and traffic pollution, as well as risks for health and safety for neighbouring residents and approach roads where traffic and parking are already a serious issue.
Why are we fundraising?
DLR has not undertaken any Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) despite the significant and cumulative impacts of piecemeal development in the area, the size and nature of the proposed development and associated Masterplan, the reduction in green space available to all, and an appeal to An Bord Pleanala (ABP) requesting a determination that DLR be obliged to conduct an EIA given planning law.
This is why the #SaveShanganaghPark campaign is once again challenging the decisions by DLR and ABP and going back to the High Courts, having already successfully taken a Judicial Review against the original DLR plans and decisions in October 2022.
What does this GoFundMe cover?
Having avoided the need to raise funds previously given DLR conceded the 2022 Judicial Review at an early stage, the campaign is now entering the legal endgame of its second Judicial Review, with a hearing set for October 2024.
Costs Protection, as provided for under the Aarhus Convention, has been sought and secured by the campaign which means in the event of an unsuccessful legal challenge, the campaign will only be liable for its own legal costs and not those of DLR and ABP.
As such, this GoFundMe drive is being established to solely cover the campaign's legal fees in the event of a loss (which are anticipated to be in the region of €20k-€25k). Should the challenge be successful, DLR and ABP will be liable for the campaign's legal costs and be obliged to reimburse up to 100% of the campaign's legal costs (see note above regarding reimbursement of funds donated via the GoFundMe site).
Why does this matter? Isn't sport good?
Sport and nature have co-existed in the Park for many years, supported by the clubs, the Council, and the community. But this finely-balanced ecosystem is now under threat.
Calls demanding more land for housing developments and supporting infrastructure (including sport facilities to support growing populations) are getting increasingly louder and understandably so given the housing crisis.
But the solution is not to see green space as a white space for the planner's pen. Just because a pitch "fits" does not mean it is the right location for it.
In a UN-declared climate, pollution and biodiversity emergency (the "Triple Planetary Crisis"), our children learn the importance of the three "Rs" - Reduce, Reuse, Recycle - at school while planers and developers follow a much more harmful approach - Rezone, Remove, Redevelop.
For too long the go-to solution has been to remove our natural spaces one by one - a death by a thousand cuts approach to development which is unsustainable as politicians begin to slowly wake-up to the looming threats of climate change, habitat loss and pollution.
While fully recognising the health, social and economic benefits of sport participation, the wants of the few must not outweigh the needs of the many - we are in a global crisis, not a local sport facilities one.
That is why we are committed to working with the council, clubs and the community to ensure the principles of sustainable development - i.e. plans that economically viable, socially acceptable, and environmentally responsible - are respected, balanced and fully championed by our local and national representatives and integrated in our planning and decision-making processes.
Only then will we arrive at proper, sustainable solutions and avoid the greenwashing, tick-box consultation exercises that so often lead to public frustration, disengagement, and damaging consequences for society and the environment.
Thank you for your support, your donation and helping spread the word!
#SaveShanganaghPark
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Are you a sports club member? Get your club onboard with making space for nature - visit:
And for more on the physical and mental health and well-being benefits of natural spaces, check out the articles below:
Organizer
Save Shanganagh Park
Organizer
County Dublin