Litir Chumhdaigh
My name is Mark Fagan and I am a resident of Churchfields in Ashbourne since 2008. I was one of the first residents of Churchfields estate and have seen the estate go from being abandoned to being fully built. I walk every day and bar the little walking track around the grounds of ADCC I am stuck with walking around busy roads and through built-up estates. There is nowhere within easy reach of my home to walk in parkland and enjoy peace and quiet. The proposed 80-acre park is a vital public amenity that is badly needed for the people of Ashbourne. There is plenty of space for housing development in Ashbourne. The proposed development at Churchfields would be a devastating blow to the park.
I ask that the County Development Plan 2021-2027 incorporate an unequivocal commitment to a Community Park of at least 80 acres. 32 Meath Councillors have voted for this park. Ashbourne's population has grown exponentially in recent years and it is proposed to have another 1,300 homes in the next few years. There are few if any recreational amenities within walking distance of the town centre, private transport is needed to access them for the most part.
I walk every day and one of my routes takes me through Millbourne estate. That estate is a concrete hellscape with NO green space for children or adults to enjoy. We need to build for people, not for profit. We need decent environments to live in and raise children in! Concrete jungles are not the answer. The church, that got the land from [Redacted_Personal Information] for nothing, have done the people of Ashbourne a great disservice by selling this land at Churchfileds, by the graveyard, to a developer. Our communities need amenities as well as houses, and there are plenty of other zoned areas in Ashbourne where the proposed new Churchfields development could go to. The community seems to come second best to profit all the time!!!
I am no planning expert and can't quote regulations and technical jargon about why this park is needed and why I object to the housing development. I'm just a community member who is concerned to see us squeezed into concrete jungles with little or no care for our physical and mental health. Ashbourne NEEDS this park, for ALL of us and for the future health of its citizens!