As an Ashbourne resident I have spent the entirety of lockdown walking in circles along roadways in Ashbourne. It has been nearly impossible to socially distance as all other residents of Ashbourne have also been walking the same circles. The lack of footpaths and publicly accessible green space has been a real issue as there is nothing within 5km. Every resident of the town should have easy access to green open spaces. Privately owned lands, such as the GAA, football club and golf club cannot possibly be counted as public green spaces as they have been closed to everyone during the pandemic.

- The current lands (80 acres) identified for rezoning as public greenspace are perfect, this is a golden opportunity for our town. The park would be situated within 1.5 KM walking distance from almost all of the houses in the town, it would transform Ashbourne and reap rewards in multiple areas of life - personal, health, community and business.

- Any redirection of decisions on a park back to Local Area Level is a repeat of work already done. Extensive assessment work was done six years ago locally and potential lands were explored. To re-commence a process already exhausted would be a poor use of public resources and a severe delay for the expanding community in getting the greenspace it badly needs.

- MCC state that the necessary funds are not available to purchase and develop an 80 acre park. However, once the land is secured, multiple funding channels can be accessed. We are a very active and engaged community willing to work with the Council on the question of funding channels, as are our Councillors.

- COVID-19 and lockdown within 5km again highlighted how badly served Ashbourne is regarding OPEN and PUBLICLY ACCESSIBLE GREENSPACE. Independent research conducted by Future Analytics determined that the town needs a minimum of 80 acres to address the historical and current shortfall in public greenspace. This is not our opinion, this is FACT.

- The park needs an entrance. Lands at Churchfields, gifted to the church by  [Redacted_Personal Information], have been identified as most appropriate in this regard - linked to the town centre, schools, main arteries of the town etc. To put houses where this perfect access point exists would be a mistake.