I was alarmed to hear that 80 acres of land that Ashbourne councillors voted to rezone as open greenspace to become an entrance to the proposed park may now have houses built on it instead.

While I appreciate the housing shortage in the area, with Ashbourne's growing population there is also a huge shortage of public green space, as there has been in the 12 years I've lived here. This centrally-located land would be the perfect location, as it's in walking distance of almost every house in the town.

Having tried to go out for regular walks and runs during lockdown, it's been clearer than ever that public footpaths and roads are not suitable for this sort of activity, even without the requirement to socially distance at the same time. Councillors and local residents have worked and campaigned tirelessly for years for a park worthy of our community, and to see a lot of that work undone to build more housing in what is already one of the most densely-populated parts of the town would be a massive slight on the efforts of all concerned.