Community and football clubs 'blindsided' by removal of Cherry Orchard astro pitch
West Dublin locals have been left "blindsided" as it was claimed the only astro pitch in Cherry Orchard was removed without any warning to the community.
Sinn Fein Councillor Daithi Doolan said there is a sense of anger in the area as local football clubs are now expected to travel outside Cherry Orchard and pay for other pitches to play on. He called this “both expensive and impractical.”
“ Dublin City Council has removed the only astro pitch from Cherry Orchard. This is totally unacceptable. I have contacted Dublin City Council senior management urging them to reinstate an astro as soon as possible,” Cllr Doolan said.
The removal of the pitch comes amid council plans to redevelop Cherry Orchard park. However, with that development not due to be completed until at least 2027, Cllr Doolan is demanding, at the very least, a temporary pitch is reinstated in the meantime.
“The council claim they are removing the astro on health and safety grounds and will not be putting in a new pitch until the Cherry Orchard park is redeveloped. But this does not stop them from either repairing or replacing this important facility. The development will not be finished until at least 2027 or even 2028. The council cannot expect this whole community to go without their only astro for this length of time,” he said.
Cllr Doolan stressed that Cherry Orchard is already short on facilities and that the community shouldn't have to face anything being taken away, even if it's only temporary. He commended the council’s redevelopment plans, which include a running track and multi-purpose pitch, but feels to leave the space vacant for years to come is “totally unacceptable.”
He said removing the astro pitch at this point “sends the wrong message” and that neither representatives nor locals had been informed about the plan to remove the only astro pitch in the area. Cllr Doolan will be calling for the reinstatement of the pitch at the upcoming January meeting of Dublin City Council.
“This is a terrible way to treat a community like Cherry Orchard who are trying to rally for services to meet their needs. They have already been marginalised for years and denied services that others take for granted. There’s very few communities this size in Dublin that have no astro pitch at all,” he said.
“The message is very clear. All we want for Christmas is our astro back in Cherry Orchard.”
Dublin Live has contacted Dublin City for comment.
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