Growth in north Wicklow triggers county-wide call for dedicated parks management service

By Hugh O'Farrell Walsh, The Wicklow People

In a move that signals a major shift in how the Garden County manages its outdoor spaces, Wicklow county councillors have unanimously passed a motion demanding the immediate establishment of a formal Parks and Landscape Services Division.

The proposal was spearheaded by Greystones-based Cllr Lourda Scott and seconded by Cllr Stephen Stokes, with support from the rest of the district.

It calls for the chief executive Emer O’Gorman to not only prioritise the creation of this department, but to include progress updates as a standing item on her monthly report, ensuring that the plan does not simply gather dust on a shelf.

The call for a professionalised parks department comes at a time when Wicklow’s social infrastructure is buckling under the weight of unprecedented population growth. Nowhere is this more evident than in the Greystones-Delgany and Kilcoole districts.

During recent deliberations over the new Local Planning Framework, which was formally adopted in February 2026, councillors were confronted with a sobering reality: while the county has been highly successful in zoning land for thousands of new homes, the delivery of more active open space – the pitches, playgrounds, and parks that make a community liveable – is lagging behind.

In an official response provided during the local authority’s March monthly meeting, the executive acknowledged that a Parks and Landscape Service Department is already included in the council’s internal Workforce Plan. However, they said that the plan is "wholly dependent on funding being made available”, adding the definitive caveat that "there is no Central Government funding for such posts”.

While national schemes like the Outdoor Recreation Infrastructure Scheme and the Community Recognition Fund have poured millions into Wicklow for capital projects – the physical building of trails and playgrounds – there is no dedicated national grant for the revenue costs of hiring the people to manage them.

Maintenance and development are often split between overstretched general engineers, municipal district staff, and external contractors. Proponents of the new division argue this reactive model leads to long-term neglect, higher repair costs, and missed opportunities for multi-million-euro grants that require high-level technical applications.

Neighbouring local authorities Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown (DLR) and South Dublin County Council both already have dedicated parks departments.

In DLR, the Parks Department is the second-largest budget holder in the council. These authorities treat parks as a core service, funded through a strategic mix of commercial rates, local property tax, and, crucially, development contributions.

When a developer builds 500 houses in Wicklow, they pay a levy to the council. In Dublin, a significant portion of that levy is funnelled directly into the Parks Department to ensure the parks promised in the planning permission are delivered, and to a high standard. In Wicklow, that money often disappears into a general pot, and the community is left waiting years for a promised playground.

The catalyst for this renewed political pressure was the recent Greystones-Delgany and Kilcoole Local Area Plan. The plan rezoned a 38 hectares for new housing, but balanced this with ambitious designations for new community parks in Coolagad and Bellevue Hill.

Greystones councillors realised that the sheer scale of these projects, which include biodiversity corridors, sustainable drainage systems, and multi-sport hubs, requires more than just mowing the grass.

It requires horticulturalists, arborists, and biodiversity officers who can manage complex ecosystems while providing high-quality recreation.

The motion passed this week explicitly defines the scope of the new department. It wouldn't just be about maintenance; it would be "instrumental in planning decisions, development control, and policy development”.

This means the Parks Division would have the power to tell developers exactly what kind of public space they must build before a single brick is laid.

Perhaps the most tactical part of the motion is the requirement for the chief executive to provide monthly updates.

Historically, major departmental shifts in local government can take years to move from ‘approved’ to ‘active’.

By making it a standing item on the monthly report, councillors have ensured that the issue remains in the public eye.

With this potential change, each month, the public may be able to see:

How many funding applications have been submitted to the Department of Rural and Community Development.

Whether the council has successfully lobbied the relevant minister for staff funding.

The progress of the Wicklow Biodiversity Action Plan 2026–2031, which relies heavily on professional park management.

While the funding gap at a national level persists, the unanimous political mandate from Wicklow’s councillors has made one thing clear: the days of managing the garden county without a head gardener are coming to an end.

For the families moving into new developments across Greystones, Arklow, and beyond, the delivery of this division is a promise that their communities will be built with the green infrastructure necessary for a healthy, sustainable future.

As this local government cycle continues, the pressure is on the chief executive to deliver a roadmap for this new division.