Questions have been raised about who is responsible for maintaining the new Linear Park in Letterkenny, which has become so unkempt that people are reportedly turning away from it.
The €1.1million park, which opened with great celebrations last year, is the first part of the €20 million LK Green Connect scheme of footpaths and cycleways through the town.
Despite the park being on the council’s doorstep, it’s emerged that the Letterkenny Municipal District hasn’t been provided any funding to maintain it.
“It’s got into a terrible state. There are weeds coming up through the bricks at the end of the pathway,” said Cllr Donal ‘Mandy’ Kelly, who raised questions with the council after receiving calls from constituents.
Cllr Kelly said the park was a “fantastic job” when it first opened, but pointed out that the lack of gardening maintenance is “getting out of control”.
“It’s welcome and it (LK Green Connect) will be a fantastic project once it’s fully complete. But when people are starting to turn away and not use it because of the state it’s in, it sends a very bad message,” Cllr Kelly told this week’s meeting of the Letterkenny-Milford MD.
Linear Park in Letterkenny in June 2023
Linear Park Letterkenny in July 2024
Cllr Kelly was told that the council has taken over the emptying of the bins in the park, but was not responsible for maintenance.
Mr Liam Ward, Director of Services, advised members that such regeneration projects present a challenge to the council, where funding is given by the Department to create the infrastructure through capital projects but no maintenance monies are provided.
“This infrastructure needs to be maintained,” Mr Ward said. “There is other infrastructure we create, whether it’s through the Town and Village Renewal Scheme or URDF, the council needs to be making money available when it is created.”
