Dublin People - Community opposed to soccer academy plan

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Community opposed to soccer academy plan

Thursday, 13 March 2008

IT’S expected that a controversial plan to develop a football stadium and academy on lands that residents believe are environmentally sensitive will be discussed at a Fingal County Council meeting in April.
The council’s plan to build a full size football pitch with seating for 400 people and an adjacent football academy at Turvey Park, Donabate, is being bitterly opposed by local residents and conservation groups.
Over 100 people have signed an online petition objecting to the local authority’s Sporting Fingal Football Academy proposals that will consist of 4.8 hectares of football pitches, including one indoor and two outdoor floodlit pitches, along with parking space for 190 cars and 14 coaches.
The academy is part of the council’s ambitious plan to promote football in the area and will be tied in with the new eircom League club, Sporting Fingal.
However, local group Conservation Volunteers Fingal (CVF) claims Turvey is a hugely important site in terms of wildlife and that the nearby Rogerstown Estuary is designated as a Special Area of Conservation (SAC) and deemed a wetland of international importance.
Samantha Rhodes of CVF said her group believed the building of a soccer academy so close to such an important conservation area would have a detrimental effect on local wildlife.
“This wildlife would be badly affected by the disruption caused by building, light and noise pollution and increased levels of traffic at the entrance to and throughout the site,” Ms Rhodes claimed.
She said Turvey has become a vitally important area for local schools to experience nature at first hand.
“CVF, along with local groups, schools, and Donabate residents, have done a considerable amount of conservation work in Turvey, including the planting of literally thousands of saplings as part of National Tree Week,” Ms Rhodes said.
“Although CVF applauds the sentiment behind the building of such a sports amenity, we believe the site at Turvey is inappropriate on many levels.
“Not only will it have a detrimental effect on local wildlife, the local infrastructure such as roads, pavements, lighting and public transport is not strong enough to allow young people to reach the site safely.”
A spokeswoman for Fingal County Council told Northside People that a decision on the academy would be put before the full council meeting in April.
All submissions made to the council in relation to the development will form part of the report presented at that meeting.

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