Oatlands College All-Weather Pitch

Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council are currently accepting public submissions and observations on plans for development of an all-weather pitch at Oatlands College (Part VIII).

Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council (dlrcc) have identified a number of suitable locations for the development of all-weather pitches within schools in the county. dlrcc is partnering with the Edmund Rice Schools Trust, Oatlands College and Oatlands Primary School to develop an all-weather pitch at Oatlands College, Stillorgan, Co. Dublin. Currently there is a grass playing pitch at the proposed location used by Oatlands College and Oatlands Primary School, as well as local sports clubs for matches and training. There is currently a great demand by sports clubs locally for all-weather facilities across multiple sports.

The construction of a floodlit, all-weather pitch in this location would allow the pitch to be used much more intensively by the school and sports clubs outside of school hours, and in particular during the winter months. The proposed facility will provide a 135m x 86m floodlit pitch accommodating a championship-sized GAA pitch (130 x 80m), a soccer pitch (100 x 60m) and cross-field play. Pre-Part VIII planning consultation has taken place with local stakeholders, including adjoining residents, school staff, pupils and sports clubs. Various aspects raised during this initial consultation have been considered as part of the design process, including traffic management, lighting and impacts on flora and fauna.

Mr. Frank Curran, Chief Executive, said:

Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council is delighted to partner with Oatlands College, Oatlands Primary School and the Edmund Rice Trust in the development of a floodlit, all-weather facility at Oatlands College. This is in line with council sports policy of developing all-weather facilities with schools to ensure their most efficient use during the day and evening, while reducing the need to fence off areas in public parks."

Councillor Mary Hanafin, Cathaoirleach, said:

Public consultation is an essential part of this planning process. I invite the public to give their views to add to the submissions of the sports clubs, schools and local residents."

Caroline Garrett, Principal, Oatlands College, said:

We welcome this exciting development at Oatlands College. This facility will greatly enhance the sports facilities at our school and the promotion of health and wellbeing of our pupils and young people in the area.’’

A spokesperson for Kilmacud Crokes said:

Boys and girls from Kilmacud Crokes have been training and playing on the grass pitch at Oatlands for many decades and it has been and will continue to be a critical much needed resource to allow us to provide access to sport to an ever increasing number of children from the local area. The pitch is the primary location for our younger age groups to develop and play.  Kilmacud Crokes is delighted that dlrcc is proposing to develop these much needed all-weather facilities at Oatlands College where many of our players attend school.   Situated in the Stillorgan area in the clubs heartland, the club sees this as a huge benefit for our community of players, particularly in the winter months. We look forward to working with dlrcc on alternative pitch arrangements during the construction works if the project proceeds”.

Adiran lyons, spokesperson for Mount Merrion FC said:

All weather training facilities are at a premium in dlrcc. As the largest football club in Dublin, we see a huge demand for more all-weather sports facilities to cater for the growing numbers of boys and girls playing football. As our club is rooted in the local community, we are excited about the proposed development of an all-weather pitch at Oatlands College. Given our mixed climate in Ireland this new facility means that boys and girls will have the ability to train and play on modern all weather surfaces. This development will also help our local boys and girls to look forward to playing sports and staying fit, healthy, safe and happy in modern Council run facilities in the heart of their local community.’’

The public is invited to give their views to add to the submissions of the sports clubs, schools and local residents during the statutory public consultation period from 21st April 2023 to 2nd June 2023 inclusive. For more information on this proposal and to make a submission through our online survey visit https://bit.ly/oatlandscollege

As part of the consultation process, an online information webinar was held. This can be viewed below.

[video:https://youtu.be/xM6bc5boZiM]