Residents up in arms over plans for all-weather pitch at Clonmel school

Above: Residents of Shamrock Hill, Clonmel who are objecting to plans by Ss Peter and Paul’s primary school to develop an all-weather pitch on the green area near their homes. From left, Tom O’Keeffe, Phil Kehoe, Denis Kelly, Criostoir McGrath, Maureen McNamara, Vladimir Kamensky, TJ O’Loughlin, Maureen O’Loughlin, Mary O’Reilly and TJ McMahon  

A proposal by a Clonmel primary school to develop an all-weather sports pitch on land adjacent to the school has raised the hackles of nearby residents.

The board of management of Ss Peter and Paul’s primary school has applied for planning permission to provide an all-weather pitch, with perimeter fencing and associated works, in the existing playing field, facing Shamrock Hill, on the school property.

The planning application was submitted on February 9 and Tipperary County Council has sought further information from the school’s board of management.

However, several residents of Shamrock Hill have lodged an objection to the proposal, saying that it will deprive the area of a valuable amenity for the wider community and leave the area vulnerable to anti-social behaviour.

In a submission to the council, the residents have also questioned the ownership of the field, saying that it’s not nor has it ever been owned by the school.

“It has for as long as we can recall always been known as Hally’s Field. In 1923 it was sold by the Bagwell estate to Denis Lowry, who gave it to his daughter Mary. In 1955 it was sold by Mary Lowry to Edward Hally, John Hally and Michael Hally.

“The Shamrock Hill houses were built in the late 1950s by the Hally Brothers on most of the property given to Mary Lowry, with the area that’s now the subject of the planning application being left as a green area.

“The area is and has always been an open green area; it is not enclosed. It is not part of the area owned by the applicants and has no secure boundary. Since the 1950s it has been a green area for the benefit of the residents of Shamrock Hill since the houses were built”.

The residents say that the green area is also regularly used and enjoyed by the community of the town, people of all ages, for picnics, birthday parties, playing soccer and by dog owners walking their pets. They say that it was a green area for the town before the school was even built.

“Successive development plans have stressed the need to preserve and improve the provision of amenity areas,” they say.

The residents state that this is one of the very few green areas in Clonmel town centre, in comparison to the extensive number of sporting facilities already available in the town, and that at present it is used “very respectfully” by the community.

They say that many people availed of it during the Covid-enforced lockdowns, and that it would also be an amenity for residents of more than 50 social houses for which planning permission has been granted on the former Eircom site in nearby Thomas Street.

“We do not believe that it is a good use of funds for the school to spend funds on another pitch, particularly when there is one available in the adjacent High School, to which the applicants have direct and safe access”.

They claim that an all-weather pitch would leave two very small areas that would be entirely unusable for the community for recreation.

“In addition, one of the two remaining areas is approximately more than two metres below the adjacent road level (and therefore secluded), and will be an area that will attract anti-social behaviour”.

The residents say that the side entrance to the school at Shamrock Hill, which is used to drop and collect children at the school, was opened illegally some years ago.

Criostoir McGrath, a resident of Shamrock Hill, says that when people come to collect children they park cars on either side of the road.

“The road is narrow and when that happens an ambulance couldn’t pass through. There are no warning signs about a school entrance and no traffic calming on the road”.

TJ O’Loughlin, who also lives in Shamrock Hill, says that people have parked in and across his driveway when collecting children.

The residents say an all-weather pitch would also have bright lights that would be switched on until 10pm or 11pm.

The school was contacted for comment.