More childcare facilities prior to further development in Greystones.

Green Party Councillor Lourda Scott calls for more childcare facilities to be put in place prior to further development in Greystones.

Scott says: “Despite significant developments in Greystones over the past few years, childcare facilities have failed to grow with the population. People are now experiencing waiting lists of up to 24 months to access childcare, which is unacceptable.

“Of particular concern is the false information provided by developers in their planning applications to avoid building crèches or stall the building until long after people are living there. A recent application for a Strategic Housing Development (SHD) delivering over 300 units stated that ‘there is lack of demand for another childcare facility in the catchment area’. Another developer plans to build a crèche in the last phase of a 400 unit development as they state that there is no need to build it sooner. Within the vicinity of these two proposed new developments there are 5 creches, all of which are full with between 8- and 24-month waiting lists. In the same area, residents of a brand new development of over 100 houses are still waiting for the promised childcare facility to be built.

“This is simply unacceptable. Parents in the community are regularly in touch with me about the challenges in obtaining childcare spaces for their children yet we find ourselves in the position where developers are dictating the needs of a community. This is directly as a result of Fine Gael’s Strategic Housing Development strategy giving powers to An Bord Pleanala that by passes local resident’s input and eliminates the appeal s process. This isn’t good enough.

“We need an up to date assessment of childcare facilities to be carried out based on the current population, this data to be used for future planned developments with a specific timeframe of building crèches to be part of any planning permission.”