I have reviewed the draft plan.

I coach hockey at Kinvara hockey club which caters for over 220 players all female at present.  The club is in existence for FORTY years and going from strength to strength with amazingly 2 players selected on the Connacht  u16 2020/21 team.  We cater for girls and wish to expand to boys and  older adults. The club caters for girls in neighboring towns/villages all the way to Oranmore. Hockey is a non-contact sport and can be played to age 70s and beyond.  Indeed a lot of team sports players take up hockey in later years for this reason as other sport lend themselves to more injuries.

We have achieved all our successes with cup and league wins in recent years, with a small astro pitch at Kinvara national school, which is totally unsuitable to advance the game.  We need a 2G surface.  Our home match games are unbelievably played in Athlone and Dangan!!! 

In addition the secondary school facility is very small and unsuitable for the large numbers in our club.  The women’s team are in the Olympic s– our girls would aspire to be like their heroes.  But how can you advance girls in sport without a suitable facility.

Please zone large tracts of land for the development of a multi-use pitch in Kinvara.  We ask the plan to support girls and women in sport and support older players interested in keeping on a team non-contact sport for social benefits.  The hockey veteran older players used to play in oranmore and involved players from all around south galway, but they now have to go to Dangan due to a change of surface in the town centre of oranmore from 2 G to 3G rendering it unsuitable for hockey. 

2G  astro surface, is totally smooth like for tennis  and has no grass length.  Alot of pitches granted planning are 3G which excludes  advancing hockey skills for safety reasons

If the existing development boundary is at capacity and no room for development then alternative lands required. The 2 schools are at capacity for development of pitches as have no space to further develop or extend pitches.

I propose large tracts of land – a min of 3-4  acres for New community uses by perhaps extending the  development boundary of kinvara.

The county plan for kinvara - needs more designated community use zoning.

This would require extending the current boundary and a concerted effort needs to be made to accommodate a multi- purpose pitch for hockey and athletics and tennis that share a common 2 G surface requirement. Please provide for the potential connectivity to the Multi-use pitch by developing cycle paths and walkways perhaps towards the south of the town

The secondary schools has a small 5aside 3G pitch but is at capacity and is not open to the public.

The national school has a small 5 aside soccer 3 G pitch and is rented out but is incredibly small for hockey and the surface is unsuitable to advance the sport.

In summary, if large tracts of land are zoned residential – then a concerted effort must be made to zone community spaces ie a multi- use 2G pitch .  This pitch could be shared with the secondary school and hockey is one of the main sports played in Seamount for well over 40 years. 

Other points for the plan

It would be great to see an adjoining public park/picnic space and a skate park joined to the multi-use  2G pitch or even separate closer to the town/village of Kinvara.  KInvara does not have a public park.

Lots of towns invested in playgrounds but what about older children and teenagers.  They need a fun skate park with a public space/ park attached. 

We can see during covid how all the seats are taken up on the quay by the pier at kinvara, with locals and visitors enjoying the outdoors.  We need more community spaces.

Lots of teenagers are engaging in outdoor activities cycling to the beaches  since all the lockdowns, but they also need a designated space.  Skate-boarding is in the Olympics it must be pointed out, and caters for children and teenagers that have outgrown a playground and want to socialize with friends and perhaps do not have any desire to play a team sport. 

Community spaces needed for all nearby residents of kinvara to encompass the older adult, children and teenagers who very often get forgotten about.  We cater well for younger children with a lot of excellent playgrounds but this older age cohort are not caterd for.

Cycle ways and walkways need to be added to the plan on all approaches to Kinvara.  We need a lot more children and teenagers cycling to school.  We need safe cycle ways to the beaches and piers in tracht and parkmore.  The Ballindereen to Kinvara cycle way is an excellent example but could it continue into Kinvara safely and beyond towards the beaches??

I would like the plan to consider the huge advantage trees are to kinvara  in the hot weather and indeed in the heavey showers.  Trees should be marked on the plan and surveyed.  There are laws to protect trees on private lands and they need to be part of town planning for space for shade for older adults and younger children during for example the recent hot weather we just experienced. Trees are of course very important for carbon control and biodiversity.

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