Minister O’Gorman announces funding to Local Authorities for the refurbishment and development of playgrounds and play areas
- Published on: 7 April 2022
- Last updated on: 12 April 2025
• €450,000 allocated across the country to Local Authorities for the refurbishment and development of playgrounds and play areas
• 30 projects awarded funding under the Play and Recreation Grant Scheme for 2022
• Projects awarded include wheelchair accessible swings, sensory equipment, and inclusive play units.
Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, Roderic O’Gorman, today approved the awarding of €450,000 to Local Authorities across Ireland for the refurbishment of existing playgrounds and the development of new playgrounds and new play areas. Local Authorities will benefit from funding for 30 projects under the Capital Grant Scheme in 2022.
The projects funded by the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth (DCEDIY) encompass a wide range of initiatives that will deliver diverse benefits to children and young people and have a positive impact on communities. These projects include:
• Inclusive basket swing seat
• Wheelchair accessible swing
• Sensory Equipment
• Natural Play Areas
• Accessibility/Biodiversity Playground upgrade(s)
• Learn to cycle track
• Inclusive carousel
Launching the Play and Recreation funding, the Minister said:
“Children’s playgrounds and play areas should be places of fun and activity for all children to enjoy, so that every child can experience the joy and excitement that comes with playing outdoors.”
“By ensuring that our playgrounds include play equipment that is accessible and encourages inclusion, we are expanding opportunities for play that will benefit every child. This year, I am delighted that 29 Local Authorities have been successful in their applications to enhance their play facilities so that children of all abilities can express themselves in a safe environment and know that they belong.”
ENDS
Notes to the Editor:
The purpose of the 2022 DCEDIY Play and Recreation Capital Funding Scheme is to support refurbishment of play and recreation amenities for children and young people; to include the provision of new equipment, the refurbishment of existing play facilities, with an emphasis on natural play areas.
The application process was open to all Local Authorities, each Local Authority could apply for one project. There was flexibility in special circumstances for a Local Authority to apply for more than one project if requested, with funding being capped at €18k for each Local Authority. The awarding of this funding is contingent on the Local Authority co-funding each successful project with 25% of the funding allocated by DCEDIY.
Eligible applications were evaluated by the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth via a weighted scoring system; each of the 5 qualifying criteria was assessed and scored individually and the total project score was an aggregate of the criteria scores.
A key criteria of the scheme is that proposed projects must be accessible and inclusive for all children; other criteria measured included the added value of each project to young people and assurances regarding the safety of facilities comprising the proposed projects.