Since the submission of the planning application by Clonmany Enterprise Development Ltd, 2 new developments in the vicinity of the proposed Kids Play Park have occurred. A substantial new ESB Networks Electrical Substation has been constructed on-site and a new mast which could potentially hold telecommunication equipment has been erected in the adjoining Eircom Limited site.

The new ESB Networks Substation will be located between the proposed Kids Play Park and the proposed (revised) shed location. This Substation together with the revised shed location adds additional Non-Visible Zones from the main road. Will this Substation become a play apparatus for kids due to its partially visible location? The Kids Play Park apparatus and fencing will impair visibility of the Substation from the main street which is concerning.

Additionally, the location of the Substation is concerning from an Anti-Social Behaviour point of view and particularly the safety of children with regard to the location of the Kids Play Park (Sexual Predators & visibility concerns etc..). The additional concerns add to the list of concerns/issues with the location of the Kids Play Park as detailed in the original planning objection.

Flooding concerns of the Play Park have been outlined in the Potential Topography Flooding section. The section details how the 2017 development work in the Parochial Field has dramatically changed the flooding characteristics of the field and potentially makes the location of the proposed Kids Play Park a flood risk.

It is astonishing that Clonmany Enterprise Development Ltd didn’t include the ESB Networks developments in their planning application given the location and potential Health & Safety impact of such, with regard to the Kids Play Park.

This Substation would have been located metres from a home heating oil tank and in the proposed Kids Play Park, if the ESB Networks representative had not raised the ESB Networks planned development. The planning objection was sent out to locals via WhatsApp on the 12/04/2024, which alerted the ESB Networks representative and led to the subsequent contact. Contact was initiated by the ESB Networks representative on the 15/04/2024.

Without this essential ESB Networks Substation information, how can the Donegal County Council Planning Department come to a valid and proper planning decision?

Do the proposed Kids Play Park and the proposed Shed follow the appropriate distance guidelines from the installed Substation, such that these distances help ensure adequate clearance and minimize risks from potential Substation transformer failures (explosions/fires/leaks) and allow for maintenance of the Substation?

What guidelines/regulations/processes are in place for locating Kids Play Parks beside substantial Electrical Substations and Telecommunication Masts?