A set of distributed locations with equipment/outdoor furniture to facilitate exercise and socialising for teenagers in informal, but safe settings. Examples include:
- Parklets
- MUGAs (multi-use games areas)
- Sheltered seating
Kildare County Council selected Celbridge for a pilot project to provide youth facilities. The goal of the project is to enhance Celbridge as a teen-friendly town by creating safe and welcoming outdoor recreational spaces for young people, in a way that is owned by young people and is developed collaboratively with the community.
Based on findings from consultation with over 500 young people in Celbridge, the preference is for several smaller installations rather than a single large facility.
Identifying suitable locations in Celbridge for youth spaces is challenging. The 2022 report (see below for the reference) laid out some clear requirements for location:
- Close to residential areas -- ease of access is especially important for younger teens who have a more limited range for roaming.
- Close to shops and amenities.
- Sites should feel safe for young people, typically through good lighting and location in well-frequented areas that benefit from passive surveillance (see definition in the FAQ section below).
- A range of multiple smaller sites are preferred to one larger site.
KCC has some sites but these are generally in isolated locations on the edges of the town, far from most residential areas. New, better-located tracts of land are coming on-stream, e.g. the Parochial House grounds and the proposed Liffey Valley Park in Donaghcumper Estate, but as of writing (Spring 2025), these are unlikely to be available for several years.
Therefore, the best sites in the short to medium term are likely to be within established residential estates but some residents have concerns about this, fearing anti-social behaviour.
Source: Barron, C., Tolland, K., Emmett, M-J., "'Somewhere to hang out' Teenagers Outdoor Recreational Needs in Celbridge: A partnership perspective", Dublin City University, 2022.
Funding has already been allocated from Local Property Tax and Development Levies for the provision of facilities.
March 2025:
Kildare County Council are considering a a proposed covered seating area at the outdoor gym in the Celbridge Abbey car park. (Source: Minutes of the CL MD Meeting, March 2025, pg. 13)
January 2025:
Contractors were appointed to design an enhanced hangout area near the existing parklet at The Slip in Celbridge.
2024:
Consultation with residents about hosting a MUGA (multi-use games area) in one residential estate met with concerns so the project team shifted their focus to providing much smaller facilities on very small KCC-owned pockets of land. A MUGA will not progress until a suitable site is found.
2023:
116 young people aged 12-17 were involved in design consultation producing design ideas for hangout spaces, Multi Use Games Area (MUGA), Teenage Playground, Outdoor Gym equipment. Outdoor exercise area installed at the Celbridge Abbey Car Park featuring a combination of outdoor exercise and calisthenics equipment (rower, cross trainer, leg press, dip bars, and exercise bars) which facilitates a range of exercise for all ages and abilities. The project cost €50k and was funded by Local Property Tax provided by local Councillors and the Community Recognition Fund.
2022:
"'Somewhere to hang out' Teenagers Outdoor Recreational Needs in Celbridge: A Partnership Perspective" report published by DCU consultants following consultation with 541 young people including face-to-face workshops and a questionnaire. Smaller facilities were sought throughout the town by young people and they listed facilities of interest such as table tennis/ping pong tables, graffiti wall/designated art area, mini/crazy golf, climbing wall, Wifi, USB charging ports, covered shelters /hangout spaces with seating, safe locations with lighting, more cycle paths & racks, more bins.
2021:
A multi-stakeholder Celbridge Outdoor Teen Facilities Project Steering Group was established to provide input into Kildare County Council's pilot youth facilities project. The steering group comprises Kildare County Council, local Councillors, representation from Celbridge Community Council and other local groups and parents' representatives, the Kildare Children & Young People’s Services Committee (CYPSC, a division of TUSLA), InSync Youth & Family Services, and young people from the North Kildare Comhairle na nÓg.
2018:
New Kildare Play Strategy 2018-2028 with an objective to "develop appropriate play and recreation spaces for older young people ( teens) in which they feel welcome and safe" and an action to "develop a pilot project in the county in relation to play & recreation spaces for teens." was launched. Celbridge was chosen for the pilot project.
What age group will the youth facilities cater for?
11 to 19 years old. Outdoor facilities for this age group are very limited in Celbridge.
What benefits do youth spaces create for the community?
They provide safe, comfortable outdoor spaces for teenagers to socialize and interact. It honours the "right to play" enshrined in Article 31 of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and sends an important signal to Celbridge's teenagers that they are valued and respected by the rest of the community.
Will this bring noise, litter, and vandalism?
While litter can be a problem, noise is generally limited by the facility size -- the aim is for several smaller spaces in Celbridge, rather than one large one. Facility equipment design is generally chosen to be resistant to vandalism.
What is passive surveillance?
A site with good passive surveillance is typically a well-frequented area. The site should attract significant passerby traffic, ideally pedestrians, and be directly overlooked by surrounding buildings (commercial and/or residential) and activities. Such sites generally have less anti-social behaviour simply because of the presence of others nearby. It is not that there is an expectation of intervention by others in the event of an incident; it is that incidents are much less likely to occur in the first place.
Why can KCC not install a MUGA on the KCC-owned site adjacent to the GAA club?
That particular site suffers from drainage issues that would be expensive to remediate. In addition to the flooding issue, the site does not currently benefit from passive surveillance.
Why can KCC not install a MUGA on the land north-east of the Ardrath estate and adjacent to the R449?
This site is quite isolated, and very distant from most residential areas in Celbridge. Due to the protected sightline from Castletown House to Conolly's Folly, any facilities here would be too far from housing so would not benefit from passive surveillance. Additionally, though indicated on the landscape masterplan for the Ardrath housing estate that this site would be ceded to KCC for amenity purposes, this has yet to happen.
Why can KCC facilities for young people not be installed in new housing developments rather than in established residential estates?
Since 2023, KCC requires developers to include play spaces for children and teenagers in new housing developments. However, KCC also aims to address the lack of play spaces in existing residential areas and to provide appropriately scaled teen space facilities in these locations. Therefore, KCC is actively seeking suitable sites in established residential areas to ensure these communities are not neglected.