A project to transform the former Balleally Landfill in Fingal into a new public park has reached a major milestone.

The upper section of the new park has been officially opened marking the completion of the first phase of the project. This section boasts views of the North Dublin coastline.

Subsequent sections will open from 2020 onwards as works progress to completion.

The Mayor of Fingal, Cllr Anthony Lavin, who performed the opening ceremony, said: "Fingal is a county that likes to be a leader of innovation and environmental responsibility and we are delighted to be one of the first counties to officially open one of their former landfills as a public park. Today's opening is the culmination of a 10-year programme of restoration of this former landfill site which has been in operation, in one form or another, since the late 1960s. Rogerstown Park has now shown the way in what can be achieved with older landfill sites by handing them back to the local communities to be enjoyed as amenities for the beneficial use of their local residents."

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Cllr Brian Dennehy, Chair of the Balleally Landfill Liaison Committee, added: "Rogerstown Park will provide access to stunning views, allow families, walkers and joggers to come and relax and provide the local area with an asset which they can be proud of. Local people can take a high degree of confidence that the landfill is, and has been, managed well and the Balleally Landfill Liaison Committee has worked hard to ensure that this site has been finished to the highest possible standard. The work of the Balleally Landfill Liaison Committee over the past number of years has been a crucial part of the success story that is Rogerstown Park today."

David Devine, who is overseeing the transformation of the former landfill into a public park in his capacity as Landfill Manager at Balleally, commented: "I take great pleasure in being able to hand something back to the local communities who have endured the landfill over the past years. It was always my belief that those views had to be made accessible to the local community and wider public as they are simply stunning.

"From a technical view, and as an engineer, it has been a fascinating project to work on and one in which I have never been bored - although it has given me more than one sleepless night. The primary objective has always been the protection of human health and the environment and many of the projects we have carried out here over the past 10 years have led to considerable improvements in our environmental sustainability objectives."

The opening of the Park marks not only the first phase of the development of this site for the use of the people of Fingal, but also signals an important milestone in the development of the Rogerstown Park site Masterplan which will allow local people to participate in a public consultation process where they can be part of the design process for the further development stages of this site.

(CM)