CHILDREN as young as six are at risk of death or serious injury at the derelict Parkway Valley site in Limerick, residents have claimed.
CHILDREN as young as six are at risk of death or serious injury at the derelict Parkway Valley site in Limerick, residents have claimed.According to local residents, the half-finished site of the abandoned €100m 63,000 square foot shopping centre has not only become a real eyesore in recent times, but also a haven for “undesirables and antisocial behaviour” — and a dangerous temptation to children.
One concerned resident, who did not want to be named for fear of reprisal, last week took video footage of children as young as eight throwing galvanised steel sheets from an upper tier at the unprotected site.
Antisocial behaviour, he claims, is a regular occurrence at the Parkway Valley site, and fears it now poses a serious threat to young children in Castletroy View, Glenbrook, Glendale and other surrounding areas.
“I fear it’s only a matter of time before someone is seriously hurt or killed. Some of the kids going in here are only six to eight years old,” he said.
“If a child was walking underneath when I filmed those two young fellas throwing steel sheets they would have been decapitated. Kids also play on the top tier of this site where a part of it is floored but there are huge gaps with no flooring and they could easily fall to their deaths. No one is taking any responsibility and it’s a serious accident waiting to happen.”
Residents now want Capital Assets, which purchased the land from Belfast-based developer Suneil Sharma, to take ownership of the problems onsite. They say there is no security and claim that gangs return soon after being ejected by Gardaí.
Labour councillor for City East, Elena Secas feels that apart from being a complete eyesore on one of the main arteries into the city, the Parkway Valley site has become a real health and safety risk.
“This is unacceptable that it is not being addressed. Residents of the area do not deserve to look at this eyesore on a daily basis and live in fear that somebody could get seriously hurt or killed there,” she said.
“I urge the Council to engage with the owners of the site as a matter of urgency with a view to firstly, having the health and safety issue addressed before anything happens and secondly, to push for the development of the site for the betterment of the area and of the city in general.”
When contacted this week, a spokesman for Limerick City and County Council commented, “The Parkway Valley site is private property. Limerick City and County Council has contacted the owners in relation to securing the boundary.”
A spokesman for Capital Assets, which owns the site, insisted that the Parkway Valley is fully secure with no trespassing signs clearly placed on perimeter fences.
“There is security on site but it is frustrating that children still break in to use it as a playground. The onus is on everyone including parents to tell their children that this is a private site and to recognise that they should not break its perimeter.”
by Alan Jacques
