The National Transport Authority (NTA) has said a local authority in south Dublin approached it for additional funding for the controversial construction of a new entrance to a suburban park at Mount Merrion as it had encountered challenges on the site and design issues.
The Irish Times reported last month that the works, which involved the provision of 14 steps and a ramp at Deer Park, had cost a total of €753,528.43 inclusive of VAT.
Taoiseach Micheál Martin told the Dáil subsequently that the cost involved in the project was “excessive by any yardstick”. Sinn Féin contended that it represented another example of a waste of public money.
The park at Mount Merrion is run by Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council but funding for the project was provided by the NTA.
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The NTA did not directly answer questions about whether it had raised concerns with the local authority about the cost of the renovation of the entrance to the park.
The NTA said that in 2023 Dún Laoghaire Rathdown County Council had applied for “active travel” funding to improve the access to Deer Park from North Avenue in Mount Merrion as the existing steps were unsuitable for those with mobility impairments, cyclists or those using buggies or push chairs.
It said the project aimed to construct a ramp and replace the existing steps to improve accessibility for all to the park and between the park, the adjacent primary school and local church.
The NTA said in addition, “this link formed part of a wider 6.2km ‘Sea to Mountains’ active travel route, which connects Blackrock to Kilmacud” in south Dublin.
It said this provided safe and inclusive access for walking, wheeling and cycling to neighbourhood schools, shops and community facilities.
“Following funding approval, a contractor was appointed and works began in October 2023. In 2024, Dún Laoghaire Rathdown requested additional funding due to challenges on site and design issues. The NTA requested detailed cost reports as the project progressed and conducted a site visit in August 2025. Additional funding was approved to allow the project to be completed, ensure the site was safe and that the link to and through the park was accessible to the community. The project was substantially completed in January 2025”, the transport authority said.
The NTA said “as Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council were the project managers and are responsible for ensuring the project was progressed in accordance with applicable legislation and standards, any detailed information on these costs should be directed to them”.
Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council told The Irish Times last month that the works at Deer Park represented “a significant engineering project that encountered many challenges during the construction including the discovery of previously unidentified electrical cables”. It said these had to be relocated.
Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald said in the Dáil: “Access to public spaces for people with disabilities is very important, but for €750,000 I was expecting a breathtaking feat of engineering. There is nothing spectacular, however. In fact, it is very ordinary, literally just steps and a ramp. The only breathtaking thing about this is the cost,” she said.
Ms McDonald said the money involved “would pay the salaries of 20 new special needs assistants or 20 new nurses for a year”.
“Instead, the money is spent on a few steps and a ramp that surely could have been built for a fraction of that cost. It is scandalous.”
Mr Martin said: “First of all, I do not believe €750,000 is right, proper or appropriate in terms of 14 steps, but it seems to me the scheme that was completed by Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council was not just about 14 steps. Nonetheless, the cost is excessive by any yardstick.”
