Tearing up Dublin's golf courses in favour of green spaces and apartments.
It is an idea that has long been floating around, especially on social media, in conversations about fixing the housing crisis and making a more green and sustainable city.
Feljin Jose, a Green Party local election candidate for Cabra-Glasnevin, got the conversation going once more on Twitter when he suggested we should build apartments on golf courses inside the M50, and went onto point out that something similar was done when Dún Laoghaire Golf club moved from its original, more densely populated, home to Enniskerry:
This isn't really a radical idea. We've done it before. The former Dún Laoghaire Golf Club now holds 2,000 homes, parks, a pond, playgrounds & shops.
The club relocated to a larger site in Enniskerry. Dublin City Council is imposing taxes (RZLT) on the farm in Glasnevin.
Should We Tear Down Our City Golf Courses
Build apartments on golf courses inside the M50 https://t.co/VmqR5iLoEw
— Feljin Jose (@Feljin_J) August 27, 2023
This isn't really a radical idea. We've done it before. The former Dún Laoghaire Golf Club now holds 2,000 homes, parks, a pond, playgrounds & shops. The club relocated to a larger site in Enniskerry. Dublin City Council is imposing taxes (RZLT) on the farm in Glasnevin. https://t.co/hSSVYp8pNA
— Feljin Jose (@Feljin_J) August 27, 2023
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Many were in agreement with Jose's suggestion, and it is easy to see the reasons why given the excessive harmful emissions released by golf courses due to their upkeep and maintenance.
A lot of courses are also seen as ultra exclusive, and that they do not justify their size or location because of this.
With the current housing crisis and the need for green public spaces, the presence of golf courses are an easy target.
However, there is a sense that some commenters simply do not like golf and are just feeding the chip they have on their shoulder.
Many courses are not as exclusive as some seem to believe, and they provide an excellent leisure activity for all age groups, while the sport also has a relatively high percentage of female players as well.
Furthermore, whether the idea to replace them with apartments would be beneficial or not, they are private areas and to get permission to build on them would be highly difficult, if not impossible.
The idea that these are "local green amenities/leisure facilities" is infuriating. Clontarf club takes up an entire massive block of Killester/Clontarf and I have literally never seen it apart from glimpses from the top deck of a bus. https://t.co/LRFORbOxox
— Lisa Carey (@msleedy) August 28, 2023
Lots of people Mad at this tweet and I agree: we should build apartments on golf courses outside the M50 too https://t.co/wPug8ElwfO
— Conor Duffy 🇮🇪🇺🇦 (@conorduffy_7) August 27, 2023
I've been saying this for years. People should come and look at what has been done with the former Dun Laoghaire golf club site to see how many homes, parks, playgrounds and other facilities can be built on a single golf course. https://t.co/79xDCBygy8
— Karl Whelan (@WhelanKarl) August 27, 2023
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