Gowran playground set to open after road safety works

A flagship playground and community hub in Gowran is set to finally open in the coming weeks.

Recently garnering a Local Government Award nomination for Kilkenny County Council, who financially supported the project alongside Leader and the community, the playground has been out-of-bounds to locals until adjacent road works were completed.

Earlier this year, Denis Hynes, then a member of Kilkenny County Council, described the condition of the road outside the facility as ‘an accident waiting to happen’.

Gowran on the Move, the committee behind the project, turned the sod on the future community hub/ playground in the summer of 2023, with the hope it would be completed by the end of that year.

Safety concerns with the passing road, and lack of safe parking, have delayed the playground’s opening in recent months, however there is finally some good news for the community.
Kilkenny County Council now have plans to carry out the necessary works on the road, they hope before Christmas, according to a council spokesperson.

It’s a hopeful note also struck by Mr Hynes. “The plan was to open in the summer but there was the issue with the safety of the road. We are anxious to get it open.

“Safety issues have been addressed by the council, in fairness,” Mr Hynes added. He’s now looking forward to the opening he says is ‘better late than never’.