‘A pity’ Deer Park entrance cost so much, Public Accounts Committee hears

The development of a new entrance to a south Dublin park that ended up costing over €500,000 more than originally estimated is “a good project”, the National Transport Authority (NTA) has maintained.

Its deputy chief executive, Hugh Cregan, told the Dáil Public Accounts Committee (PAC) on Thursday that it was “a pity that it cost as much as it did”.

He said it should have been possible to deliver the project at a cheaper cost.

The Irish Times reported on Thursday that the construction of 14 steps and a ramp as part of a new entrance at Deer Park in Mount Merrion ended up costing about €550,000 above the original estimate.

Last November it emerged the workshad cost a total of €753,500 including VAT.

Questioned by Eoghan Kenny of Labour and Aidan Farrelly of the Social Democrats, Mr Cregan confirmed that the initial costings for the project put forward by Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council was €200,000 but that this had increased to over €300,000 by the time construction contracts were signed and rose further afterwards.

The park at Mount Merrion is run by the local authority, which developed the project, but funding was provided by the NTA.

The NTA recently released further details under the Freedom of Information Act.

It said the ultimate bill of more than €750,000 for the project represented “a significant increase over the initial cost estimates” provided by a local authority.

The documents stated that, at the time, the existing entrance to Deer Park from North Avenue was via steps and that this was not suitable for people with a mobility impairment, cyclists or those with buggies or pushchairs.

They also noted it was proposed to construct a ramp and replace existing steps to improve accessibility between the park and the adjacent primary school and local church.

Reports on costs submitted to the NTA by the local authority, however, show financial projections for the steps and the new entrance subsequently began to increase.

The NTA said that in a report in July 2024, the council “signalled there were delays due to challenges on site which would lead to additional costs”.

“Following NTA on-site assessment and meetings with the council, the NTA decided to provide additional funding to complete the project.”

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