Campervan concerns at Ardara playschool prompt call for better facilities

Staff and parents at the playschool in Ardara have expressed anger as a fleet of campervans caused obstructions, left litter – and some visitors even poured urine into a public drain.

Campers parked in the car park adjacent to the Ardara Community Childcare building.

Overhanging vehicles blocked the pathway to the playschool, whose refuse bins have been left overflowing due to being used by the visitors.

Last Monday morning, Ardara Community Childcare manager Sinead Hanlon had to sweep up shards of broken glass that were left strewn on the pathway and car park.

“There is a real safety concern here,” Ms Hanlon told Donegal Live. “The children are having difficulty getting in and out of the place and parents are, in some cases, having to carry them in and out.

“On Bank Holiday weekends and the summertime, the car park is sometimes overun with campervans and there is a huge problem with rubbish.

“We have a small pathway and there is a sign to say don't park there, but they still religiously park there. It's just not good enough.”

The matter has been brought to the attention of the Ardara Community Childcare CLG Board and a letter is expected to follow to the relevant departments of Donegal County Council.

The playschool caters for 94 children from 76 families and is open 51 weeks of the year.

The situation is causing frustration for staff with some of the parked campers left overlooking the fence into the playschool.

“Our first priority is the safety of the children,” Ms Hanlon said. “It is a public car park, but quite a few aren't respecting the place. We know that urine has been emptied into the drain and there can be a foul odour down towards the river as a result.

“There are no toilet facilities in the car park and the rubbish bin there is very small. We would just ask people to be respectful and have a wee bit of common sense. It shouldn't be a great hardship for people to take their rubbish and to be mindful of what is around them.”

Sinn Féin Councillor Brian Carr has branded the situation as “unacceptable” - and has called for an urgent upgrade of the facilities for camper vans right across Donegal.

“It is unacceptable for this to be happening anywhere, never mind in front of a creche,” Cllr Carr said.

“The problem here is that this is a public car park in Ardara. When people like these campervans have nowhere to go, when the proper amenities aren't there, this is the outcome.

“With the tourism that the Wild Atlantic Way is attracting to Donegal, we aren't getting enough facilities and amenities put in.

“There is a lovely facility over in Malinbeg in Glen; there should be a place like that in every town.”

Cllr Carr was contacted by multiple concerned locals about the matter and says he only realised the severity when he visited Ardara himself.

“Since the Covid-19 time, so many additional people are travelling around in campervans, but the facilities have remained static. We need to start moving with the times. You only have to go to Narin beach, for example, it's so difficult to get parked there.

“Donegal County Council needs to take this in hand, from Bundoran to Malin Head. We need to take a step forward in Donegal and every town in it. We have to get the proper facilities and bays in place to accomodate tourists.”