18/10/2026
UPDATE: Ardmore Recreation Centre disabled parking ♿️
I’m pleased to share that the coffee truck has now been relocated and the original designated disabled parking spaces at Ardmore Recreation Centre have been reinstated.
I’m still awaiting a formal response from the Council to the concerns and questions raised, but I want to take this opportunity to explain what this was really about.
This was never about attacking a small local business. It was about ensuring that what limited accessibility is available to disabled people and their families remains available.
Since raising this issue, I have been personally contacted by multiple people who experienced difficulties with the alternative parking arrangements, alongside others who shared their concerns publicly in the comments under the original post and some that contacted the council directly. This clearly wasn’t just one person’s concern. It highlighted a genuine issue affecting people who rely on accessible parking to use these facilities.
For families like ours, accessible parking is not simply about getting a space close to the entrance. We need sufficient room to open doors fully, safely get our children out of the vehicle and into their wheelchairs and deploy ramps and other specialist equipment. Without that space, accessing facilities can become extremely difficult, unsafe or even impossible.
When existing disabled parking spaces are removed and the alternatives are not suitable for the people who rely on them, we have every right to question it. Putting up a temporary sign or designating an ordinary parking space as disabled parking does not automatically make it accessible.
I also want to make another important point. Businesses should never be afraid to question decisions like this either. If a council allocates a pitch that affects accessible parking, businesses should feel able to ask questions, raise concerns and suggest alternatives. Questioning a decision that could exclude disabled people isn’t being difficult; it’s being responsible.
Supporting small businesses and protecting accessibility are not competing priorities. With proper planning and consideration, both can be achieved. Surely the conversation should be about finding solutions that work for everyone, rather than making people feel uncomfortable for speaking up.
I want to acknowledge Councillors Sarah Duffy and Thomas O’Hanlon for their involvement in raising these concerns, seeking action and providing feedback. I welcome the relocation of the coffee truck and the reinstatement of the original spaces.
However, reinstating the spaces should be the first step, not the end of the matter. We still need answers about how this decision was made, why accessibility wasn’t properly considered from the outset and what will be done to prevent something similar happening again.
It should not take parents and carers speaking out, sharing personal experiences or contacting elected representatives for basic accessibility needs to be recognised.
We should not have to fight to protect the limited accessibility that already exists.
Accessibility must be considered from the beginning, not addressed only after people are excluded.
Thank you to everyone who contacted me privately, shared their experiences publicly, commented on the post and supported the concerns raised. Your voices mattered, and this outcome shows why speaking up is so important.
This was never about stopping a local business from succeeding. It was about making sure disabled people and their families are not forgotten when decisions are made about shared community facilities.
This is council land and an officer made a decision to locate this business here without thinking of accessibility and the barriers this would create. This deserves scrutiny and questioning as the local council works for us all as ratepayers and have to ensure equal access is upheld for everyone who resides here and use there services.
Inclusion shouldn’t be an afterthought. It should be the starting point. ♿️❤️
ORIGINAL POST BELOW…
Who authorised this? 😡 PLEASE SHARE SEE IF WE CAN GET AN ANSWER!!!
This trailer has now been set up in Ardmore, previously blocking one disabled space but now seemingly blocking off TWO disabled parking spaces.
For those of us who live with disability, or who care for someone with additional needs, accessible parking spaces are not a luxury or a convenience. They are an absolute necessity. They allow people with disabilities to access facilities and enjoy the same opportunities as everyone else.
These spaces are there for a reason. They are not spare spaces to be used when it suits someone else.
Who gave permission for this to be placed here, and was accessibility even considered? Were disabled people and their families consulted before this decision was made?
People with disabilities already face enough barriers in everyday life without having essential parking taken away from them.
Please explain how this is acceptable and what is being done to ensure these disabled parking spaces are made available again.
Do people with disabilities not matter? Because right now, this sends a very upsetting message. ♿️
Thomas O'Hanlon Cllr Sarah Duffy Inclusive Ability Trust thank you.
