Phoenix Park to charge for group training??

Chubbcakes

HI there
Not sure if this is the right place for this post - my friends and I play tag rugby in the Phoenix Park during the summer. We were contacted by OPW to let us know they will be charging 'group training' groups from now on. They want 10 euro a day!
IS anyone else aware of this??and how can they get away with it??:(

How Strange

Chubbcakes wrote: »

IS anyone else aware of this??and how can they get away with it??:(

I heard about this during the summer and the OPW were planning on coming down hard on all the companies running tag rugby, boot camps, yoga classes etc from the park. There has to be public liability issues there for a start.

Does your group have public liability insurance or are you piggy-backing on the PL for the park?

If you think about it, alot of these groups are charging a considerable amount of money for what they provide; afaik one of the bootcamps charge €15 per session and they have pretty much zero overheads if they're using the park.

I think if private enterprises want to use the facilities of the park to run a business and make a profit then they should pay for them otherwise they can go rent out a room in a gym.

Krusty_Clown

Your points are well made how_strange, but if it's just a group getting together to practise/train for one of these organized competitions, then it should be fine. The dividing line should be: if it's a commercial enterprise, for which someone is charging money, then by all means, pass on some of the liability and maintenance costs.

How did the OPW get in touch with you chubbcakes? If you're just meeting for group training sessions, how did they get someone's contact details??

How Strange

Krusty_Clown wrote: »

Your points are well made how_strange, but if it's just a group getting together to practise/train for one of these organized competitions, then it should be fine. The dividing line should be: if it's a commercial enterprise, for which someone is charging money, then by all means, pass on some of the liability and maintenance costs.

True, but if it's any sort of organised event then the group should have their own public liability insurance. What happens if someone is injured while training in the park? Do they claim off the OPW? My running club trains in the park alot but we have our own PL insurance which is included in our annual membership.

Unfortunately, I think the commercial enterprises have ruined it for everyone because over the last year the number of camps and training sessions being run by private companies increased so much that the OPW had to do something.

BeepBeep67

I think is a shape of things to come with reduced Government spending. I would suspect that all civil service operations are looking at where they have opportunities to increase their revenue generating activities!

downthemiddle

We were approached last year in the park while holding a training session. We were told that any group of more than ten people using the park constituted an event and a licence was required:eek: (according to park bye laws apparently).A second park ranger stayed in the background looking suitably embarrassed.

ultraman1

i think dats a disgrace,we pay enuf taxes towards the running of public services....worst case ,play 4 a side...

RacoonQueen

I'd imagine it's aimed towards people who are making profit really the bootcamps and the like.

downthemiddle

Not when they are targetting a group of juvenile athletes!

Chubbcakes

they had our details as we applied for a permit, as all groups are supposed to.

I don't see how they will implement it..there are so many groups and activities going on all the time, they will have a hard time doing it.

onimpulse

I was out with a group running recently & we were approached by park rangers. I checked it out when I got home... It is in the bye-laws.

During the summer I remember going through there on my bike one evening in particular - along where the tag rugby is actually - an to be honest there were so many cars parked along the grass on both sides that traffic was down to one lane - with bikes trying to get through & idiot drivers suddenly doing u-turns and blocking the whole place.

I think the park hit capacity crowds really on some of those nice evenings during the summer & from an insurance point of view there is going to be a claim sooner or later so they need to make sure they're covered.... that's my guess anyway as to whats going on?

There is nothing stopping a few friends meeting up and training though as far as I know? I didn't see anything about a max number in the bye laws... I'd say that's their rule of thumb but could be challenged - might be worth checking...