The park, which is an important piece of community infrastructure for the town, will be rolled-out over a number of phases. Phase one of the linear park, will see Meath County Council invest nearly €1 million to provide new and up-graded playgrounds for the children of Ashbourne.  Also, included is an amphitheatre together with a mural wall.  The history of the area will be captured on signage boards, following the discovery of the ruins of Killegland Castle during archaeological investigations of the site.

At the opening event, local councillor and Leas Chathaoirleach of Meath County Council, Cllr Suzanne Jamal welcomed the commencement of the works: “it gives me great pleasure today to see this long-awaited project come to fruition for the people of Ashbourne and I am delighted that Meath County Council is now committing significant resources to the linear park.”  Also at the sod-turning event, the Cathaoirleach of the Ashbourne Municipal District, Cllr. Conor Tormey commented that he “looked forward to the completion of this first phase and the realisation of the overall Masterplan for the park in the years to come.”

This phase of the park (zone 4 of the overall Masterplan) also includes a foot-bridge to improve access and permeability in the town for pedestrians. Ms. Fiona Lawless, Director of Services and Area Manager for Ashbourne, thanked the Councillors and local community for their support in getting the project to this stage, saying “we wish the consultants and contractors well in their work over the coming months and we hope to complete this first phase by May of this year. We will work with the councillors to deliver the entire park for the community as quickly as possible.”