The local authority has received separate threats of court action from residents in Glenabbey Road, Mount Merrion and the Mount Merrion Youths FC in relation to the allweather pitch in Deerpark.

Legal threats also come amid quips from the Mount Merrion Residents' Association that despite the name of the Mount Merrion Youths, its members and supporters come from "outside of Mount Merrion".

The all-weather, floodlit soccer pitch is the most contentious part of the council's plan for the 33-acre park. Other elements of the plan include upgrading a tennis court building and replanting woodland.

Proposals for the all-weather pitch were given the go-ahead by councillors at a Dundrum area committee meeting of the council last March.

However, individual residents of Glenabbey Road sent solicitors' letters to Dun LaoghaireRathdown threatening them with legal action over the pitch.

To avoid any doubt on the public nature of the project and in light of the threat of legal proceedings, the council then decided it would be wiser to complete a public consultation process before proceeding with the allweather facility.

However, the Mount Merrion Youths Football Club reacted to the news by threatening the council with legal action last month.

Spokesman for the Mount Merrion Youths FC Dennis Guilfoyle confirmed that the club had sent a letter to the council last month threatening legal action over the soccer pitch.

"We don't want legal action, we just want the pitch to be delivered, " he said.

In a letter sent recently to County Manager Owen Keegan, the Deerpark Heritage & Environment Sub-Committee of the Mount Merrion Residents' Association said "that aspects of the planning process for this all-weather pitch project were of dubious validity".

"Despite the name of the club which fronted the planning application, its members, officials and supporters are mainly drawn from areas of the county outside of Mount Merrion, " the letter said.

The council refused to comment any further on any threats of legal action they had received.