The Chief Executive has reported on the draft variation in relation to sale of apartments to the public as required by the November meeting. The report recommends against the variation. I think it fails to address the issue and I will bring the variation back to the Council at a forthcoming meeting.
The Land Development Agency has drawn up proposals for housing on the land formerly used by Teagasc at Kinsealy. This will include a drop-in session on Tuesday 26th from 4pm to 8pm at St. Nicholas of Myra National School. Further information is on their website.
Central issues to be addressed include
The NTA is tendering for a new lift system in the temporary access tower (stairs and lift) to Clongriffin from Baldoyle, giving access to the railway station and the no. 15 bus. The tender includes a maintenance contract for between 3 and 5 years. They will also install CCTV in the access tower. They are continuing to look at options to improve the environment of the tower itself including better passive surveillance and sightlines. See NTA’s summary of progress.
I am deeply disappointed by Fingal County Council’s decision to accept a planning compliance submission from Richmond Homes, the developer responsible for replacing the temporary access with a permanent plaza on the Baldoyle side of the station which defers completion of the station to a later phase of the development, contrary to the phasing established inthe planning application on their site.
The Land Development Agency is seeking feedback on proposals for housing in Kinsealy on part of the former Teagasc lands.
My initial concern, which I have already fed back to the LDA, is that the project must provide safe access from the existing housing to the Educate Together National School and on to St. Nicholas of Myra National School. This needs to be in the final layout when the development is completed, and logically would be provided from the greenway proposed to be built in phase 1 of the LDA’s plans. But access must also be provided during the construction period, by providing a route through the land reserved for the second phase while the first phase is under construction.
In general the proposal has a welcome emphasis on prioritising walking and cycling. However, development of this land also is reliant on the greenway to Portmarnock station which should have gone to planning in 2021.
Additional issues include
Although I immediately raised the safe school access issue with the LDA, and passed on some relevant contact details and background information, I will make a more detailed submission after the election.
Fingal Councillors agreed unanimously on Monday to my motion to initiate the process to vary the Fingal Development plan to include a provision to require apartments to be sold to the public rather than to institutional for-profit landlords. I have previously written to the outgoing Minister for Housing asking him to consider a similar provision at a national level. That email sets out the reasons this important change needs to be made.
The next step in the process is a report from the Council executive within four weeks. At that stage, hopefully the Council will agree to put the proposed variation on public display. Given the motion received the support of all 34 Councillors present last Monday, I hope this change to our Development Plan will take effect soon.
Continue readingMy observations to An Bord Pleanála can be summarised as follows:
I sent a copy of my planning observation focussing on the route for the cable to Transport Infrastructure Ireland and to Uisce Éireann.
The planning application by NISA involves routing the cable from the wind array to Belcamp substation along local roads, which is anticipated to cause serious disruption to road users, including to buses and local access in local communities.
My view, as expressed to the Board, is that if this is necessary then so be it, as decarbonising the economy is an overwhelming imperative.
However, it doesn’t seem necessary to me. The application said that TII was refusing to allow the use of the motorway alignment and that running it south along the coast and in from Portmarnock wasn’t feasible.
I have received markedly different responses from these two state bodies. The reply from Uisce Éireann demonstrates a ‘can’t do’ attitude. The reply from TII is far more positive, recognising the imperative to transition to renewable energy and showing a commitment to collaboration and cooperation to facilitate energy infrastructure.
Minister Eamon Ryan has directed his Department to liaise with the National Transport Office and Iarnród Éireann to ensure that the recommendations from JASPERS (the European Investment Bank’s evaluation unit) for a review of the Howth Junction transfer proposal are implemented.
See this letter for details.
I have submitted observations to An Bord Pleanála on the proposed wind turbine array, focussing on the routing of the onshore cable. Specifically, the observations point out that alternative routes along the motorway or offshore down the coast need to be fully considered.
I am proposing an amendment to the Fingal Development Plan so that planning conditions will be imposed to require the sale of new apartments. I’ve also written to the Minister for Housing Planning and Local Government as similar provisions are in current guidelines as regards stand-alone and semi-detached houses. The text of the letter and proposed amendment:
Continue reading