The Area Committee yesterday approved a revised School Street proposal for St. Oliver Plunkett’s Malahide. The pedestrianisation of the section of road outside the school at arriving and leaving times is happening as proposed but there’s no longer a full time one way system, just a ban on turns from the Mall onto the rise during school arriving and leaving times. The full report on the public consultation including the revised proposal is here.
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Submission to draft Airport Local Area Plan and Development Plan Variation
I made this submission to the public consultation on the draft Dublin Airport Local Area Plan and on the associated draft Variation to the County Development Plan. It refers back to my previous submission on the draft Local Area Plan and deals in particular with issues of climate change, noise, cycling access and water quality.
Speech to Irish Planning Institute Autumn Conference
I was invited to speak at the IPI’s conference last week. The rough notes for my speech are below and the powerpoint I used is here.
A councillor’s perspective on the plan-making process
Contents (slide 2)
- Community organisations and “Nimbys”
- Transport objections to housing; the importance of public transport and design for walking and cycling as well as density
- Aspects of the Regional Spatial and Economic Strategy including
- riparian setbacks,
- climate assessment and
- the conflict between the Regional Assembly and the Minister for Housing and Planning over additional rail infrastructure
School Street proposal for St. Oliver Plunkett’s School, Malahide
Fingal County Council is proposing the pedestrianisation of a section of Grove Road, from Church Road to The Rise, for school drop off and collection times. ( 08.30hrs – 09.15hrs and 13.00hrs – 14.45hrs weekdays, during school term times. ) This would be an 18 month trial to improve safety for schoolchildren arriving at and leaving school
There will be a public information meeting on Tuesday 8th October at 7.30pm in Portmarnock Hotel and Golf Links.
Further information in this leaflet and at https://consult.fingal.ie/en/consultation/traffic-scheme-grove-road-and-rise-malahide-co-dublin
Howth/Malahide Area Cttee. agrees to make submissions on Clongriffin Strategic Housing Development applications
Two Strategic Housing Development applications have been made to An Bord Pleanála (Clongriffin SHD 1 and Clongriffin SHD 2). They say they will be accompanied by an application to Dublin City Council for a more mixed use development. The applications represent a completely unacceptable abandonment of the original plan for a high-density mixed use development, remaining high density but being almost entirely residential. The Howth/ Malahide Area Cttee. today agreed to my proposal to make the following submission to these applications:
1. The applications for almost exclusively residential development are contrary to the long-established goal of a mixed-use development at Clongriffin with significant employment uses. We strongly support the original plan of a mixed-use quarter.
2. The very low levels of community facilities proposed are not in keeping with the development of a sustainable community and the needs of current and future residents.
3. The reservation of a school site for Clongriffin should be respected.
4. The proposed towers should not be included due to their negative impact on views from and across the Baldoyle – Portmarnock Green Belt and public parkland protected in the Fingal County Development Plan.
The submission from Clongriffin Community Association goes into considerable detail on these applications, demonstrating how they go directly against the original vision for the area.
Update: the permissions were granted contravening the City Development Plan and Local Area Plan despite the submissions received.
Submission on Broadmeadow Greenway planning application
This is my submission to An Bord Pleanála in relation to the application for the Greenway across the Broadmeadow Estuary from Malahide to Donabate.
Direct Vision Standard for Heavy Goods Vehicles
The Council agreed today to my motion for the Council to work with the other Dublin local authorities to introduce a Direct Vision Standard similar to that being put in place in London. I put together a few slides with extracts from the Transport for London website to explain the standard.
Public Meeting about the design of Racecourse Park Baldoyle
Motion on Direct vision Standard and HGV Safety Permit system
Motion I’m submitting to a forthcoming Council meeting:
That in light of the risks to other road users posed by poor visibility from Heavy Goods Vehicles (HGV), the Mayor and Chief Executive liaise with the other three local authorities in the Dublin Area with a view to agreeing to introduce a common Direct Vision Standard and HGV Safety Permit system similar to that being introduced in London.
Kinsealy greenways added to Local Area Plan
At the monthly Council meeting on Monday 13th May, I succeeded in having greenway links from Kinsealy a) to Portmarnock, b) to Kettle’s Lane and c) to Balgriffin/Belmayne included in the Kinsealy Local Area Plan.
Importantly, my motion on phasing resulted in a decision that the greenway from Kinsealy to Old Portmarnock/R124 (which will give access to Portmarnock railway station) be included with a timeframe of including it in the 2020 Capital Programme and submitting the planning application for it in 2021. Continue reading

