I have objected to the proposed redevelopment of the former oil tank site on Evora Crescent, on the grounds that the site is contaminated yet the application contains no information on how it is to be remediated, and that the proposed house is an overdevelopment of the site, out of keeping with the area
                        

Planning Department,
Fingal County Council,
Main St.,
Swords,
Co. Dublin

By hand

Re: F06A/1898
21-Dec-2006        
Applicant: McMullan Brothers Limited 3 Custom House Plaza, I.F.S.C., Dublin 1
Location: Maxol Fuel Depot, Evora Crescent, Howth, Dublin 13
Proposed Development:    The demolition of the existing tank compound, construction of 1 no. two storey dwelling house with driveway entrance and off-street parking and any ancillary works.

A chairde,

I would like to object to the above development on the following grounds.

1.    The drawings submitted with the application are inadequate. It does not adequately show what is on the site already.  Nor does it show the relationship of the proposal to nearby houses in Evora Park, Evora Crescent or Grace O’Malley Road.

2.    The proposed development involves the excavation of a contaminated site.  The site was an oil depot for Evora Park and was the site of an oil spill which also affected neighbouring properties.  This contamination remains on site.  There is no information in the application on the extent of the existing contamination nor on the methods proposed for remediating the site and removing the existing oil tank and concrete pit in order to construct a house on the site.

3.    The proposed development is out of keeping with the area.  All surrounding houses have front and back gardens.  The proposed house would extend from the front to the back boundaries of the site with minimal garden space to the sides. Visually it would not be in keeping with either the Evora Crescent houses or the Grace O’Malley Road houses.

4.    The proposed development would severely damage the residential amenity of the houses in Evora Park to the north of the site.  The site is significantly elevated above the rear gardens of the Evora Park houses.  The proposal involves a two-storey house at the top of this hill, presenting a tall blank windowless wall to the gardens of these house.  There is no set-back in the development site.

5.    The proposed development involves access to its car parking space from Grace O’Malley Road in a location where there appears to be insufficient space for the necessary turning movements.

I enclose the €20 fee.

Is mise, le meas,
 
Cllr. David Healy

I have objected to a planning application in Balgriffin, primarily against the road designs which would place pedestrians and cyclists at risk.

Planning Department,
Fingal County Council,
Main St.,
Swords,
Co. Dublin

By hand

Re: F06A/1918

A chairde,

I would like to object to the above development on the following grounds.

1. The road design proposed does not provide for safe use by cyclists.  It seeks to place a cycletrack on the footpath and treat cyclists as pedestrians.

Among the consequences of this design approach at junctions are the following:
a)    a cyclist using the cycletrack and going straight on is at risk from vehicles coming from behind, which is a particularly difficult conflict.
b)    there is no way for a cyclist to turn right.

These design flaws are evident in the plans at all junctions, including the following:

a)    How do cyclists travelling north on the new road and seeking to turn east do so?

b)    How do cyclists travelling east to west on Balgriffin Road do so  if they use the cycletrack provided?

c)    How do cyclists travelling east on the new east-west road turn north onto the new north-south road at the roundabout?

d)    How do cyclists travelling east on the new east-west road turn north onto the Malahide Road?

This is of particular importance as under Irish law cyclists have to use a cycle track if one is provided.
 
2. The design proposes the use of roundabouts without controlled crossing points on all arms.  

Due to the geometry of roundabouts and the fact that the pedestrian has no right of way, a pedestrian has to guess the intention of accelerating and decelerating motorists, both on the roundabout and entering it.  This is a particularly difficult task and for more vulnerable and less mobile pedestrians it is impossible.

These designs are entirely inappropriate in what will be a high-density neighbourhood with a stated intention of providing for a high level of pedestrian and public transport use.

 In fact, the map shows what appears to be a 3lane roundabout, a design which would effectively rule out any safe way for a pedestrian to cross the arms of such a roundabout.  

The proposed design would result in a fragmented urban area, with little pedestrian movement across these junctions simply because it would be so dangerous.

3. The proposed design puts the Mayne River through a culvert instead of making a feature of it.

I enclose the €20 fee.

Is mise, le meas,

David Healy

A Joint Policing Committee has been established to give local input into policing in Fingal.  I have made some recommendations in relation to the operational programme which is in draft form now.  I would be interested in any feedback on this.

Objective 3 of the draft programme is “Advise Fingal County Council & the Garda Siochana and other relevant Agencies on how they might best perform their functions with regard to the need to do everything feasible to improve the safety & quality of life & to prevent crime, disorder & anti-social behaviour within the area.”  

However, this objective does not tranfer into the remit of any of the three sub-committees proposed.  I would like to recommend that an additional subcommittee be set up.  

In addition to working on that general objective, there is the matter of cooperation between law enforcement agencies.

I am conscious of the comment by one of the other members (I can’t remember who) at a previous meeting that Fingal Co.Co. is also a law enforcement agency.  There do not seem to be adequate protocols for cooperation between the Council and the Gardaí in relation to enforcement matters which could be handled by either or need to be worked on cooperatively. 

Similarly, there is lack of protocols for Fingal to pass on complaints received from the public and vice versa.   The areas of waste and road traffic enforcement are good examples of these problems.

Therefore I would like to suggest another sub-committee, which I have drafted up as below in keeping with the format in the draft operational programme.  It appears to fit under objective 3, but rather than try to redraft existing sections of the programme, I have drafted as 3A.

Objective
3A.  Advise Fingal County Council & the Garda Siochana and other relevant Agencies on how they might best perform their functions with regard to the need to do everything feasible to improve the safety & quality of life & to prevent crime, disorder & anti-social behaviour within the area.

Actions
 3A.1 Establish an Enforcement subcommittee to consider the operation of policing and law enforcement in Fingal (including response rates and times)

3A.2  Recommend protocols for contact and passing on of information, complaints etc. between the agencies with responsibility for law enforcement and/or which receive relevant complaints and information from the public. (Garda Síochána, Fingal County Council, EPA, marine agencies)

3A.3 Draft strategic reports to support senior Gardai & FCC decision making.

3A.4 Present reports by Garda at full JPC meetings.

3A.5 Present reports by relevant FCC representatives at full JPC meetings.

3A.6 Include map-based spatial analysis in reports.
    Terms of reference & work plan drawn up.
 

Some smaller points:

Under Objective 1 (Keep under review the levels & patterns of crime, disorder & anti-social behaviour in Fingal (including the patterns & levels of misuse of alcohol & drugs)),  I suggest adding two further actions
*  Include map-based spatial analysis in reports.
*  Enable controlled access to databases for the purposes of investigating patterns of crime.

The amendments proposed by the Howth Promenade Renewal Group including representatives of Howth Sutton Community Council and Howth Tidy Towns and myself were all agreed at the County Council meeting today.  The proposal is now a major improvement on the original plan (which was already a good plan) and we can look forward to a fine promenade.
For the background on this see the previous report on this site: http://www.davidhealy.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=184&Itemid=34

Amendments to Howth Promenade scheme, agreed at the Council meeting of 13th December

A.    Put priority 2 (benches, bins and lights) as priority 1  (path resurfacing)and vice-versa.

B.    Put priority 4 (new paths) as priority 3 (landscaping) and vice-versa.

C.    Delete existing priorities 5 (removal of post and rail along Harbour Road) and 6 (resurfacing of old sea wall)

D.    Add a new priority 5: Landscaping of the areas east of the Car Park

E.    The seating must take account of the use of grassed area for pipe
bands, children’s play etc. and the resulting demand for seating facing
both directions.

F.    Bins to be sited near but not right beside benches

G.    That the Howth Promenade Renewal Group and the Department of the
Marine/Harbourmaster be involved in the selection of street furniture
and lighting.

H.    The material for the resurfacing of the promenade to be a
smooth-surfaced pebble/shell aggregate similar to that on Dún Laoghaire
East Pier

I.    The resurfaced promenade to be edged with stones, cobbles, setts, or similar, not timber.

J.    The resurfaced promenade to be level with the adjacent grass

K.    The Manager to consider the inclusion of LED lights set into the resurfaced promenade.

L.    The new paths to include

a.    a path leading from Harbour Road to the gap in the old sea wall giving access to the playground

M.    The tree species to be altered to be more varied including such
as Cordyline, Hornbeam, Tamarisk, Buddleia, Sea Buckthorn, etc.  

N.    A sculpture competition for Howth Promenade be held during 2007,
noting this will probably have to be outside the scope of the Village
Improvement Scheme.

O.    The continuation of the Promenade across the entrance to the West
Pier leading to the access to Claremont Beach to be included in the
traffic management scheme for Howth currently being prepared.

>>UPDATE: Today’s meeting agreed to get a report in February on the potential for rubber paving and on the priorities for the footpath repair.<<

– Councillor wants to put a spring in the step of north-side residents

Green Party Councillor David Healy will today ask Fingal County Council to consider the possibility of using rubber footpaths in the Bayside and Sutton Park areas of North Dublin. Council officials are currently planning to remove many road-side trees which have cracked footpaths, but rubber footpaths are not susceptible to root damage and would save the trees in these leafy areas of the city. Cllr Healy, the Green Party’s General Election candidate for Dublin
North East, said: "Rubber pavements have been used in over 60 cities in
the US, as a way of solving the problem of dangerous footpaths that
have been cracked by trees. The rubber comes from recycled waste tyres
and is a much more comfortable surface to walk and jog on. It is also
much safer if people fall onto it.

"I believe that rubber footpaths will allow us to save the beautiful
trees that have been growing in these areas for decades while improving
the safety of footpaths. Rubber footpaths may be a bit more expensive
than concrete alternatives but they last up to three times as long and
are much easier to maintain and replace."

Cllr Healy’s proposal to deploy rubber footpaths in Bayside and Sutton
Park will be discussed during Fingal County Council’s meeting at 3pm
today (Thursday, 12 December) in Baldoyle Library, when the proposed
tree-felling programme for the area will be brought back before the
Area Committee.

Information:
Cllr David Healy: 087 6178852
Damian Connon, Press Office: 01 618 3852 / 087 228 1119

The following links provide further information on the usage and success of rubber pavements: USEPA, Washington Post, Washington Post, Rubber Sidewalks

The Council is proposing a tree felling programme in Bayside and Sutton Park due to damage to footpaths from tree roots.   (See the report below.) I got the area Committee to defer this for a month to allow the public to express their views.  Meanwhile, I have learnt of the use of rubber paving (recycled from old tires) around trees, as it flexes rather than cracks with the movement of roots.  It is also a better surface to walk on and much softer if someone does fall. More information here, here, here and here.

As agreed previously the council will not carry out any planned removal of street trees in
the Bayside area of Sutton without the approval of this committee.
Research indicates that trees growing in verges wider than 8 foot (2.4 m) are unlikely to
damage hard landscape features such as paths and garden walls ( Shigo: Modem
Arboriculture). It is the Council’s intention to retain all healthy trees growing in verges
of this width. However there are a number of roads with verges less than 1 meter in width
where large growing species have been planted and these trees are now of a size that they
have begun to damage footpaths and other hard landscape features. These trees should be
replaced on a phased basis commencing immediately or the Council will likely be forced
to clear fell large parts of Bayside in 10 – 15 years time.
It is therefore proposed to remove and replace with a more suitable species ‘variety the
street trees at the following locations:
1     23 Bayside Boulevard North. Rowan malformed and multi-stemmed that has
encroached onto the footpath presenting a significant risk of injury to pedestrians
particularly to those with impaired vision. The tree cannot be pruned without
totally disfiguring the plant. Replacement is the best option.
2     2 Bayside Boulevard South. Whitebeam 55cm diameter at breast height with a
severe lean towards road and large surface roots. Whitebeam were traditionally
grafted onto Hawthorn rootstock which has been discovered to be unable to
support the weight of a mature whitebeam. The tree presents an unacceptable risk
of failure in extreme weather conditions and has the potential to cause a serious
road traffic accident if retained.
3     4 Bayside Boulevard South. Sycamore 22 cm diameter at breast height in a 2
meter verge with a significant trunk wound with more than half of the trunk
decayed. This tree has reached the recognised threshold for action to prevent a
predictable failure (Mattheck & Broehler; The Body Language of Trees). This
tree should be removed immediately and replaced with a more suitable species.

4     The trees at No.’s 27 & 129 Bayside Boulevard North, No.’s 24, 20,10 ( 2 trees).
64 ( 2 trees) 38 & 30 Bayside Walk, No. 23 Bayside Park and the trees opposite
No.’s 1. 23. 57 & 59 Bayside Park have heaved the footpaths and present
unacceptable trip hazards and should be replaced with more suitable species. It is
proposed to replace these trees in the current winter season if the Transportation
Department confirms that the footpaths will be repaired.
In total it is proposed to remove 18 trees in Bayside and replace with more suitable
species where space is available.
When the inspection works were being carried out many residents approached the
inspector demanding works to reduce shading of their homes by the street trees.
The Council intends to carry out crown reduction and thinning works on a number of
these trees but notes that in many cases these works will only provide a very temporary
solution and the long term management issues for the trees in the area must still be
addressed.
In Sutton Park 58 trees have heaved footpaths and present trip hazards of greater than
15mm. It is proposed to replace all of these trees over the next 3 years when the
transportation schedules footpath repairs. The trees are at the following locations:
Sutton Park at house numbers 326, 336, 346, 326, 348, 350, 211, 257 ( 2 trees) 257A, 257
B(2 trees), 26 (2 trees), 45, 25, 84, 82, 80, 77, 75, 66, 65, 185, 186, 188, 156, 160, 143.
119. 154. 156. 200A. 254. 251. 247. 240. 238. 234. 230. 228. 259, 261, 269, 271, 273.
277, 279, 285, 289, 291 and the trees opposite numbers 357, 356, 355, 344. 343, 253,
289A and 288A.

Fingal County Council has put planning application files online. The summary information for all applications since 1992 is online and the full file including scanned maps and plans, for applications since November 2005.

Dublin City Council is cutting off the water supply over the weekend for work related to the Port Tunnel.  Fingal County Council, which is dependent on the City Council for water supply to Baldoyle and Bayside was only informed on Wednesday.  According to the Irish Times, the City Council deliberately decided not to give any more notice:

"The work was planned but the council decided not to give notice
earlier, Mr McKeown said. "This is not emergency work, but if we
gave notice earlier we felt people might forget when the time
came."

Fingal’s policy contained in its Water Services Standards of Service  (approved by the Environment SPC which I chair) requires
"   For planned major interruptions written notification to all affected premises at least 3 days in advance."

The reason this has not happened in this instance is the lack of notice from Dublin City Council.

Information on the stoppage is below.

Important Notice – Disruption of Water Supply

From 8pm on Friday 1st December to 6pm on Sunday 3rd December 2006

Dublin City Council are carrying out major works in Fairview Park in conjunction with the Dublin Port Tunnel, which will affect water supply in parts of the City and County.

As a result the following areas may experience a disruption to their supply during the periods in question:

Baldoyle

Sutton (from Dublin City Council boundary on Kilbarrack Road with Dublin Road to Sutton Cross)

Every effort will be made to ensure that Fingal County Council Customers will not be affected, however the Water Services Department will be providing 2 Water Tankers at the following locations for consumers to minimise this disruption:

LOCATION                TIMES

Bayside Shopping Centre         Sat 0900-2100 hrs,  Sunday 1000-2000 hrs

Racecourse Shopping Centre    Sat 0900-2100 hrs,  Sunday 1000-2000 hrs
Baldoyle

Fingal County Council apologises for any inconvenience caused as a result of these essential works but with your co-operation and understanding we hope to keep the disruption to a minimum.

Water is precious.  Let’s conserve it. – Tá uisce luachmhar. Caomhnaímís é.

Emergency Numbers:                     01-2222222 (Office Hours)
01-2224220 (Office & After Hours)
                            01-2224221 (Office & After Hours)
                            01-6796186 (After Hours)

Fingal County Council Emergency Number: 01-8731415

www.taptips.ie                                               Aertel Page 624                                 www.fingalcoco.ie

Green Councillor David Healy welcomed the proposals to erect barriers to prevent unauthorised access to the Howth tramway.  

Since September, the tramway has been turned to muck by a builder using it to gain access to a construction site.

Cllr. Healy today showed photos of the damage done to the tramway at the Area Cttee meeting in Baldoyle commenting:

“ The Council must ensure that those responsible pay for the repair of the damage to the tramway, which is a treasured amenity for Howth residents and visitors alike.  The action of the builder in simply digging up and throwing aside the bollard which prevented him driving his digger on the tramway is shocking.  It is disgraceful that we now have to spend public money to put up barriers to deal with this anti-social attitude to public space.”

Further information: David Healy 087 6178852
{mosimage}
Howth Tramway, 16th November 2006

As described in the Greenpeace film, What Are We Waiting For? the sustainable renewables-based electricity system which we will have to convert to will almost certainly be based on decentralised generation.  Logically, local government should have a significant role in this, as it already does in many countries. 

In order to facilitate the move to decentralised generation, the
electricity grid will have to work differently.  If you generate
electricity from solar panels or a small wind turbine, you will at
times generate more than you can use.  You should be able to sell it
into the grid, running your meter backwards.  Unfortunately, you can’t
do that in Ireland at the moment.  Below is my submission to the CER in
response to their recent consultation on micro-generation

From: David Healy / Daithí Ó hÉalaithe [mailto:verdire@eircom.net]
Sent: 10 November 2006 15:26
To: ‘info@cer.ie’; ‘phogan@cer.ie’
Subject: Comments on Micro-generation consultation

Paul, a chara,

I am writing as Chair of the Energy Action Team of Fingal County Council (and also as Chair of the Environment Strategic Policy Committee in Fingal County Council).

I have just heard of this consultation and therefore have not had an opportunity to put this before the full Development Board or SPC.  Therefore the views expressed below are my own, although I’m not aware of any contrary views in either organisation.

Fingal Development Board has set up an Energy Action team which is looking at the area both within the County Council and within the County as a whole.

Micro-generation is capable of playing, and, with the right regulatory conditions, likely to play a significant role in meeting Fingal’s energy needs.  In the interests of sustainable development and in particular reduction in greenhouse gas emissions and energy security, we hope to encourage micro-generation.  The appropriate incentives and institutional frameworks in the energy sector are essential. 

The consultation document unfortunately, proposes an instutional framework would would act as a disincentive to micro-generation.  I feel that this is directly contrary to the stated intention of reducing greenhouse gas emissions and increasing energy security.  Net metering should be the minimum offer to micro-generation.

Is mise, le meas,

David Healy

Councillor David Healy
Green Party/Comhaontas Glas
Howth ward / Dublin North East
 
www.davidhealy.com
01 8324087
54, Páirc Éabhóra, Beann Éadair
54, Evora Park, Howth