Information on Fingal County Council’s Protected Structures Grants Scheme is available here.
The deadline is 3rd March

The magazine Construct Ireland included in their most recent issue a detailed article on the new energy standards which the Green Party have convinced Fingal Councillors to include in local area plans.

The following motion which I submitted was voted down at the monthly Council meeting.

"That all new residential areas be designed as 30km/hr zones and have a 30km/hr designation and, if it is necessary to give effect to this for all future planning permissions, that the appropriate Variation to the Development Plan be put on public display, and that the report which the Manager undertook to bring to the September 2005 meeting of the Council in relation to designating 30km/hr zones be brought to the Council without delay." To be honest, I ‘m still not sure why this was voted down.

The Manager’s report referred to the designation of 30km/hr zones in existing areas.  It didn’t refer to the issue of new areas which the motion referred to.

I still don’t know if the motion would need a Variation to the Development Plan to take effect.

Nor do I know if it’s possible to decide to implement a 30km/hr zone when the development is still at planning stage. 

However, I will not let this go.   I still haven’t gotten an answer as to whether the new housing in Stapolin can be designated a 30km/hr zone, which I raised in January.

I have submitted the following question:

"To ask the Manager whether the permitted road designs in the new residential areas in Stapolin, which I understand were granted following inspection of the planning file by the Transportation Department, meet the conditions of the mandatory guidelines published by the Department of Transport, which must be adhered to in the case of 30 km/hr speed limit zones."

Additionally, I will be asking one of the Green TDs to ask the Minister for Transport whether it is intended that new residential areas could be designated before they are built.

The Council agreed new beach bye-laws today.  By a majority of 11 (including all 3 Greens) to 7 the Councillors removed the rather draconian ban on dogs on the beaches during the summer.  We replaced it with a requirement that dogs be on a leash during the summer when they’re in the "Reserved Bathing Areas" on the beaches.  Councillors were unanimous in calling for proper enforcement of the Litter Act against those who fail to pick up after their dogs.

The other Bye-laws which came up were the Jet-ski and fast power boat bye-laws.  These require jet-ski users to get permits and restrict where they can use jet-skis.  These bye-laws have been approved for public display and will be on public display soon with a view to adopting bye-laws at the May Council meeting. 

Many local residents and community organisations participated in the survey carried out late last year in relation to the needs for community facilities on the Peninsula, with support from Fingal County Council.  There was good a good participation rate and the information gathered provide a good basis for developing a strategy.  At the moment, the Howth Sutton Community Council and Howth Community Centre Ltd. are finalising the report on the needs analysis and will be publishing it soon, with a public launch.

The next step is the development of a strategy to provide the
facilities to meet the needs identified.  This will involve the
cooperation of community organisations and the County Council in an
open transparent process.  I will put updates in relation to this
important process on this site as things happen.

A number of areas are designated in the Development Plan as Architectural Conservation Areas, including the historic core of Howth, Nashville Road and Terrace, St. Nessan’s and St Peter’s Terraces,  Howth Castle, two Terraces on Strand Road, Sutton and Baldoyle village.

The Council’s Conservation Officer has been carrying out detailed surveys of these areas. The next step is that the Statement of Characters and survey photos will go on public display.  There will be public consultation on the implications of the conservation area, looking for people’s feedback and input into how the ACA should be implemented.  This is expected to happen in March.  For more information, you can contact the Council’s Conservation Officer, Helena Bergin at 8906709.

Given the high level of development pressure especially in Howth, this work is badly needed and very welcome.

Both applications for development on the Grange Road just east of the railway line were withdrawn by the applicants on 6th February.

The traffic calming proposals for Sutton Park/Downs, Alden Road, Sarto Park, Verbena Avenue, Bayside Walk and Bayside Dart Station have been agreed with a number of changes.

I am not a great fan of ramps, as I think that other forms of traffic calming are safer and create a more pleasant environment.  An essential principle of creating a safe environment for pedestrians including children is taking away the impression that the road is for cars only.  One of the effects of ramps is to reinforce the primacy of cars on residential streets.  Changing the design and layout of streets will often create a better environment for all road users.  This would include widening footpaths, narrowing the carriageway, making the carriageway less straight, pinch points (designed to ensure safe passage for cyclists) etc.  Additionally, I am a strong supporter of the designation of and enforcement of 30 km/hr zones in residential areas.

The most important change I argued for in the proposals was the
inclusion of a raised junction platform at the junction of Bayside Park
and Bayside Walk just outside the Dart Station.  This means that the
carriageway surface will be raised to the level of the pavement, to
facilitate pedestrians crossing the road and emphasise their presence. 
A similar raised platform will be at the junction of Verbena Avenue and
Sarto Park outside Bayside National School.

The original
proposal had ramps on the "railway road" in Sutton Park.  It was
suggested to take these out and I agreed to this mostly because I had
noticed that almost all the cars parked along here are usually parked
on the footpaths.  Parking on the footpath not only diminishes the
space for pedestrians, and discourages them, it also widens the
available carriageway and thereby encourages greater speeds on the
road.  The first step for traffic calming on this road would be parking
on the carriageway not on the pavement.  I would be happy to come back
to traffic calming proposals once the cars are off the footpaths.

Most
of the ramps proposed have heen changed to "speed cushions" which are
easier for cyclists to negotiate, with the exception of a "pedestrian
friendly flat top ramp" just inside the Sutton Park access from Dublin
Road.  Most of the other changes made were in direct response to local
submissions.

Three of the submissions received in response
suggested preventing rat-running through the area by blocking motor
traffic at the western edge of Sutton Park (allowing pedestrians and
cyclists through).  I’m not sure how much support this would have in
the community, but I can see there are arguments for it.  Therefore I
proposed that a plan be drawn up to be put on public display for public
feedback.  This was agreed by the Area Committee.  However, Joan Maher
proposed that it be overturned at the monthly Council meeting. (which
you can see  at http://www.fingalcoco.public-i.tv/site/#pp3915).  The
result is that the proposal will not go to public consultation.

Nonetheless I am interested in any feedback in relation to traffic calming and management in the area.

Following the informal meeting on 23rd November (notes here), a special formal meeting of the Area Cttee has been called to be held at the Council offices in Swords on  Thursday  19th January.   The normal Area Cttee B meeting has been moved to the Wednesday 18th (in Baldoyle Library as always.)

We have been asked to list the issues to be addressed and I have tried to itemise them as follows.  I would welcome comments.
DRAFT:

Issues to be discussed as requested:

1.    New development at Stapolin

a.    roundabout on coast road and road to it from new Stapolin area
i.    what is the planning status of this, a report on the compliance submission, whether the compliance submission reflects what is built on the ground
ii.    why are there two lanes at all of the entrances to a single-lane roundabout and what are the safety implications of this?  What is the Transportation department’s view on the design?
iii.    What is the design purpose of the red footpaths as built?
iv.    What is/will be the arrangement for pedestrians to reach the footpath on the other side of the road?
v.    What are the plans for accessing the planned park from this road by each of the various modes which will be using the road?
vi.    What is the cross-section of the road as built and what is the Transportation Department’s view of it?

b.    Access from Grange Road
i.    What is the planning status of this constructed section of road?
ii.    What is the Transportation Department’s view on the segregated cycle facilities included in the design and apparently constructed?
iii.    What is the Transportation Department’s view on the design as constructed as it affects cyclists?
iv.    What is the Transportation Department’s view on the design as constructed as it affects pedestrians?
v.    What is the planned traffic lights set-up for this junction?

c.    Design of streets and roads in new Stapolin development
i.    Description of design of these streets and roads envisaged in Local Area Plan and Masterplan and applications already granted and applications made.
ii.    Do they meet the criteria for designation as 30km/hr zones?

d.    Pedestrian links through the area
i.    What are the planned pedestrian links in the area?
ii.    Are they designed so as to ensure a quality and safe environment?
iii.    How will the existing pedestrian link to Howth Junction railway station be taken advantage of improved and made more accessible?

e.    Parking in the vicinity of the new railway station
i.    What level of parking demand is envisaged at this location and will parking control be necessary/appropriate?

f.     3 ton limits
i.    Is a 3 ton limit envisaged on the distributor road through the Stapolin development?

2.    Road and path network throughout the area

a.    General road network
i.    What changes are under consideration?
ii.    What are the constraints on the design, whether biodiversity, financial, technical etc.?
iii.    What about providing a segregated cyclepath parallel to the Moyne Road?
iv.    What is intended/under consideration for the junction of Moyne Road and Hole in the Wall Road?
v.    What is intended/ under consideration for the junction of Moyne Road and Coast Road?
vi.    What is intended/ under consideration for Moyne Road?
vii.    What is intended/ under consideration for the Coast Road?
viii.    What is the general intention for the proposed Station Road Boulevard?  (i.e. what does boulevard mean here?)
ix.    What is intended/ under consideration for the railway bridge on Moyne Road?
x.    What is intended/ under consideration for the railway bridge on Station Road?

b.    Pedestrian and cyclist links through the park/green belt
i.    What are these and how do they integrate with the general road network?  If they are not proposed already what is the process by which they will be planned and designed?
ii.    Will the railway alignment be used to facilitate a direct cyclepath between north and south?

c.    Will the existing Baldoyle Area Plan, the draft Portmarnock Area Plan and the Park provide direct and convenient cycle routes including the following:
i.    Between the bus/bicycle/pedestrian bridge over the railway at the new Dart station and the Station Road area so as to facilitate cyclists coming from / going to the North Fringe area?
ii.    Accessing the playing fields on both sides of the Moyne Road from both Baldoyle/Donaghmede and from Portmarnock?
iii.    between Baldoyle and the Station Road area such as to enable secondary school students to access Pobalscoil Neasáin from the Station Road area without coming into conflict with motor traffic?

d.    Coastal walkway and cycle route
i.    What are the design options under consideration?
ii.    What are constraints on the design, whether biodiversity, financial etc.?
iii.    Will the route be on the coastal side for the entire distance from Baldoyle to Portmarnock?

e.    Bus routes
i.    What extra bus routes are under consideration in the area?
ii.    Assuming that bus lanes are not envisaged, what junction designs are envisaged to ensure that buses are not caught in the expected traffic congestion which will result from this development and the North Fringe development?
iii.    What is the interaction between bus routes and the proposals for the general road network?

3.    Draft Portmarnock Local Area Plan

a.    Distributor Road
i.    Is the distributor road through this area intended to be a bus route and if so should the road not be as direct as possible?
ii.    What is the reason for the proposed design?  (It was described as indicative when the draft plan was last on display.)

b.    Roundabouts
i.    Are what appear as roundabouts on the draft plan intended to be roundabouts?  
ii.    If not, can they be marked differently?  (When the draft plan was last on display it was stated that they were not intended to be read as roundabouts.)
iii.    If they are roundabouts, what is the design rationale here and how will pedestrians be facilitated?

Could I also ask that colour versions of the Baldoyle Area Plan map and the Masterplan be made available to cllrs and all departments at the meeting.  At our last Area Cttee meeting Parks were relying on a photocopy which was illegible to me.

I have made a written observation on the proposed development in the corner formed by the railway line and Grange Road where the road rises to cross the railway.
                                   
                                    54, Evora Park,
                                    Howth,
                                    Co. Dublin
                                    01 8324087
                                    verdire@eircom.net
                                    14th January 2006

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

Re: Reg. Ref. 05A/1731, Grange Road Baldoyle

A chairde,

I would like to make the following observations in relation to this proposal

1.    The application fails to deal adequately with the design challenge of proximity with Grange Road where it rises to bridge the railway.  The proposal that the bottom floor of the apartment block should be made up of garages and doorways, facing the retaining wall of the road would create an unpleasant and insecure environment.  

One possible improvement in the western part of the site could be  for this area between the building and the retaining wall of the road to be covered over to provide carparking underneath and a 1st floor access to the houses.  The extra carparking gained could remove the need for the ground floor north side of the development to be made up of garages.

2.    The application has been made jointly with Reg. Ref 05A/1799.  The height in that application is clearly excessive, something visible from the photomontages supplied.  It is much harder to guage the visual impact of this proposal but it needs to be considered on its own and not in the context of the unacceptable 1799.

3.    Pedestrian access from the development to Grange Road and bridge over railway.

The application fails to give good pedestrian access to the Grange Road especially for pedestrians travelling west.

4.    Pedestrian and cyclist access from Grange Road to new railway station.  

In addition to the existing station at Howth Junction, a new station is proposed which according to the application is 500m north of the Grange Road.  This site lies along the closest direct line between the Grange Road and the new station.   Therefore provision needs to be made in this application for a pedestrian and cyclists access to the new Station, presumably by a short dedicated link across this application site between Grange Road and the new residential road parallel to the railway line.

5.    Pedestrian and cyclist access to Howth Junction train station.

Although the application makes much of the proximity of Howth Junction Station, it does not refer to the quality of the access to the station.  The developer should be required to contribute to the cost of taking this right of way in charge and bringing it up to a high standard.

6.    Link under Grange Road along railway line.  

Simply improving the existing right of way to Howth Junction will not solve all the problems at this location.  Access to the right of way to Howth Junction from the Grange Road will always be difficult due to the difference in level.  Currently access is by a flight of stairs down from the Grange Road.  If practical, there could be an access at the railway level under the road beside the railway.  If this is possible, the developer should be required to contriute to the cost of this work which will facilitate the development.

7.    Environmental Impact Assessment

The development might need EIA in its own right.  If not, then taken in conjunction with its partner application (shown on the same plans) F05A/1799 and with the adjoining developments to the North within the same Action Area Plan area, it definitely needs EIA.

Finally, I would just note that contrary to what is stated in the application, train services from Howth Junction do not run every 5-10 minutes, (although they will of course remain significantly more frequent than those from the new station when it is built).

I enclose a cheque for €20.

Is mise, le meas,

Cllr. David Healy