The EU is reviewing the rules on Bathing Water monitoring. I have made a submission addressing

• the ongoing failure to identify traditional and heavily used swimming locations;
• the refusal to monitor locations used for contact water sports, even where the discharge of treated effluent means there is a potential health risk to the public;
• the fact that monitoring is only over a short summer season, not throughout the year when people are actually swimming.

I have submitted this motion to the SPC meeting which will happen at 4.30pm this afternoon;

“That this SPC recommends that the Council in accordance with Regulation 5 of the Access to information on the Environment Regulations, makes information on all overflows and irregular discharges from the wastewater network which it manages known to the public by putting it online as soon as possible and that the Chief Executive report on whether any contractual agreements with Irish Water cause a difficulty for making this information available and give details of the reporting procedure and format currently used for reporting this information to Irish Water.”

Here’s the background:

The Council received a report this month on the proposed programme of active travel infrastructure for the County. This will be discussed further at each area committee, with the Howth Malahide discussion on 7th April. I would be interested in any feedback on the report in advance of the meeting.

Fingal County Council is going to provide protection to cycle lanes on Grange Road, Warrenhouse Road and Howth Road, similar to the protection installed in Hartstown, D15 and River Valley, Swords. Details are in this presentation given to the Area Cttee in January.

The Council is reviewing the provision of benches in the area with a view to providing more. If you have locations where you would like to see a bench provided, please let me know, by email to david.healy@cllrs.fingal.ie. The more detail you can provide about the locations, the better.

Compliance submissions in relation to condition 2 of Portmarnock South Phase 1c SHD/012/019

Three submissions have been received by the Council: 8th June 2020;14th October 2020;16th November 2020.

The designs are welcome improvements as regards pedestrian safety but both could be better. I have sent the following recommendations: [Edit October 2021: from our October Area cttee and a briefing in September I now understand that I failed to notice that the third of the 2020 submissions changed the plan, at the Council’s request, so as to provide an “interim design” for the Drumnigh Road junction without traffic lights. I pointed out at both meetings that this in breach of the planning condition.]

Fingal County Council proposes to trial a one-way system on New St. over the winter, to retain much of the space which has been available to people walking, sitting and eating outside over the summer, but allow north-bound general traffic and two-way cycle traffic.

Details of the proposals: drawing and statement.

This is to be a trial and subsequently, the Council will decide between the two options of year-round pedestrianisation and summer pedestrianisation/ winter one-way. The details of the proposal will be discussed at an online meeting between local organisations, Council officials and councillors next Friday 9th October.

Tetrarch is the property investment company which bought Howth Castle, Deer Park Hotel and the golf courses and woodlands.

Its submission to a process of Variation of the County Development Plan, seeking rezoning is here. It was rejected by Council planners and Executive (see page 61 of Chief Executive’s Report on the Variation) and by Councillors who approved the variation with no change to zoning in Howth at our June meeting.

Tetrarch has produced a ‘Masterplan’ for their lands which has generated a lot of concern locally: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3. I am opposed to those elements of their plans which involve the rezoning of amenity land.