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.
The planning permission for the third runway at Dublin Airport included two conditions restricting night flights, to take effect when the runway is complete. These conditions are to protect the health of local residents whose sleep is disrupted by night flights. Now Dublin Airport Authority has applied to Fingal County Council to amend the conditions restricting night time flights. My objection includes the noise impact and the climate impact of the application.
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.]
Continue readingFingal 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.
Further details are now available on the pedestrianisation of New Street. This measure is in line with the overall approach which I and my Green colleagues on Fingal County Council have been urging and which enjoys wide support from other parties also.
Continue readingAn Bord Pleanála approved the application for a Greenway link across Broadmeadow Estuary on 19th May. The Greenway will be a wonderful public amenity walking and cycling route. It will also change local geography fundamentally, connecting Malahide and Donabate by bicycle faster and easier than any other mode.
Continue readingFollowing on from the legal advice that there is an obligation to meet in person, the Green group on Fingal County Council has drawn up a proposal for online meetings which would see physical meetings taking place to confirm decisions taken at online meetings. We believe we must ensure the full operation of democratic local government in circumstances where physical distancing is a major challenge and a number of councillors are cocooning or self-isolating in line with advice for the protection of their own health or that of members of their households. The Corporate Policy Group today agreed to get legal advice on our proposal.
On foot of a proposal from the Green councillors, Fingal County Council is to reallocate road space in areas around the county to facilitate people queueing at local shops and exercising on local roads. As councillors we had noticed locations where narrow footpaths mean people have to pass close to each other either going in opposite directions or when there’s a queue outside shops. We, and fellow Green councillors around the country, were also aware of steps being taken across the world to reallocate road space.
When we raised it with the Corporate Policy Group (CPG) last week we were pleased with the positive reaction and support from other councillors and the immediate engagement of officials who shared our concerns and perspective on the potential for improvement. Yesterday the CPG approved a plan from the Operations Department addressing different areas of the County. Measures include
If you have noticed other locations where similar measures could be taken, please suggest them.