The Chief Executive has reported on the draft variation in relation to sale of apartments to the public as required by the November meeting. The report recommends against the variation. I think it fails to address the issue and I will bring the variation back to the Council at a forthcoming meeting.
Category Archives: Housing / Tithíocht
Land Development Agency consultation on Kinsealy
The Land Development Agency has drawn up proposals for housing on the land formerly used by Teagasc at Kinsealy. This will include a drop-in session on Tuesday 26th from 4pm to 8pm at St. Nicholas of Myra National School. Further information is on their website.
Central issues to be addressed include
- access from the housing areas to both local schools, including temporary access as the development is planned to go ahead in phases;
- the long-overdue greenway link from Kinsealy to Portmarnock station (which should have gone to planning in 2021) as well as the other greenway links (to Kettles Lane and Balgriffin)
Fingal to consider variation of Development Plan to ensure apartment sales to the public
Fingal Councillors agreed unanimously on Monday to my motion to initiate the process to vary the Fingal Development plan to include a provision to require apartments to be sold to the public rather than to institutional for-profit landlords. I have previously written to the outgoing Minister for Housing asking him to consider a similar provision at a national level. That email sets out the reasons this important change needs to be made.
The next step in the process is a report from the Council executive within four weeks. At that stage, hopefully the Council will agree to put the proposed variation on public display. Given the motion received the support of all 34 Councillors present last Monday, I hope this change to our Development Plan will take effect soon.
Continue readingAvailability of apartments for sale: proposed variation to Development Plan and letter to Minister O’Brien
I am proposing an amendment to the Fingal Development Plan so that planning conditions will be imposed to require the sale of new apartments. I’ve also written to the Minister for Housing Planning and Local Government as similar provisions are in current guidelines as regards stand-alone and semi-detached houses. The text of the letter and proposed amendment:
Continue readingApartments not for sale?
There’s a lot of concern at the development of apartments which, like those at Santa Sabina, will only be rented and won’t be on sale. This is in spite of a clear demand to buy an apartment in their local area from residents who would like to move out of a larger house.
I have submitted the following motion to initiate the process for an amendment to the County Development Plan, which, if I’m re-elected, will be taken at our July meeting:
Continue readingResponse to public consultation on Fingal Climate Action Plan
My brief response to the consultation on a draft Fingal Climate Action Plan focussed on the importance of a more detailed public participation process for taking climate action to achieve the 40% reduction in emissions which is a target we signed up to in the Covenant of Mayors . I advocate a major focus by Fingal County Council on actions to reduce transport emissions, as transport is the largest emission sector and one for which Fingal has significant influence.
The submission: Meeting the commitment to the Covenant of Mayors through a process of public participation
This will be coming back to the Council for final decision in either April or May.
Cost rental housing
Fingal County Council is planning to develop housing at Donabate. The Council has issued a “market sounding” document on etenders.gov.ie, which refers to a mixture of private houses for sale at market prices, “affordable” private houses to be sold at a discount to market rates, and social houses. I have asked them to look into developing cost rental housing for the following reasons:
- Cost rental provides secure affordable accommodation to the large segment of the population who do not qualify for social housing but are unable to secure a mortgage to buy.
- Cost rental housing remains permanently affordable, unlike “affordable” housing which may only be affordable once, as it will in time be sold on at a market rent.
- Because the costs of development are fully recovered the capital can be reused for further cost rental housing development.
- Cost rental will facilitate social mix because HAP can be applied to make up the rent for lower income tenants.
- In cities where it has been provided in quantity, cost rental has a moderating effect on rents.
My full letter and attachments are below: Continue reading
Final stage of County Development Plan process
I have submitted the following motions in relation to the Amendments to the County Development Plan. The meetings will be on 14th and 16th February.
(The deletion of the reference to enforcement comes from the fact that the Council has no influence on speed limit enforcement. Unfortunately the Chief Executive is recommending this much weaker version: “Support and promote the implementation of policy in the immediate vicinity of schools to provide for a safe and attractive low speed (30kph) environment.”)
Amendments to County Development Plan
Fingal County Council is currently preparing the County Development Plan to run from 2017 to 2023. The Draft Plan was on public display between February and April 2016 and a report on the over 900 responses received was supplied to Councillors at the end of July.
As Councillors we had until yesterday, 6th September, to draft proposals to amend the Plan based on the public consultation. Those amendments which the Council agrees to will go on public display in November.
I submitted amendments to a wide range of topics in the plan. A copy of my proposed amendments is here. In order to make them easy to navigate I have grouped them into the following topics:
- On Special Amenity Area Order and Dublin Bay Biosphere Reserve
- On cycle pedestrian routes to be added to the map
- On public transport reservation from Clongriffin/Portmarnock – Balgriffin – Belcamp – Clonshaugh to metro reservations south of Dublin Airport
- In relation to the Moyne Road bypass proposal based on discussions at the previous stage of the Development Plan and in response to submissions by the developer of the adjoining residentially zoned land and Portmarnock Community Association
- On the zoning of the industrial estates beside Howth Junction railway station based on issues I raised at the previous stage of the Plan and a submission from a local business.
- On the process for sub-county level plans based on the experience of Fingal councillors and citizens as well as submissions from public authorities including the National Transport Authority
- Based on Fáilte Ireland’s submission
- In relation to the circular economy and sustainable resource use
- In response to the submission by Keep Ireland Open, Fáilte Ireland and others concerned with access to the countryside
- Based on concerns about Fingal’s approach to open space in high density development, an issue raised both by developers and residents
- On the transition to a low carbon climate resilient economy, a legal obligation of the Plan under the Climate Action and Low Carbon Development Act and raised in a range of submissions
- On adaptation to climate change
- On Ecosystem Services Approach
- Transport motions based on a range of submissions by local road users and public transport users and the NTA
- Motion incorporating text from the Dublin City Development plan in relation to cycle parking as recommended by the submission from the National Transport Authority
- In relation to cycling in response to a wide range of submissions seeking better and safer cycling insfrastructure.
- Based on text in the National Cycling Policy Framework, to which some of the submissions refer.
Response to consultation on draft County Development Plan
My response to the draft Fingal Development Plan and the Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) for the Plan is here.
The main issues in my consultation response were sustainable development, climate change adaptation and mitigation, transport, car-oriented development, cycling, road proposals, aviation, building energy use, and renewable energy. A recurrent theme under many of these headings was the lack of actual assessment in the SEA report.
As Councillors, we will receive a report on all consultations responses in July and based on that feedback can submit amendments to the plan in August for meetings in September. I would welcome any feedback on the issues in my submission or on or any other aspect of the Development Plan.