A very welcome development of housing for older persons and a primary health care centre is going onto the Christian Brothers’ site in Baldoyle.  However, the current site includes the Pastoral Centre which is the most important venue for community activity in Baldoyle
I raised the importance of community facilities in my submission.

As a result of this and of discussion at the Area Committee, the Bereavement Counselling Service are being accommodated in the new buildings.

However, other activities which use the Pastoral Centre are not being facilitated.  The Community Department of the Council has been looking for alternative accommodation but has not found any yet.

As a result, I proposed the following condition to the plans at last Monday’s Council meeting:

"The plans will be adjusted to provide for an area of at
least 200m2 to be made available to voluntary and community organizations and
services currently
facilitated by the Pastoral Centre on this site unless this is found not to be necessary."

This was defeated.  I hope that alternative accommodation will be provided, but the very slow pace of movement on community facilities in both Howth and Baldoyle is not encouraging.

A number of people have been asking me my views on the decision by party members to support the Greens going into government with FF and PDs.

I voted against.  Unfortunately my name was not among those picked by lot to speak at our Convention.  In conscience there is no way I could support a programme for government which will see a continuation of military use of Shannon Airport.

But even if I were to ignore my conscience, and the victims of war,  the deal struck is a terrible one.  No key Green demand has been met:

• No end to corporate donations
• No change to M3 through Tara valley or to any of the road-building programme
• No new public transport commitments
• Hospital co-location to go ahead

What about climate change?  The programme for government contains a 3% target for annual reduction of greenhouse gases.  There is no earthly way that this will be met without a fundamental change in transport policy.  And there is no change to transport policy.  Presumably that’s why its just a government target instead of the legally binding commitment NGOs have been looking for.

As to why a majority of those at the Convention voted for this, I don’t know.  I remain amazed.