Monthly Archives: November 2024

Land Development Agency proposals for Kinsealy are on public display; safe access to schools is a key issue.

The Land Development Agency is seeking feedback on proposals for housing in Kinsealy on part of the former Teagasc lands.

My initial concern, which I have already fed back to the LDA, is that the project must provide safe access from the existing housing to the Educate Together National School and on to St. Nicholas of Myra National School. This needs to be in the final layout when the development is completed, and logically would be provided from the greenway proposed to be built in phase 1 of the LDA’s plans. But access must also be provided during the construction period, by providing a route through the land reserved for the second phase while the first phase is under construction.

In general the proposal has a very welcome emphasis on prioritising walking and cycling; I will be studying it in more detail to consider all of the aspects in order to make a more detailed submission.

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.

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Submission in relation to Dart+ Coastal North

My observations to An Bord Pleanála can be summarised as follows:

I strongly welcome the electrification of the railway to Drogheda.
I am concerned by proposals for infrastructure changes at Howth Junction to facilitate the operation of an enforced transfer at that station for passengers to/from Bayside, Sutton and Howth. The European Investment Bank’s analysis unit, JASPERS, predicts a 50% reduction in passenger numbers due to the enforced transfer. In consequence, they recommended:
“Further analysis and public consultations should be made on the ideal operating
model for DART+CN, in particular whether or not to enforce transfer at Howth
Junction for Howth route trains (with the overall operational consequences this
implies).”
The Minister for Transport has asked his Department to follow up with NTA and Iarnród Éireann in relation to the implementation of this recommendation. The only potential operating model which has been presented for the Howth Junction
transfer infrastructure shows only disbenefits. In the absence of an operating model which shows benefits, this element of the project cannot constitute proper planning and sustainable development.
Iarnród Éireann needs to improve walking and wheeling access to stations, especially where it would enable more direct routes for public transport interchange or to/from local destinations. Safe permanent access is needed at Clongriffin. Sutton Station is being addressed by Fingal County Council as part of the Sutton to Malahide scheme; these two projects need to be integrated and made complementary.
The opportunity which Dart+ Coastal North presents to provide high quality additional bicycle parking to meet future needs should be taken.