Fingal County Council has put three alternative designs for the open space between Castlerosse and Admiral Park on public display.

One is to integrate the open space and provide a planted pedestrian access from Grange Road through the open space to the new park and pitches which are going on the open land between Baldoyle and Portmarnock.

The second is to provide the access through the open space but with railings on both sides, dividing it from Castlerosse and from Admiral Park.

The third is to maintain and strengthen exisiting boundaries.  Castlerosse would be permanently divided from Admiral Park and there would be no access from here to the new park and pitches.  The consultation is on until 5th July. The final decision will be made by the members of the County Council.

I have asked for the plans and information to be put on the Council website.  When it is I will link to it.  In the meantime, I attach the text of the consultation notice and black-and-white copies of the 3 option maps.

I am particularly interested in hearing from children and young people in the area, as your / their voice is often not fully heard on issues which affect them.

Please note that the documents below are at a scale suited for printing and may appear quite large on screen.

COMHAIRLE CONTAE FHINE
GALL
FINGAL COUNTY COUNCIL

Planning & Development Act 2000
Planning & Development Regulations 2001

PROPOSED DESIGN OF OPEN SPACE
BETWEEN CASTLEROSSE AND
ADMIRAL PARK, BALDOYLE

In accordance with Part VIII of the
Planning and Development Regulations 2001, Fingal
County Council hereby gives notice or its intention to develop the open space
located between
Castlerosse Estate. Admiral Park Estate.
Grange Road and the proposed Millennium Park,
Baldoyle.

Three options for the development of the
open space are presented. Members of the public are
invited to make Submission? and Observations
with respect to each of the three options and to
clearly indicate their preferred option
for the proposed development.

Option 1 shows a) the
development of a wide tree lined
boulevard type access from Grange
Road to Millennium park; b) the removal of the existing
palisade fence currently located on
the open space boundary between Castlerosse
Estate and Admiral Park Estate; c) a gated
feature entrance on Grange Road: d) building up of the garden side wall at number
14 Grange
Road; and d) extensive landscape planting, including trees, hedges, bulbs etc. will be used to
enhance this entrance

Option 2 shows
a) the development of a wide tree lined boulevard type
access from Grange
Road to Millennium Park. bounded on both
sides and along Grange Road by new solid bar
railings approximately 2m high; b) a gated feature entrance on Grange Road; c)
link paths and
pedestrian gates in the railings. These gates will provide the option of
direct access to the
boulevard from either estate. They can be locked and unlocked in accordance
with
Millennium Park opening times and will remained locked unless residents decide
otherwise;

d) building up of the garden side
walls to number 50 Castlerosse View and number 14 Grange
Road; e) extensive landscape planting,
including trees, hedges, bulbs etc. will be used to
enhance this entrance.

Option 3 shows a) the replacement of the
existing palisade fence currently located on the
open space boundary between Castlerosse Estate and Admiral Park Estate with new
solid bar
railings approximately 2m high; b) building up of the garden side walls to
number 50

Castlerosse View and number 14
Grange Road; c) landscape improvements and associated
site works.

Submissions and Observations made with regard to the proposed development dealing with
the proper planning and sustainable
development of the area in which the development would
occur may be made in writing to:

Mr John Burke
Administrative Officer
Parks Division
Fingal County Council
County Hall
Main Street
Swords

Submissions may also be made via e-mail
to john.burke@fingalcoco.ie
On or before Wednesday 5th July 2006 (4.00 p.m.){mosimage}{mosimage}{mosimage}

Dublin City Council will be putting its plans for Fr. Collins’ Park on display for consultation.  The plan, which includes a lake, sports facilities and general parkland, will be on public display until 9th June at the Wood Quay Offices and at Donaghmede Library.  Comments can be made until 23rd June.  The final decision on the plan will be made by the elected Councillors at a meeting of the City Council.

Iarnród Éireann have spent a fortune on building a new station at Howth Junction. Incredibly the new station is now harder to use than the previous station.  The former access to Baldoyle Industrial Estate has been blocked off.  You now have to go out of the station and back over the same bridge on the other side of an internal wall within the bridge.  What was previously simply walking out of the station now involves going up one flight of stairs, down two flights of stairs, up two flights of stairs and down one flight of stairs.  There is no lift alternative for the last up and down, making it inaccessible for many passengers.

I am challenging them on this and have also listed it for the next Area Committee meeting of the Council (18th May at 3pm in Baldoyle Library).  My email to IÉ is below.
A chairde,

It appears that you are now requiring passengers going to and from
Baldoyle Industrial Estate to go over the bridge, out of the station
and back over the bridge again, on the other side of the internal wall
within the bridge.  

Obviously this is a source of frustration even to able-bodied people.  

There are no lifts on the outside part of the bridge. Therefore it is
not possible for many mobility-impaired passengers to use your service
to access the Industrial Estate and Fas.  These passengers previously
had access to and from the central platforms, and now have no way to
access the station.

This is clearly contrary to proper customer service and government
policy.  I also suspect that it is not in keeping with your planning
permission, although I have not had a chance to check that.

I would be grateful if you could contact me as a matter of urgency.

Is mise, le meas,

Cllr. David Healy
Green Party / Howth ward,
Fingal County Council
verdire@eircom.net
+353 1 8324087

At our area committee meeting on 25th April, I had a motion in relation to the junction.  In response, the Transportation Department showed us a redesign which involves removing one of the 3 eastbound lanes entering the junction in order to give more space to westbound traffic.  It is an improvement, but there are some elements which still worry me.  I have written a follow-up letter, below.  I would welcome any comments or feedback.

Dear Peter,

Thank you for showing us the proposed redesign of the junction last week.

In relation to the design, I have the following comments.

I welcome the removal of one of the 3 eastbound lanes coming into the junction, to give more room for westbound traffic.

I am concerned at the design including cycle lanes within an existing
lane. By the design shown, it is not possible for a car or truck to use
this lane without travelling in the cycle lane.  This seems to be the
case northbound entering the junction on the industrial estate road and
eastbound entering the junction on grange road.  It seems to me that
these could have 3 undesirable effects

1.    They are likely to encourage cyclists to stay left at the
junction.  In fact, safe cycling requires that a cyclist travelling
straight on should not stay to the left of the lane as to do so would
risk a car or truck turning left across them.  Safe cyclists will
occupy the centre of the straight ahead lane.
2.    They may encourage cyclists to travel up on the inside of trucks,
which puts cyclists in a particularly dangerous position.
3.    They may encourage motor vehicles to pass cyclists without moving fully into the adjacent lane.

If there is a good reason for this design I would like to hear of it.

I am also concerned at the width of the cycle lane over the bridge. 
The previous situation was a good wide hard shoulder.  The new
situation should not lead to any reduction in safety for cyclists. 
There is a tendency for a motor vehicle user to assume that it is safe
to pass a cyclist on a cycle lane as long as each road user remains in
their lane.  This, of course, is not the case, but it is a consequence
of cycle lane design.  Narrow cycle lanes (especially if associated
with other narrow lanes and markings such as central hatching) can
encourage motor vehicle users to pass closer than they would otherwise
have done.   In this case, we are talking about a road with high levels
of HGVs, making safe passing even more important for cyclists’ safety
and cyclists’ perceptions of safety. The width of the lane was not
marked on the plan.  However, there is a tendency for road engineers to
incorrectly assume that a width of 1.5m is standard.  In this case, a
width of at least 2m would be appropriate

Is mise, le meas,

David Healy

The construction and demolition waste transfer station in Baldoyle Industrial estate has been operating since 2004. It has no planning permission, but the Council Planning Department has not taken action against it because the operators claim they have been operating since 1997.

I have just seen the monitoring results which prove that it is in breach of its waste permit as I detail in the letter below, which I sent today.

Email to Gilbert Power, Director of Services, Environment Section, Fingal County Council

Dear Gilbert,

I refer to the above site.  Due to ongoing complaints from residents, Fingal County Council required Barnmore to carry out noise and dust monitoring on site.  A monitoring report dated 8th September 2005 reports on monitoring undertaken in July 2005.  

1. Respirable dust
 
The results here are compared to occupational exposure limits of 4 mg/m2. However, the measurements are being made out of doors at a site in the immediate vicinity of houses and workers in other businesses, for whom an occupational exposure limit is not appropriate.  The respirable dust levels are measured between 0.5 and 3.8 mg/m3.  

There is no current standard for exposure of the public to respirable dust. However there are standards for PM10  – an average of 20 μg/m3 or 0.02 mg/m3 daily limit of 50 μg/m3 or 0.05 m3  (SI 271 of 2002) . PM10 stands for Particulate Matter sampled with a 50% upper cut-off for particles of aerodynamic diameter of 10 μg/m3 .   There is also a PM2.5 standard to be introduced by EU in the next few years

Respirable dust by ISO standard is PM4.  Therefore a gravimetric measurement of respirable dust would always be lower than a measurement of PM10 from the same ambient air. In a case such as this, with very high levels of dust deposition, it would be expected to be much lower.  

The high levels of respirable dust measured completely validate the concerns and complaints of local residents about dust from the site and additionally give cause for concern that local residents are probably being exposed to particulate matter levels substantially in excess of the standard set in SI 271 of 2002.

2 Dust deposition
 
The report shows very high levels of dust deposition – over 3 times the level of 350mg/m2/day often used by the EPA.  This is consistent with repeated complaints from residents of Carndonagh road of dust and grit deposition on their houses, windows, garden furniture and cars.  There is clearly a breach of the licence condition.

3. Noise

Please note there is no time-weighting, averages, deciles or other statistical formulae in the condition in the licence.  (The above crossed-out sentence was in the original letter but is mistaken.  The limits in the licence are (Leq 1 hour limits).  Unfortunately the monitoring in the report isn’t expressed as hourly values.) The limits in the licence are 65 dB(A) between 0830 and 1700 Monday to Friday and 0830 to 1300 on Saturday, and 45 dB(A) at other times.

The noise levels described in the report will lead to noise levels at the houses in excess of the 65 dB(A) limit.  This is experienced from the operation of the trommel and from the movement of waste by diggers.  

Additionally, work is carried on on Saturday afternoons leading to a breach of the 45 dB(A) limit.

There is no indication on the copy of the monitoring report I have as to when this was received by the Council.  However, I take it it was some time ago.  I am shocked that there appears to have been no action, and that a report was made to the area committee in March with no reference to this monitoring report. (copy attached)

The purpose of requiring this monitoring was to investigate the complaints of the residents. The report has clearly validated those complaints. I would request that the Council immediately require cessation of operations on site in the light of the nuisances experienced and as provided for in the terms of the waste permit.
 

4. Quantities of waste accepted.

The waste permit restricts the operations on site to 5000 tonnes per year.  Indeed, any more than 5000 tonnes would require a waste permit.  It is the view of local residents that the operation on site must be exceeding this.  This should be clear from the AER which was required to be submitted in February. I would be grateful for a copy of the AER and if you would also examine this.
 

5. Health and Safety

I would be grateful if you could send a copy of the report to the Health and Safety Authority to bring their attention to the dust and noise issues on site.

Is mise, le meas,

Cllr David Healy

The attempt to rehabilitate the reputation of nuclear power continues.  The latest effort was by Edward Walsh in the Irish Times, seeking to compare it to coal.  In fact anything looks good compared to coal.  I wrote the following letter to the Irish Times on the day the opinion piece appeared, but as they’ve had it for over a week and haven’t printed it, I’m putting it up here.
A chara,

I was surprised by Dr. Edward Walsh’s opinion piece on the safety of nuclear energy.  He chose to compare it to coal and large-scale hydroelectric, two approaches to meeting electricity needs which are environmentally and socially disastrous.  

Dr. Walsh emphasised the human death toll of coal.  He is right to do so.  In fact, he barely scratched the surface.  In relation to coal, he mentions only the deaths from coal-mining in China.  These are dwarfed by the deaths from coal-derived air pollution.  In its 2002 report Reducing Risks, Promoting Healthy Life, the World Health Organisation estimated that air pollution is responsible for 600,000 premature deaths worldwide every year.  Coal is a primary culprit in these deaths.  Even in an industrialised country where coal-burning is primarily for electricity generation, it’s death toll is appalling; the report Dirty Air, Dirty Power: Mortality and Health Damage Due to Air Pollution from Power Plants, published in 2004, estimated 24,000 premature deaths per year in the USA due to coal-fired power plants.

The first priorities for electricity and other forms of energy are conservation and efficient use.  Neither of these appeared as options in the article.  There is no death toll from energy efficiency.  In fact it is quite the reverse.  As John Healy and Peter Clinch of UCD have demonstrated, surplus winter deaths in Ireland occur because many of our citizens cannot afford to heat their poorly-insulated houses.  Energy efficiency will save lives.

The next priorities are renewable sources of energy – wind, solar, wave and biomass.  Of these, solar, wave and biomass get no mention at all in the article.  Wind is brushed over and the article makes no reference to the safety record of wind power.

Dr. Walsh’s consideration of whether nuclear is safer than coal or large dams is futile.  They are straw men.  Nuclear, coal and large-scale hydroelectric all have one thing in common – they are all irrelevant to energy security for Ireland.  Ireland has no uranium reserves, no coal reserves and no potential for further large-scale hydroelectric.  The real options available to us are energy efficiency and renewable energy.  Thankfully they are far safer than nuclear, coal and large dams.  Surely they are what we should be discussing?

Is mise, le meas,

Councillor David Healy

Green Party/Comhaontas Glas

Howth ward / Dublin North East

www.davidhealy.com

01 8324087

087 6178852

54, Páirc Éabhóra, Beann Éadair

54, Evora Park, Howth

At the Area Committee meeting on 25th April,  my motion about the design of the new junction on Grange Road came up.  Local cyclists have expressed their concern to me about the current design, which removed the hard shoulder going up over the bridge.  Additionally, it included a cycle lane coming off the bridge on the inside of a left-turning lane, which is not where a cyclist should be.  A new design was shown to us. I have some concerns about it and have put them in writing to as below.  I will include a further update when available.

To: Peter Caulfield, Transportation Department, Fingal County Council
by email

Dear Peter,

Thank you for showing us the proposed redesign of the junction last week.

In relation to the design, I have the following comments.

I welcome the removal of one of the 3 eastbound lanes coming into the junction, to give more room for westbound traffic.

I am concerned at the design including cycle lanes within an existing lane. By the design shown, it is not possible for a car or truck to use this lane without travelling in the cycle lane.  This seems to be the case northbound entering the junction on the industrial estate road and eastbound entering the junction on grange road.  It seems to me that these could have 3 undesirable effects

   1. They are likely to encourage cyclists to stay left at the junction.  In fact, safe cycling requires that a cyclist travelling straight on should not stay to the left of the lane as to do so would risk a car or truck turning left across them.  Safe cyclists will occupy the centre of the straight ahead lane.
   2. They may encourage cyclists to travel up on the inside of trucks, which puts cyclists in a particularly dangerous position.
   3. They may encourage motor vehicles to pass cyclists without moving fully into the adjacent lane.

If there is a good reason for this design I would like to hear of it.

I am also concerned at the width of the cycle lane over the bridge.  The previous situation was a good wide hard shoulder.  The new situation should not lead to any reduction in safety for cyclists.  There is a tendency for a motor vehicle user to assume that it is safe to pass a cyclist on a cycle lane as long as each road user remains in their lane.  This, of course, is not the case, but it is a consequence of cycle lane design.  Narrow cycle lanes (especially if associated with other narrow lanes and markings such as central hatching) can encourage motor vehicle users to pass closer than they would otherwise have done.   In this case, we are talking about a road with high levels of HGVs, making safe passing even more important for cyclists’ safety and cyclists’ perceptions of safety. The width of the lane was not marked on the plan.  However, there is a tendency for road engineers to incorrectly assume that a width of 1.5m is standard.  In this case, a width of at least 2m would be appropriate

 
Is mise, le meas,

 
David Healy

Amendments to the draft Portmarnock Local Area Plan from Cllrs. David Healy, Robbie Kelly and Joe Corr, to be taken at the Council meeting on 8th May.  The area the plan relates to is at the north end of the Green belt between Baldoyle and Portmarnock, beside Portmarnock train station.
MOTION NO. 1

That the following be included in the draft Local Area Plan:

Approach

Fingal County Council is committed as a priority to encouraging more sustainable development through energy end use efficiency, and increasing the use of renewable energy, in all new building projects in the designated area within the Portmarnock Local Area Plan.  

It will achieve this by:

·         Encouraging responsible environmental management in construction
·         Promoting sustainable approaches to housing developments by spatial planning, layout, design and detailed specification
·         Ensuring high standards of energy efficiency in all housing developments under its remit, and encouraging developers, owners, and tenants to improve the environmental performance of the building stock, including the deployment of renewable energy
·         For housing, specifically applying an improvement of 60% relative to prevailing norms as represented by the Building Regulations Part L
·         For other buildings, specifically applying an improvement of 60% relative to prevailing norms as represented by the Building Regulations Part L
·         Anticipating the operational implementation of the EU Directive on the Energy Performance of Buildings (EPBD) by encouraging the energy rating and labelling of building energy performance, so as to give visible recognition to such improvements.

The specific approach proposed for developers is to set a target, accompanied by a menu of design and technology options, including renewable energy technologies, as a means of offering flexibility towards meeting that target in the most technically and economically feasible manner on a case by case basis.

As an initial step towards achieving greater environment sustainability, Fingal County Council is proposing the introduction of a performance based CO2 Emissions Target (CET) for new buildings being constructed within the Portmarnock Local Area Plan.  

Targets

All new buildings within the designated area will represent a significant improvement in energy and associated environmental performance relative to prevailing practice.  The following conditions apply:

Housing:

A collective average reduction of at least 60% in CO2 emissions deriving from energy usage for space and water heating within the housing development, relative to a baseline of prevailing regulatory and design practice.  This initial baseline of comparison is to be represented by the provisions of Technical Guidance Document L (TGD L) to the Building Regulations, 2002 using a conventional gas fired heating boiler with an assumed seasonal efficiency of 75%.  The calculation is to be carried out for the time being using the Heat Energy Rating Method in TGD L, pending adoption of the official national methodology for determining energy performance of housing for the purposes of the EU Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD).

In meeting this CO2 performance target, the development shall include:
·         A collective average reduction of at least 60% in energy consumption for space and water heating , relative to the baseline of existing regulatory and design practice and using the methodology outlined above; and
·         A contribution of 30% by renewable energy supply systems to meet the collective space and water heating requirements within the housing development.  

Non-residential:

A collective reduction of at least 60% in CO2 emissions deriving from total energy usage (space heating, water heating, lighting, other) arising from all services within the development, relative to a baseline of existing regulatory and design practice.  This initial baseline of comparison is to be represented by the provisions of TGD L to the Building Regulations, 2006.  In the absence of an official national methodology for determining the energy performance of non-domestic buildings, this calculation is to be carried out using a method compliant with the draft European Standard prEN 13790.

In meeting this CO2 performance target, the development shall include:
·         A collective average reduction of at least 60% in energy consumption for all services , relative to the baseline of existing regulatory and design practice and using a methodology as outlined above; and
·         A contribution of 30% by renewable energy supply systems to meet the collective energy requirements within the development.  

To illustrate the above, using the Heat Energy Rating methodology, the baseline energy performance of new housing is typically 125 kWh/m2/year for space and water heating when constructed to the minimum requirements of Building Regulations, 2002, and using a boiler with a seasonal efficiency of 75%.  This translates into a CO2 performance of 23.7 kg/m2/year using a gas fired heating system.

Fingal County Council requires that new housing developments should achieve a 60% reduction in CO2 emissions associated with space and water heating (i.e. to below 9.5 kg/m2/year), which must include a reduction in energy use for this purpose (i.e. to below 50 kWh/ m2/year) and a contribution of at least 30% by renewable energy systems to meet the collective space and water heating requirements within the development.

Menu of options

In pursuit of these targets, a strong menu of superior design and specification options will include the following:

·                     Site layout and associated bio-climatic/ passive solar design measures
·                     Enhanced levels of insulation in walls, roofs, floors, glazing and doors
·                     Reduced uncontrolled air infiltration losses
·                     Use of healthy and controllable ventilation systems
·                     Heat recovery systems
·                     Use of daylight
·                     Water conservation measures
·                     More sustainable building materials
·                     Improved heat generation appliance efficiency, e.g. condensing boilers
·                     Intelligent heating system configuration and time/ temperature/ zone/ function controls
·                     Efficient provision of domestic hot water
·                     Fuel switching to low or zero CO2 emitting fuels
·                     Energy efficient lighting systems
·                     Incorporation of renewable energy systems, e.g. active solar, heat pumps, biomass
·                     Provision of appropriate group or district heating systems.

In the case of non-domestic buildings, additional options include:

·                     Heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems and controls
·                     Electrical energy use including motive power
·                     Efficient lighting systems and controls
·                     Building Energy Management Systems
·                     Occupancy controls
·                     Monitoring and Targeting systems
·                     Combined Heat and Power (CHP).

Other measures which can contribute to the energy efficiency and renewable energy targets can also be considered.

This menu approach enables specifiers and developers to adopt approaches which are responsive to site and client circumstances and constraints, and offers the flexibility to explore and employ different mixes of options on a case by case basis, to maximise technical and economic feasibility.

MOTION NO. 2

That the following be included in the draft Local Area Plan:

“The buildings will be required to incorporate provisions for reducing water use including low flow fittings (toilets, taps, shower heads) and provisions for reuse of rainwater and/or greywater for flushing toilets etc.”
 

MOTION NO. 3

That the following be included in the draft Local Area Plan:

“Existing adjacent housing (with septic tank drainage) will be facilitated by connection to the main foul drainage system.”

MOTION NO. 4

That the following be included in the draft Local Area Plan:
              
“The Public Open Space Master Plan and the Urban Development Master Plan will be submitted to the Malahide/Howth Area Committee / elected Council for approval.”

MOTION NO. 5

That the following be included in the Local Area Plan:
 
“That the phasing be altered to provide that the coastal walkway/cycleway be started prior to any development commencing and that the coastal walkway/cycleway be completed as part of Phase 1 of the development.”

MOTION NO. 6
 

That under Footpaths and Cycleways in the document, the paragraph be amended to read

“As roads in the area will be designed for and have a speed limit of 30 km/hr, it is intended that they will provide a good environment for pedestrians and cyclists. Additional separate facilities will be provided for pedestrians and or cyclists where appropriate to further facilitate efficient, safe and pleasant movement through the area, linking residential areas with public transport, recreational facilities and adjoining areas. These separate facilities will be designed to minimise potential conflict and will be safely designed and built for their purposes. All roads, whether ordinary roads or cycleways, will have names and signs and all necessary directional signs to facilitate pedestrians and cyclists finding the shortest routes will be provided.”

(*”cycleway”, in Irish law, is  defined as a public road or proposed public road reserved for the exclusive use of pedal cyclists or pedal cyclists and pedestrians.)

MOTION NO. 7

That under Station Road Boulevard the “improvement of the roundabout at Coast Road” be amended to “improvement of the junction of Coast Road and Station Road to facilitate safe pedestrian movements.”
 

MOTION NO. 8

“That the Bus network section be amended to reflect known or committed bus routes and not make claims for which there is no evidence.”
 

MOTION NO. 9

That the indicative road through the area be shown as in the Baldoyle Action Area Plan and that an objective be included in the text of the plan to read “the precise route and design of this road is to be selected to suit the provision of a bus route through the site and to ensure that a safe and pleasant environment is provided for pedestrians in what is to be a walkable community.”
 

MOTION NO. 10

That as part of the LAP the size of the car park at Portmarnock Station be increased and the car park be managed to relieve parking pressure in adjoining areas.
 

MOTION NO. 11

That the section in the LAP which reads

“In order to ensure that the Council’s polices and objectives are achieved an ecological assessment shall be carried out to
(a)  examine the impact of the development of the LAP lands, and the associated open space on the designated sites in Baldoyle Bay and
(b)  to make recommendations for avoiding, reducing, or compensating for potential adverse impacts on these designated areas.

This will take place prior to the creation of detailed design proposals and will inform the design process.

The ecological assessment will include an examination of the use of these lands by birds, the potential impacts of surface water drainage on the Bay and the impacts of the proposed footpath/cycleway.”

be amended to read

“In order to ensure that the Council’s polices and objectives are achieved an ecological assessment shall be carried out to
a)     examine the impact of the development of the LAP lands, and the associated open space on the designated sites in Baldoyle Estuary and
b)     make recommendations for avoiding, reducing, or compensating for potential adverse impacts on these designated areas.
c)     make recommendations for measures to be taken to improve the biodiversity of the site and in particular create effective wildlife corridors between and along the Moyne and Sluice Rivers
d)     consider whether a “green bridge” or other form of wildlife crossing should be included across the redesigned Moyne road where it goes beneath the railway

This will take place prior to the creation of detailed design proposals and will inform the design process.

The ecological assessment will include an examination of the use of these lands by birds, otters, foxes, bats and other species,  the potential impacts of surface water drainage Baldoyle estuary, Sluice River and pNHA Sluice Marsh, streams and ditches, and proposed designated areas including consideration of alterations in salinity on areas with evidence of saltmarsh vegetation and impacts thereby on the Sluice Marsh and the impacts of the proposed footpath/cycleway.”

 
MOTION NO. 12

“That the last sentence in Section 8 be amended to read “Ecological assessments shall be carried out by a suitably qualified professional(s), commissioned by the local authority, at the developer’s expense.”
 

MOTION NO. 13

That the conservation reports referred to in response to the question in relation to the draft LAP at the March Malahide/ Howth Area Committee be listed in the LAP.
 

MOTION NO. 14
 
“That the following be included in the draft Local Area Plan:

“The Masterplan will provide for a public library, on land within the neighbourhood centre designation, within the limits set by the 2005 Public Safety Zones Report.”

MOTION NO. 15

That the LAP be amended by amending the section in relation to surface water which currently reads:

“An assessment shall be carried out by a suitably qualified professional, in consultation with the local authority of the effect of the discharge of surface water on the character and Biodiversity of the estuary.”

to read:

“An assessment shall be carried out by suitably qualified professionals, in consultation with the local authority of the effect of the discharge of surface water on the character and Biodiversity of the estuary and on flooding risks in all areas potentially affected.”
 

There will be a meeting of Howth SAAO Management Committee on 2nd May.  Below I attach the agenda for the meeting as circulated and an addition to the agenda which I am proposing arising out of work by local rights-of-way activists in Howth.

The minutes of the last meeting are in a separate item on this site.
A meeting of the Howth Special Amenity Area Order Management Committee will be held in the Baldoyle Library and Offices, Baldoyle, Fingal, Dublin, 13, at 3.00 p.m. on Tuesday, 2nd May, 2006 at 3.00 pm. to conclude at 5.00pm.

Yours faithfully,

Stephen Peppard
Meeting Administrator

***********************************
A  G  E  N  D  A

1.    Confirmation and Reaffirmation of Minutes
(a)    Minutes of Meeting of Howth Special Amenity Area Order Management Committee Meeting 8th February, 2006. (circulated herewith)
2.    The review process of the S.A.A.O. (Planning)
3.    The levies collected under the scheme and any future monies (Planning)
4.    Studies, investigations and background work on the heath land and natural grassland (Parks)
5.    The management of the invasive species within the Howth Estate (Parks)
6.    A set of proposals on signage for the S.A.A.O. area (Parks)
7.    Feasibility of the ‘stone pitching’ on steps on the pathways (Parks)
8.    Issue of access to the protected structure – St. Fintan’s Well (Planning)

*****
Additional item which I’m adding to the Agenda.

Rights of way mapping and documenting for inclusion in the Development Plan.

Development Plan Objective GB02 which specifies that this would be done on a county-wide basis within 2 years.  As Howth is the most important walking area in the County, has the most work done on rights-of-way already and has the SAAO Management Committee to oversee the process, it makes sense to use Howth as the first area and a pilot area.

Draft work programme and timescale:

1. Agree process at this SAAO Management Cttee. meeting,
2. Set up sub-committee of the SAAO Management Cttee. to work with planning and mapping staff of Council.
3. Use map and information from David Caulfield, SEMPA etc. to get all rights of way mapped by Council mapping staff
4. Include all claimed rights of way for which there is any evidence
5. Agree this draft Variation to the Development Plan at the next SAAO meeting.
6. Public display of draft Variation in summer
7. Make the Variation in respect of all rights-of-way which are not challenged during the public display (Autumn)
8. Do further research to document and substantiate any rights of way which are challenged with a view to a second Variation.

The draft minutes of the February 2006 SAAO management committee are below.

COMHAIRLE CONTAE FHINE GALL
FINGAL COUNTY COUNCIL

MEETING OF THE HOWTH SPECIAL AMENITY AREA ORDER MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE, HELD ON 8TH FEBRUARY 2006, IN THE BALDOYLE LIBRARY AT 3.00 P.M.

PRESENT

    
Bellingham, John – Landowner                            Healy, David – Councillor
Bellingham, Fiona – Landowner                            Maher, Joan – Councillor
Breen, Con – Dublin Naturalist Field Club            Taylor, Christy – Chamber of Commerce
Coyle, Peter – Councillor                                        Tubridy, Mary – Environmental Consultant
        

Apologies were received on behalf of Mick McCarthy and Annita Cannon.

The chair of the Howth / Malahide Local Area Committee, Councillor David Healy, presided.

OFFICIALS

Bob Biddlecombe, A/Senior planner for the Howth / Malahide Area,
Malachy Bradley, Executive Planner for the Howth / Malahide Area
Gerry Fitzgerald, Executive Parks Superintendent, Parks Division
Hans Visser, Bio-diversity Officer, Parks Division
Deborah Tiernan Graduate Engineer, Parks Division

The meeting was structured through an agenda presented by the County Council

Levies under the S.A.A.O.

B.B. There is c. €200,000 available as a result of contributions accrued over 2 ½ years and it should be spent on ‘hard’ activities such as paths / walkways.
J. M. The special levy scheme is gone now and is part of the new levies.
M. B. The levies are subsumed into the Section 48 development contribution scheme which was adopted by Fingal Council.
P.C. The new Section 48 levies does allow for new areas of works and there is a programme of works adopted by the members.

G. F. There is a specific approved coastal plan with walkways, greenways included for the whole Fingal coast with a budget of €200,000/year but that is for the whole of Fingal
B.B. will check into the levies and the legality of the situation and will present a report to the next management committee meeting with an explanation of the current situation.

Walkways

F. B. There is a concern in the area over public liability on the walkways, some of which are through private lands
B. B. The Council carry their own risk and are self-insuring
G. F.  The Council has carried out works on the upper and lower cliff paths and the tramline, the majority of other paths are on private lands
F.B. some of the signage is of poor quality and has been vandalised including the signboard near the Martello Tower

Works in the S.A.A.O.
H.V. A student carried out a review of works in Howth, including access, natural heritage issues etc. and some of the works carried out on paths, however this review was mainly on natural issues.  An overview of works should be prioritised.
M.T. stated that under SEMPA in September 2001 (page 83 of report) recommendations and proposals for a work programme were to be agreed for a management plan.
J.M. the monies should be spent soon and on definite physical projects
H.V. a lot of the works on walkways have to be carried out on private lands

At this stage G.F. presented a list of proposals from the Parks Division on works in Howth, mainly in the S.A.A.O. these include works on promotion and signage and surveys of natural vegetation.  A key proposal was a car park at Bottle Quay for 25spaces and 3 disabled spaces and barriers.

Car park at Bottle Quay

M.T. As part of L.P.G.1 it was proposed to keep the area around Bottle Quay as natural as possible and only 2 car parking spaces were proposed
G.F. A car park was needed due to the traffic and parking demand in the area, also there is likely to be an issue with the various landowners/users
J.M. There is a problem with traffic / pedestrian safety in this area
F.B.  Suggested a picnic area could be incorporated
H.V.  There are some nice plants in that area

C.C. requested that a ‘community planner’ be employed to get the views of the residents and landowners on the proposals in the area and to liase on a full time basis.  Questioned if there is funds in the budget to second / employ someone to achieve this role.
B.B.  It is unlikely that Fingal County Council have the staff / resources the previous ‘community planner’ was funded through the E.U. and the S.E.M.P.A. project.

J.M.  There would be very little chance of this happening as the current staff are under resourced at the moment and that this forum should come up with plans/proposals
C.B. The funds should be allocated on physical projects promptly as any detractors to the scheme will be encouraged.  Any works that are to be done should be have a visual presence and be performed soon

Review of Howth S.A.A.O.

It was agreed that a report would be issued at the next meeting of the management committee on the question of the review process and whether the order is to be reviewed.

St. Fintan’s Well

M. B.  St. Fintan’s Well is a National Monument, on the Record of Protected Structures and is located within the curtilage of a private dwelling.  The owners are aware of their obligations under the relevant legislation and have corresponded with fingal county council on this issue.  A report on access to the Well is to be presented at the next meeting.

Other walkways and works in the S.A.A.O.

C.B. Works on other paths on West Mountain and on The Hill need to be carried out, these are on lands that are under private ownership.  These paths are still part of the overall network and should be cleared and sign posted.
M.T. and C.B. David Tierney of Howth Estate Company should be included in the Management Committee.  This was agreed.
D. H.  A lot of rights of way are overgrown, especially on private property and some of the paths and access routes are eroded in particular on Shielmartin.
G. F. The Council don’t have the staff to contract or to ensure that landowners do these works, for example it cost €30,000 to waymark and route the tramline.
C.B. path by railway and Claremont Strand including the entrance should be maintained
J.M.  Work on the coastal erosion on the paths should be carried out, and any work should be to the maximum benefit of all people
B.B.  The children’s playground is going ahead in front of the car park in the front of the village and that the Planning Authority have proposals for a path, lighting, seating etc. from the Marina back to the village
C.C. There is no lighting along the frontage from the King Citric down the east pier
D. H. stated that the steps on some of the pathways need improving and ‘stone pitching’ should be investigated and reported back to the committee
M.T. It is a good idea to carry out some projects on private lands to include not just the main public routes
G.F. Paths in Muck Rock area would need a lot of work and contract workers would be needed
D.H. Sign posts are needed at a lot of the locations and rights of way are not being used some of them have been closed due to new developments in the area
C.B Piper’s Gut to Upper Cliff road gives a chance to walk in a circular route

J.M. quality of signs that are visually pleasing are important
B.B. asked are there some areas where disable access is important, i.e. Red Rock, Cowbooter Lane to improve disability access
M.T. suggested a logo on the signage
G.F. He will report on a set of signage proposals for the committee
C.B  There is a need to incorporate a list of bilingual street and place names for the area

Invasive Species

H.V. A lot of the invasive species in the area are on private lands, there are areas where works need to be done in particular on the heathland which is a protected habitat, however approval is required.  There is a need to talk to landowners in the area before works can be done on the spread of garden species into natural areas, the relevant landowners should be advised as to the concerns.

Muck Rock

G.F. The rhododendron issue is a huge problem in the area, the management of this invasive species in the area and the Howth Estate should be discussed at the next meeting.

Doldrum Bay

B.B. The issue of the sewer outfall at this location from dwelling in Cheanchor Road and the connection to a different sewer system should be addressed in a different forum.

Balsaggart Stream

J.B. The stream is the largest in Howth and the Golf Club take a lot of water from the stream to water the course
M.T. It is important as an open clean stream with natural habitation
J.M. There are a lot of problems with water supply and pressure in Howth
H.V. suggested that the committee have a meeting with the landowners of the 2 Golf Clubs in Howth to discuss the use of the reservoir and with the Council’s Water Services Department

Petrol Stations

C.C. queried why petrol stations were closing in Howth and where will the supply of petrol come from for the village.  
This was not considered to be under the remit of the management committee.

Approval of the Committee

D.H. for the next meeting reports to be presented on the following;
–    The review process of the S.A.A.O. (Planning)
–    The levies collected under the scheme and any future monies (Planning)
–    Studies, investigations and background work on the heath land and natural grassland (Parks)
–    The management of the invasive species within the Howth Estate (Parks)
–    A set of proposals on signage for the S.A.A.O. area (Parks)
–    Feasibility of the ‘stone pitching’ on steps on the pathways (Parks)
–    Issue of access to the protected structure – St. Fintan’s Well (Planning)

Also it was agreed that the following people be invited to participate in the next management committee meeting;

Gerry Clabby, Heritage Officer
David Tierney, Howth Estate Company

It was agreed to have the next meeting on 5th April 2006 in the Baldoyle Library

The Meeting concluded at 5.30 p.m.

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Cathaoirleach                            Date