Social Housing

I was delighted to attend the official launch of the Fold Ireland Social Housing Project in Ballygall Road East in Finglas this morning.   This is a great initiative by Fold Ireland and Dublin City Council and it will make a real difference for those fortunate to secure one of the 26 new homes. However, with 20,000 on Dubin City Council's housing list, no matter how welcome this is, it really is just a drop in the ocean.  The government still appears to have no real plan to meaningfully tackle the overall problem. I have repeatedly called on the government to tackle the worsening housing crisis and I again renew my invitation to the Minister to meet with Dublin City Councillors and to work with us to develop a plan to really try to fix the problem.  The government must act now.  Mary

Luas

Works on the Luas cross-city to Broombridge are ongoing in the city center and on Tuesday 25th Feb works will commence on Dawson Street.  As part of these works traffic will be reduced to one lane on Dawson Street, the works will last 3-4 months.  For more information on alternative traffic routes to avoid Dawson Street please click HERE  Mary

Domestic Waste Collections

From March 3rd all domestic waste collection companies will be required to collect bins on the same day in Dublin city.  Following on from the disastrous decision of Dublin City Council to withdraw from the collection of domestic waste and to handover the service to private collectors there have been many problems in the city.  To try and address some of the problems Dublin City Council approved new bye-laws.  The new bye-laws require all waste operators to collect on the same day in any given area.  Certain days have been designated and agreed with the operators for collection of domestic waste in different parts of the city.  These new designated collection days will commence on Monday, 3rd March 2014.  You can view/download a copy of map showing collection days HERE.  Collections will take place in the Navan Road, Cabra, Phibsborough and Glasnevin areas on a Wednesday and the north inner city on Thursdays. The new collection days come into effect on March 3, 2014.  Mary

Erris Road Trees

I recently asked Dublin City Councils Area Manager if he was aware that a number of trees on Erris Road in Cabra East are significantly overgrown and need to be pruned?  I asked the Manager to let me know when Dublin City Council would take action to prune the trees and remove the risk of potential damage?  In reply the Manager has advised me that trees on Erris Road are mature Hornbeam and have been listed for pruning in early 2014.  Mary

Killkieran Court

I recently asked Dublin City Council's Area Manager if he was aware that the street sign for Kilkeran Court, Cabra West has been vandalised and needs replacing? and I asked if the Manager would let me know when it will be replaced?  In response the Manager replied to me that Dublin City Council's Traffic Division have been requested to clean the above sign and it will not be necessary to replace it. Mary

 

Death in Phoenix Park

It was very sad to learn that the body of a dead man was discovered in the early hours of this morning in the Phoenix Park. The dead man was discovered near the Wellington Monument in a sleeping bag. The Gardai are keen to talk to anybody who may have been in the vicinity of Wellington Road in the Phoenix Park between 12.30am and 1am today. Anyone with any information is asked to contact Cabra garda station on 01 666 7400.

This very sad discovery again highlights the housing crises in Dublin City where despite €millions being spent every year, and close to half a €billion over the last ten years, we have almost 30,000 applicants on the City Council housing list and ever increasing numbers of homeless people.

At Monday's meeting of Dublin City Council we will consider for approval an action plan to end homelessness by 2016. While I support an action plan to address this issue I am very concerned that the draft plan will fail to address the problem. The plan does not include any measurable targets and this makes it weak.

At the November meeting of the Central Area Committee I received unanimous support for the following emergency motion:The elected members of the Central Area Committee support the objective of the Dublin Homeless Action Plan to end the need for people to sleep rough and long term homelessness in Dublin by 2016. To strengthen the draft Action Plan we propose amending the plan to include the target number of housing units and the budget that will be required for each year to achieve the Action Plan’s objectives.

An action plan without measurable targets is like a car without an engine, you can put it on the road but it will go nowhere. I hope the motion I proposed will be adopted by the full council so that the action plan might make some real impact to address the serious homeless problem in our city.  Mary

Free Water for everyone

I welcome the announcement last night by Minister Joe Costelloe TD, at a public meeting in Cabra, that there will be “free water for everyone” when domestic water meters are introduced. Minister Costelloe advised residents, who are concerned over increased charges for less services, that they need not worry about charges for water when the domestic meters are installed because “a political decision has been taken by the government that there will be free water for everyone”. This is very welcome news to all hard-pressed homeowners and I welcome this announcement.

I am concerned however that this announcement might end up being another Labour “promise” that is broken as quick as it is made. Everyone knows that currently commercial water users pay not only for water usage but also for the meter. Can it really be that the Government is going to charge homeowners nothing for installing water meters and supplying water ? It begs the question what is the point of setting up Irish Water? Of transitioning water services from Dublin City Council to Irish Water ?

Myself and my colleagues are concerned that while Minister Costelloe is promising free water for everyone Minister Hogan is still pressing ahead with his crazy plan to transfer water services from Dublin City Council to Irish water on January 1, 2014. This is less than five weeks away and the City Manager has told Councillors that he is extremely concerned that key issues to do with the proposed transition remain uncertain. As a consequence of this uncertainty the City Council is now facing an unprecedented financial crises. The City Council is unable to finalise its €800million budget for 2014 because the Minister has failed to tell the City Council how much funding, if any, it will have next year.

I call on Minister Hogan to stop hiding from this issue and tell Dublin City Council how much funding it will have in 2014 so that we can keep the city open for business over the Christmas and into the New year. Mary

FREE Electrical Waste Collection

WEEE Ireland will hold a FREE electrical waste collection in Tesco Cabra on Saturday 26th of October from 10.00-16.00. Any household item with a plug or battery will be accepted free of charge.  Mary

Reillys Bridge

Work on the €9.8million project to replace Reillys Bridge on Ratoath Road with a fly-over spanning the railway line and canal will continue until the end of 2014. The initial stages of the project would have benefitted from better communication from Irish Rail and Dublin City Council. In response to my request Irish Rail and Dublin City Council attended the October meeting of the Central Area Committee to address concerns over the construction.  At the meeting I proposed three motions: that an independently chaired forum be established to deal with residents concerns, that Dublin City Council put in place a comprehensive traffic management plan to deal with the increased traffic problems during and post construction and that Dublin City Council commence the process of extending the 5+axel ban to Ratoath Road. The three motions were passed. I have since met with the residents and I am working with them, Irish Rail and Dublin City Council to get the forum up and running as soon as possible. In the meantime if residents have any concerns they can contact Irish Rail's community liaison officer Garry Keegan on 1890253555 or Dublin City Council Area Manager Fergus Synnott (01) 222 7410 or drop me an email. Mary

Cabra Traffic

At the October Central Area Committee meeting I submitted a motion calling on Dublin City Council to put in place a comprehensive traffic management plan for Cabra to reduce the negative impact of increased traffic volumes through Cabra when the fly-over on the Ratoath Road opens. In response to this motion the Manager provided me with the following report : "In common with all major schemes an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) was prepared as part of the planning process for the Ratoath Road realignment and new Overbridge. As part of the EIS Traffic Impacts were considered. While the scheme will increase traffic safety, reduce traffic congestion and facilitate enhanced rail services on the existing rail line traffic volumes are predicted to increase on Ratoath Road, Canal Avenue, Fassaugh Avenue, River Road and Cabra Road and to be reduced on Dunsink Lane, Ashtown Road and Navan Road. Traffic analysis undertaken shows that the junction most affected by the scheme the upgraded Ratoath Road / Ballyboggn Road junction will operate satisfactorily in the design year. Following the opening of the bridge traffic department will monitor traffic in the area to determine if any additional traffic management measures are warranted. The contact for this work is Ronan O’Dea, Senior Engineer, Tel 222 2907."  Mary

Royal Canal Day

Everyone is invited to the ROYAL CANAL DAY, a dynamic event planned by the Dublin City North Volunteer Centre.  The Royal Canal Day will take place on October the 12th along the banks of the Royal Canal with the main objective being to get local people to come out, have some fun and to clean-up litter all along the Royal Canal from Dublin’s city centre all the way out to Blanchardstown.  There will varioius activities and events related to the canal and its history, such as Walks with Botonist Declan Doogue, Pat Liddy walking tour and Dublin Cycling Campaign social ride.  Further information including the schedule and the meeting points for the canal clean-up can be found on the facebook page or contacting the Centre by tel.872 2622 or email: royalcanalteam@gmail.com.   I encourage as many people as possible to come along and participate in this family friendly event and enjoy the wonderful Royal Canal.  Mary

Cabra Road Bus Shelter

At the December 2012 meeting of the Central Area Committee I submitted a motion to ask Dublin Bus to provide sides to the in-bound bus shelter on the Cabra Road at the seventeen shops. In response to this motion the City Manager wrote to Dublin Bus and recently they replied saying that they will arrange to have it checked out and that they will revert back in due course.  Mary

Dunmanus Court

At the September 2013 meeting of Dublin City Council I requested /Dublin City Council to clean-up the vacant site in front of Dunmanus Court on the grounds of Precious Blood Church. I have also asked the Manager to arrange to prune the trees that create a significant shadow on the homes of the residents of Dunmanus Court. I have been advised that the City Council has recently arranged for the cleaning up of rubbish from this vacant site and is in the process of arranging to have a number of trees and shrubs along the perimeter of Dunmanus Court pruned. Hopefully this will reduce their impact on the residents in Dunmanus Court. The contact for this work is Evelyn Hanlon, Housing & Residential Services, Tel: 222 5153.  Mary

Killala Road Swale

Following the flooding of homes on Dingle and Carnlough Road and Drumcliff Drive in 2011 I worked with residents and Dublin City Council to improve drainage and reduce the risk of flooding in the area. As part of this Dublin City Council undertook improvement works to the road drainage system in the area and built two swales on the greens on Drumcliff and Killala road to take overflow water.

Since the swale on killala Road was constructed last summer I have raised a number of issues with Dublin City Council regarding the swale which they have attempted to rectify. Unfortunately the heavy rain in July this year proved that the swale is still not functioning properly and I have again brought this to the attention of the head of drainage at Dublin City Council.

I highlighted the many problems with the swale including that large volumes of water have remained within the swale for a number of days after normal rainfall, that the base of the swale has remained water logged for several months now and is totally unsuitable for children to play in.

Following my request last week Dublin City Council removed rubbish that had accumulated in the swale and

have given me a commitment that structural work will be undertaken to fix the swale properly.

I will continue to work to ensure that Dublin City Council fixes the swale properly and the residents of Killala Road can enjoy the green as they have for generations and at the same time help to reduce the risk of flooding for other homeowners in Cabra. Mary

Broombridge

I have consistently worked to get Irish Rail to improve their train station at Broombridge. Along with members of the local community, the local Gardai, Dublin City Council and the local youth services I am delighted that Irish Rail recently agreed to work with us to resolve the problems connected to Broombridge Station.  The main issues concern the appearance and the security of the station platform. Irish Rail has agreed to undertake some improvements such as installing new public lighting, the replacing of old dangerous furniture with new more robust furniture and engaging Cabra 4 Youth to design creative art work on the entrance. The RPA are being asked to clear and improve the appearance of the adjacent site they are using for the Luas cross city. Within the coming weeks we should start to see a more attractive looking station. The Gardai have already prosecuted some individuals for criminal activity and a new and upgraded CCTV system should help increase safety at the station. I will continue to work to make Broombridge a train station where everyone feels safe and comfortable to use the train service. Please report any anti-social behaviour in or around Broombridge Train Station by phoning 999.    Mary

 

Reilly’s Bridge Fly-over

Irish Rail recently announced that work to replace Reillys Bridge on Ratoath Road with a new bridge spanning the railway line and canal is to commence this month and should be completed at the start of 2015. Irish Rail will liaise with the community for the duration of the works and local residents and businesses can contact them by locall phone number 1890253555 and email communityliaison@irishrail.ie . Mary

 

St Attracta & Jarlath Roads

At the June 2013 meeting of Dublin City Council I asked the City Manager about issues with the roads and footpaths on St Attracta and Jarlaths Road in Cabra East. Specifically I asked if the water shore outside 69 St Attracta road could be repaired and the path needs properly re-instated. I also asked that the road surface of the junction of St Attracta and Jarlath Road which is very uneven could be repaired. The Manager replied that these items have "been added to the Roads Maintenance Sharepoint System for appropriate action having regard to the relevant criteria for repairs prioritisation. A temporary reinstatement would be carried out in the next few days." The contact person at Dublin City Council for this work is Ronan Connolly, Roads Maintenance. Tel:222 2576.  Mary

 

 

 

 

Cabra East Flood Prevention

In May 2013 I again raised with Dublin City Council the issue of flood prevention for homes in Cabra east.  I asked that Dublin City Council provide a report on what measures has DCC taken to reduce the risk of flooding in Cabra East? Can the Manager outline what options can be explored to improve drainage and reduce the risk of flooding in Cabra East? Will the Manager please attend a meeting with residents whose homes have been previously flooded to discuss possible options? Following is the reply I received:
The flooding of October, 2011 has previously been reported on to the City Council, Environment & Engineering Department SPC and Area Committees and was caused by an extreme event where to the amount of rainfall exceeded the capacity of the drainage infrastructure.
In relation to the Cabra area a number of mitigation measures have been considered and examined in detail. The outcome of this assessment can be summarised as follows:

An overflow pipe, 65 metres in length from Cabra Road to Annamoe Drive was constructed in December 2011. This will provide a limited level of flood alleviation on a local level on Imaal Road, Cabra Road, Leix Road and surrounding area.

A location for a swale at Annamoe Park was examined and found not to be viable due to the conflict with a foul sewer and constructability issues for pipework to Annamoe Park.

The option of a of constructing an overflow pipe from Dowth Avenue to the disused railway line (New Luas Line BXD). After analysis the RPA confirmed the following, “there is no spare capacity in the drainage system and also, a potential increased risk to flooding in areas that have not experienced flooding in the past. This is no longer a viable option.

The option of a pumped partial solution from Leix Road to Bradogue Stream at Cabra Road was considered. This would pump water from the affected areas to lower it below flooding levels in the flooded houses (around 100-200mm) is estimated at 2,335 cubic metres. This would require construction of an underground storage tank, pump station and approx 160m of 400mm pumping main. The estimated cost of this is approx €340,000, for which a source of funding has yet to be identified. In addition, there are a number of unresolved technical challenges, such as the size of storage tank/station, space required for the pumping main and capacity of receiving sewer that may make this option unviable

· The option of constructing a gravity partial solution from Leix Road to Bradogue Stream at Cabra Road is also under consideration. This could lower the floodwater level to below flooding levels of the houses (around 100-200mm). This would require approx 160m of 600mm pipeline from the low point of Leix Road to Cabra Road, at an estimated cost of €200,000.

· Another option under consideration is a gravity partial solution from Leix Road to the surface water sewer in the laneway south of Leix Road plus upgrading of the Bradogue Stream downstream. There are two facets to this project. Firstly, construction of an additional surface water sewer from the lowest point of Leix Road to the manhole in the private lane to the rear of AIB. This new sewer would be 125m long. However, 33m goes through private gardens, and permission from property owners would be required. Secondly, an up-grade of the Bradogue Stream: This up-grade is required at the junction of Dowth Avenue and Cabra Road. The new sewer required here would be 43m long & 750mm in diameter. Traffic restrictions would occur on the Cabra Road during construction of this new sewer. Cost: €250,000.

While the last two options may be technically possible, they will be subject to detailed design, require a significant capital expenditure, a number of consents from relevant property owners, and involve significant disruption during construction.

As this is a complex issue, with a number of factors to consider, the most effective means of consultation with residents would be through the Dublin Flood Forum, which it is anticipated will be initiated later this year.   Contact: Colin Egan, Assistant Engineer.  Tel: 222 2398

Cabra Flooding

I continue to work to get Dublin City Council to protect homes in Cabra from flooding. Last year swales were created on Drumcliff and Killala greens to provide flood protection. After the swales were completed I raised concerns with Dublin City Council about the fact that the swales don’t empty fully and promptly. Following my representations DCC re-examined the swales and carried out remedial works which should make a noticeable improvement in the drainage of the swales. I continue to pursue flood protection measures for residents of Cabra East. Dublin City Council is considering a number of options to reduce flood risk in Cabra east. MaryI continue to pursue flood protection measures for residents of Cabra East. Dublin City Council is considering a number of options to reduce flood risk in Cabra east. Mary

Cabra for Youth

Despite the Governments unfair and counterproductive cuts to youth services Cabra for Youth is open for business this summer. The summer programme is designed for young people ages 10-18years living in Cabra. For more information please feel free to call in to Cabra for Youth in John Paul Park Community Center in the Boggies or phone 01 817 8473.  Mary