Joint Policing Committee

On September 23rd 2013 I chaired the quarterly meeting of the Dublin Central Joint Policing Committee in City Hall. At the meeting Gardai and Dublin City Council gave detailed reports on activity in Dublin Central during the previous quarter. Issues addressed at the meeting included anti-social behaviour on Fassaugh Avenue & St Laurence’s Place East, Traffic breaches at Doyle’s corner, homeless hostels in the Phibsborough area, mobile phone theft, traffic accidents in the Drumcondra area, empty units at St. Finbar’s Court, Neighborhood Watch, Off-licence test purchasing, staffing of Garda Drugs Unit, Halloween, Operation Assist, anti-social behavior, street crime, “better city for all” report, burglaries, Phoenix Park concerts, Neighborhood Watch, privately rented properties and many other items. The meeting was recorded and a webcast is available here.   The date of the next meeting is Monday 16th December 2013 @9.30am in City Hall. Please email me if there are any issues you would like addressed by the Joint Policing Committee. Mary

First Fix Free

Minister Hogan still working out the details of "first fix free"

The introduction of water charges and domestic water meters is something a lot of people are very concerned about.  Water is a an extremely valuable natural resource and we must protect it.  I am opposed to the Governments approach with regards to the introduction of domestic water metering.  Their decision to go after hard pressed homeowners first is unfair.  The Government should be first prioritizing the security of supply and fixing the existing leaks before asking people to pay for an unreliable and leaky water network.   In June 2013 Minister Hogan promised the Government would pay to fix leaks found in homes. Irish Water and Dublin City Council have both told me they have no  information on Minister Hogans promise to pay to fix leaks in peoples homes.  At the September 2013 meeting of Dublin City Council I called on Minister Hogan to tell people how they can get access to his promised "first fix free" scheme.    I have called on Minister Hogan to provide people with information on his promised "first fix free" policy but his office has advised me that he is still working on it.  It seems like a lot of this Governments previous promises, their "first fix free" promise is another empty promise. I also asked the City Manager to provide me with a report on how many domestic units Dublin City Council surveyed for the purposes of the installation of domestic water meters, how many of the units surveyed were found to have leaks and if the leaks were on the home-owner side or supply side. I have also asked what arrangements are in place for “first leak free” service to home-owners.   The Manager advised me that "Dublin City Council, Water Services Division, has surveyed approximately 60,000 domestic units as of 4th September 2013. The purpose of the survey is only to identify the location of existing stop cock covers on public water supplies to residential properties. No leak location is carried out during the survey. The surveyor does report where there is water in or adjacent to the stopcock/ boundary box. This may indicate the possibility of a leak but is not in itself sufficient to confirm actual leakage. All matters relating to the proposed metering or meter installation contract, including the possibility of a “first leak free” policy, are being managed by Irish Water directly."  Irish Water will start installing domestic water meters later this month in Dublin City.  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

Pelletstown Local Area Plan

The final draft of the Ashtown – Pelletstown Local Area Plan will be on display to the general public for four weeks from 23rd of September to the 21st October 2013 in the Dublin City Council Area Office, Cabra Road, Dublin 7.  Submissions should be made in writing by the 21st of October 2013 to Dublin City Council, Planning Department, Civic Offices, Wood Quay, Dublin 8 or by email to localareaplan@dublincity.ie , or by completing Comment Sheet at the display. It can also be viewed at Dublin City Council's Finglas Area Office as well as Finglas and Cabra Libraries and on the Dublin City Council website.  Mary

North Strand

In September I asked the Dublin City Council to arrange for the repair of the road and footpaths on Bayview Avenue, North Strand, which are in a poor condition. The Manager advised me that “Currently Road Maintenance staff are reconstructing several sections of footpaths on Bayview Avenue. No decision can be made in relation to what works can be carried out in 2014 until next years budget is agreed”. I will continue to follow-up on this issue and try to have it included in future works programmes for the area. The contact for this work is Adrian Corrigan, Roads Maintenance, Tel: 222 2562.