{meta} Agenda for North Central Area Committee on Monday 20th February, 2023, 2.00 pm

Agenda and minutes

Venue: Council Chamber, City Hall, Dame Street, Dublin 2.. View directions

Contact: FIONA MOORE  CATHERINE CAHILL

Media

Items
No. Item

1.

Minutes of the North Central Area Committee January meeting dated 16/01/2023 pdf icon PDF 399 KB

Attached herewith.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Order:  Agreed. Proposed by Cllr. O’Toole and seconded by Cllr. Lyons.

2.

Questions to the Area Manager 20th February, 2023 pdf icon PDF 379 KB

Attached herewith.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Order:  Noted.

3.

Roads and Traffic Matters

Additional documents:

3a

Minutes of the TAG meeting dated 31st January, 2023 pdf icon PDF 88 KB

Report attached herewith.  Gerry McEntagart/Catalin Rosca

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Order:  Noted.

3b

Gully Report for noting pdf icon PDF 490 KB

Report attached herewith.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Order:  Noted.

4.

Area Matters

Additional documents:

4a

Extinguishments

Additional documents:

4b

Disposals - Proposed disposal of a plot to the rear of 142 Woodbine Road Dublin 5.

Report and map attached herewith. Bláthnaid Conlon

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Order:  Agreed.  Recommend to City Council.

4c

Disposals - Proposed disposal of a plot of land to the rear of 39 Saint Aidan's Park Road, Marino, Dublin 3.

Report & maps attached herewith.  Bláthnaid Conlon

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Order:  Agreed.  Recommend to City Council.

 

4d

Disposals - Proposed disposal of a plot of land to the rear of 41 Saint Aidan's Park Road, Marino, Dublin 3.

Report & maps attached herewith.  Bláthnaid Conlon

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Order:  Agreed.  Recommend to City Council.

 

4e

Disposals - Proposed disposal of a plot of land to the rear of 45 Saint Aidan's Park Road, Marino, Dublin 3.

Report & maps herewith.  Bláthnaid Conlon

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Order:  Agreed.  Recommend to City Council.

 

4f

Disposals - Proposed disposal of a plot of land to the rear of 100 Grattan Lodge, Grange, Dublin 13.

Report & map attached herewith.  Bláthnaid Conlon

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Order:  Agreed.  Recommend to City Council.

 

4g

Disposals - proposed disposal of a plot of land to the front of 7 Howth Junction Cottages, Kilbarrack, Dublin 5.

Report & map attached herewith.  Bláthnaid Conlon

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Order:  Agreed.  Recommend to City Council.

 

4h

Leases & Licences - Proposed grant of 10-year licence of a Sports Pavilion at Springdale Road, Dublin 5 to St. Malachy's AFC Company Limited by Guarantee pdf icon PDF 235 KB

Report & map attached herewith.  Bláthnaid Conlon

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Order:  Agreed.  Recommend to City Council.

 

4i

Presentation on the Clontarf Shelters

Report previous circulated to members on 18th January, 2023.

 

Fergal McNamara 7L Architects

Páraic Fallon, Senior Planner DCC

Charles Duggan, Heritage Officer

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Order:  Noted with the thanks of the Committee to Fergal McNamara/ Paraic Fallon & Charles Duggan.

4j

2022 Discretionary Budget Presentation

Derek Farrell

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Order:  Noted.

4k

Discussion on the future of Halloween Fireworks

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Order:  Noted.  A summary reflecting members opinions to be collated & referred to the CPG.

4l

Sports & Wellbeing Report pdf icon PDF 572 KB

Report attached herewith. Fergal Scally

 

 

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Order:  Noted.

4m

Area Manager's Reports pdf icon PDF 1 MB

Report herewith.  Derek Farrell

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Order:  Noted.

4n

Housing Supply Report pdf icon PDF 1 MB

Report attached herewith. 

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Order:  Noted.

4o

Housing Allocations Report for noting pdf icon PDF 540 KB

Report attached herewith.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Order:  Noted.

5.

Motions

Additional documents:

5a

Motion in the name of Councillor John Lyons

 

That this area committee calls on the city council to conduct/commission a walkability audit of the Santry area and commit to implementing measures identified in the audit that would improve and enhance the experience of people who make journeys throughout the area on foot and encourage others to do likewise.  

 

Derek Farrell

 

Additional documents:

Minutes:

 

That this North Central Area Committee calls on the city council to conduct/commission a walkability audit of the Santry area and commit to implementing measures identified in the audit that would improve and enhance the experience of people who make journeys throughout the area on foot and encourage others to do likewise. 


 Reply

 

The North Central Area Office conducted a study of public realm in Santry involving staff and local Councillors early in 2020. There were requests to review street furniture, repair footpaths, planting etc. Due to the onset of Covid and uncertainty of the plans for Bus Connects, some work was carried out while other things are still outstanding. The Area Manager is proposing carrying out a follow-up walk with Area Office Staff, Sports Staff and Councillors to review outstanding and/or new works for the public realm to make it more aesthetically pleasing to the eye and safer and more pleasant to walk through.

 

 

Contact:         Derek Farrell, Local Area Manager for Artane - Whitehall LEA

Phone:            222 8546

Email:             derek.farrell@dublincity.ie

 

Order:  Agreed.  Seconded by Cllr. Gilliland.

5b

Motion in the name of Councillor Donna Cooney

 

That this North Central Area committee agree the concerns about the increase in parking and driving on the pavement outside St. Vincent De Paul school on Griffith Avenue and call for immediate measures to prevent this, as it presents a real danger to children and other pedestrians.

 

Dermot Stevenson

Additional documents:

Minutes:

That this North Central Area committee agree the concerns about the increase in parking and driving on the pavement outside St. Vincent De Paul school on Griffith Avenue and call for immediate measures to prevent this, as it presents a real danger to children and other pedestrians.

 

 

Reply

 

 

The Parking Enforcement Officer has instructed Dublin Street Parking Services to patrol this location, particularly at school drop off and collection times and to issue fixed penalty notices for illegal parking. This action will commence immediately.

 

 

Contact:         Dermot Stevenson, Parking Enforcement Officer.

Tel:                  222 2017

Email:             dermot.stevenson@dublincity.ie

 

 

Order:  Agreed.

 

5c

Motion in the name of Councillor Donna Cooney

 

That this North Central Area Committee requests that funding is sought and any other resources provided to progress the seven neighbourhood transport plans in a timely manner, starting with the priority areas of Marino and Killester immediately and the others to be completed by May 2024.

 

Bernard Lester

Additional documents:

Minutes:

 

That this North Central Area Committee requests that funding is sought and any other resources provided to progress the seven neighbour transport plans in a timely manner, starting with the priority areas of Marino and Killester immediately and the others to be completed by May 2024.

 

Reply

 

Traffic Section have at present very limited staff and financial resources. There is one Executive Engineer working on North City Neighbourhood Schemes with a 2023 budget allocation of €100,000. He is currently progressing Filtered Permeability (Cul-de-sac except Cyclists) trial on Haverty Road, Marino. He is also working together with TAG Area Engineer to investigate & implement measures to mitigate traffic speed & volume problems in Middle Third, Killester. The TAG Minor Works North Central Area 2023 budget is €250,000.

 

The Neighbourhood and Area Traffic Engineers are also liaising with Active Travel and Safe Routes to School Projects to determine areas of potential collaboration.

 

Currently all sections of the traffic department are severely lacking in engineering staff so it is not possible to transfer any additional engineers to work on the neighbourhood transport schemes, at present there are over 20 engineering vacancies unfilled in traffic.

 

Traffic Senior Management are actively seeking additional staff to cope with the current workload but as yet have had no new resources assigned and in fact the staffing situation will shortly worsen as additional staff leave.

 

Without additional staff we are not in a position to design & implement additional Traffic projects including Neighbourhood Schemes.

 

Contact:         Bernard Lester, A/Senior Engineer.          

Tel:                  222 5871

Email:             Bernard.lester@dublincity.ie

           

 

Order:  Agreed.

 

5d

Motion in the name of Councillor Donna Cooney

 

That this Area committee requests that no new kissing gates are installed and that any are removed as they make parks inaccessible to people using wheelchairs, buddies, cargo bikes with babies and children, that NTA funding has been provided to Dublin City Council for alternatives, that as legislation is going through the Seanad to help Garda deal with scramblers and that the kissing gates are preventing access and not scramblers and must be removed/replaced with accessible entrances to our parks and green areas.

 

Fergus O’Carroll

Additional documents:

Minutes:

 

That this North Central Area Committee requests that no new kissing gates are installed and that any are removed as they make parks inaccessible to people using wheelchairs, buddies, cargo bikes with babies and children, that NTA funding has been provided to Dublin City Council for alternatives, that as legislation is going through the Seanad to help Garda deal with scramblers and that the kissing gates are preventing access and not scramblers and must be removed/replaced with accessible entrances to our parks and green areas.

 

Reply

 

Kissing gates are not installed as a matter of course but in response to ongoing recognised local problems with scramblers at a particular time.  Usually requests for the installation of kissing gates are received from local residents often with the support of local Gardaí as it is feared that this anti-social behaviour renders the space unsafe for park users especially children.  The latest specification for such gates provides for a 2m space for wheelchairs, prams, mobility scooters etc. which is considered adequate to provide access for all but the largest of such apparatuses.  Indeed such gates cannot fully exclude scrambler motorbikes but act to severely restrict access and prevent same from entering and exiting parks at speed.  This can be a particular issue in certain areas where riders of such motorbikes use parks and open spaces as shortcuts and often as escape routes to elude the Gardaí causing great alarm to anyone who might be in the park at that time.  The Park Service will of course welcome any new powers assigned to the Gardaí to help manage the issue of the anti-social use of such scrambler motorbikes within the public realm but it is felt that the call to remove kissing gates may be somewhat premature.  The Parks Service is always available and willing to discuss and implement local solutions to access issues that residents may be experiencing at their local park or open space.

 

 

Contact:         Fergus O’Carroll, Senior Executive Parks Superintendent

Tel:                 222 6625

Email:             parks@dublincity.ie

 

 

 

 

Order:  Members agreed the Manager’s Report on this motion.

 

5e

Motion in the name of Councillor Deirdre Heney

 

That this area committee agrees that a report be given on the options available to the City Council to make safe, from a pedestrian and motorist point of view, that section of Church Avenue that meets Gracepark Road where currently, parents of school children attending the local national school have to constantly navigate sometimes irate motorists speeding up this section of roadway to avoid oncoming traffic and if a statement can be made on the matter.

 

Gerry McEntagart

 

Additional documents:

Minutes:

 

That this North Central Area Committee agrees that a report be given on the options available to the City Council to make safe, from a pedestrian and motorist point of view, that section of Church Avenue that meets Gracepark Road where currently, parents of school children attending the local national school have to constantly navigate sometimes irate motorists speeding up this section of roadway to avoid oncoming traffic and if a statement can be made on the matter.

 

 

Reply

 

 

This will be referred to the area engineer who will arrange to inspect the location and examine the issues.

 

 

Contact:         Brendan O’Brien, Head of Technical Services (Traffic).

Tel:                 222 5373

Email:             brendan.obrien@dublincity.ie

 

 

Order:  Agreed.  Seconded by Cllr. O’Muiri.

 

5f

Motion in the name of Councillor Naoise O'Muiri

 

Further to my Motion to this Area Committee in late 2022; that DCC Parks would provide a detailed report of the demand patterns for playing facilities in St Anne’s Park over the last 5 years and the steps taken to try and fulfil those demands and success in doing so; that this report would be provided in written format for the March 2023 Area Committee meeting.

 

Fergus O’Carroll

Additional documents:

Minutes:

 

Further to my Motion to this North Central Area Committee in late 2022; that DCC Parks would provide a detailed report of the demand patterns for playing facilities in St Anne’s Park over the last 5 years and the steps taken to try and fulfil those demands and success in doing so; that this report would be provided in written format for the March 2023 Area Committee meeting.

 

 

Reply

 

 

The majority of pitch allocation applications have been received at this point and the allocations team are currently contacting clubs who have yet to apply or have omitted certain information.  The Parks Service will be in a position to report to the March Committee meeting as requested.

 

 

Contact:         Fergus O’Carroll, Senior Executive Parks Superintendent

Tel:                 222 6625

Email:             parks@dublincity.ie

 

 

Order:  Agreed.  Seconded by Cllr. Gilliland