Agenda and minutes

Attached herewith.

Order:  Agreed.

Matters arising:  The members commended Cllr. Patricia Roe for her sterling work as NCAC chairperson over the past year.

Councillors collectively agreed that they were very unhappy with the response from Dublin City Council in relation to the provision of public toilets.  Cllr. Stocker stated that the model adopted by the council has failed & no alternative has been proposed.  The provision of public toilets in a variety of locations across the North Central Area should not have been taken in the context of covid provision only.  Stand-alone toilets are and have been required in the area for many years pre-covid.  This is now a city wide issue, not simply an issue for Clontarf promenade.  Cllr. MacDonncha called for the NCAC to evoke the “cross party initiative” at city council, to reverse the policy of not providing public toilets in the city which appears to have been adopted by Dublin City Council.  This was seconded by Cllrs. O’Muirí & Heney.  Cllr. Stocker stated that she will work with councillors on the NCAC to submit a motion to the city council, to have the issue examined at that level.

Director of Services Derek Kelly acknowledged that this is a city wide issue.  It is not something that can be dealt with by the North Central Area in isolation & he welcomed Cllr. Stocker’s suggestion of posing a motion to the full city council.  He stated that there are very valid operational reasons for not opting for stand-alone models in the NCA.  Considerable operational challenges would have to be overcome to provide stand-alone models (maintenance, security, ESB/waste water connection provision), however, area management will certainly keep this issue under review locally and are happy to examine various models to potentially find a solution.

On foot of concerns raised by Cllr. Cooney, Cllr. Roe requested that the specific question of toilet provision for Clontarf Promenade & Fairview Park, be kept on the agenda under matters arising for the September meeting and that local area management will make a statement on the matter at that juncture.

Attached herewith.

Order: Noted.

Order:  Councillor Alison Gilliland was elected as the new NCAC chairperson (proposed by Councillor Heney & seconded by Councillor Catherine Stocker), with Councillor Deirdre Heney as vice chair (proposed by Councillor Gilliland & seconded by Councillor Daryl Barron).

Report & infographic attached herewith.  Aideen O’Connor

Order:  Noted.  Cllr. Lyons thanked the Sports & Wellbeing partnership for the detailed report & is very happy with the new layout & additional information provided.  He commended the ongoing work of the partnership.   Cllr. O’Muirí was appreciative of the council’s support for the forthcoming Griffith Avenue mile on Sunday 18^th September, at 3 pm & encouraged all members to participate.  Cllr. Cooney welcomed the linking in of the partnership with national & European initiatives & their work with women in sport.  Cllr.  Gilliland queried the timeline on the appointment of a replacement officer for Dan Russell.  Aideen O’Connor stated that Donncha O ‘Dúlaing is working on advertising a number of sports posts vacancies together in September/October of this year.

Report & map attached herewith.

Order Agreed:  Refer to City Council.  Derek Farrell to check can the present right of way be left as is until works commence and also ascertain the status of the works on the new right of way.

Report & map attached herewith – Nicola Finegan

Order:  Agreed.  Recommend to City Council.

Report & map attached herewith – Nicola Finegan

Order:  Agreed.  Recommend to City Council.  Cllr. Heney commended Les Moore and parks staff in relation to the assistance provided by parks to the city farm.  She also officially lauded the managers of the farm and thanked them for all the work they do in fostering respect & care for animals throughout all facets of the community.

Report attached herewith.  Gareth Rowan, Glen Murray, Aida Baragwanth

Order:  Noted.  Refer to City Council.  Cllr. Roe requested that when this progresses, that the public be informed in advance of the loss of the park and ride facility, so that people who may have previously parked there to attend matches in Croke Park for example, are aware that it is no longer available.  Gareth Rowan will bring this feedback back to the Planning Department.

Report attached herewith.

Order:  Noted.

Reports attached herewith.  Gerry McEntagart/Catalin Rosca/Rhona White

Order:  Noted.  Cllr. Roe queried the outcome of the exercise carried out by Rhona White in relation to structure, streamlining and administration of TAG reports.  Gerry McEntagart stated that Rhona is liaising with the consultant and will notify the members of the outcome in due course.  Cllr. Gilliland raised a serious safety issue on Shanowen Park (Item 1 on the TAG report).  She is concerned that an ambulance/fire tender can’t get down this road & consequently she requested an audit be carried out by the CFO of DFB.  She feels that it shouldn’t be down to residents to sort this issue and is keen to get a resolution from TAG. Cllr. Roe echoed this sentiment. She said that there are several items that may pertain to the one stretch of road, but yet the report doesn’t reflect this and it isn’t evident where the issue stands. Gerry McEntagart to revert to both Councillors in this regard.

Report attached for noting herewith.

Order:  Noted.

That this Area Committee agrees that the Area Manager once and for all deals with the awful condition of the sandbags on the Clontarf seafront and say what measures can be taken to address the concerns of constituents who feel our area is being left in a dreadful state with filthy sandbags etc. lining our beautiful seafront and promenade and can the area manager make a detailed statement of how they intend to put matters right at this stage.

That this Area Committee agrees that the Area Manager once and for all deals with the awful condition of the sandbags on the Clontarf seafront and say what measures can be taken to address the concerns of constituents who feel our area is being left in a dreadful state with filthy sandbags etc. lining our beautiful seafront and promenade and can the area manager make a detailed statement of how they intend to put matters right at this stage.

Reply:

In February 2002, Dublin City experienced an extreme tide event causing extensive flooding across the city including along the coast road in Clontarf.  Sea levels in Dublin Bay are estimated to be rising at a much higher rate than current average climate-change predictions of mean Sea Level Rise.  In January 2014 an extreme tide occurred which was c. 65mm higher than the 2002 event.  It is estimated that 400 properties are at immediate risk of coastal flooding in Clontarf over a distance of c. 3km between the Alfie Byrne Road and the Bull Wall.  Pending the implementation of permanent flood defences, temporary flood defences are required to protect these 400 properties.  These temporary defences involve the deployment of large and small sand bags.   

For various reasons, notice of coastal flooding can be as little as 24-48 hours giving the City Council very limited time to react.  Coastal flooding warnings also affect the southern part of Dublin Bay (Merrion/Sandymount) and often impact the tidal sections of rivers requiring flood gates to be closed along the Dodder and Tolka Rivers and potentially along the Liffey Quays.  In such circumstances, it would simply be impossible to deploy the temporary flood defences to Clontarf from storage on foot of a flood warning.  They must be in place all year round so as to be immediately available to protect properties in the event of a coastal flood event.  

Dublin City Council Drainage Maintenance are responsible for maintaining the sandbags at Clontarf. Typically weeds/vegetation in and around the large sand bags are cut back 4 times per year. Additionally the sand bags are continuously re-bagged every 1½ to 2 years as they naturally deteriorate over time. DCC DM carried out re-bagging of a proportion of the sand bags at the end of last year, and will resume re-bagging in the coming weeks. As part of this work DCC Drainage will inspect the various sand-bag locations to identify any additional measures that can be taken to improve the appearance of the area.

Contact:         Robert McNally, Executive Engineer         

Tel:                 222 3646

Email:             robert.mcnally@dublincity.ie         

Order:  Agreed.  Cllr. Heney queried if there is a possibility of filling heavy duty recycled plastic bags with water?  Could we revisit the idea of a temporary barrier in front of the businesses & households with the above to improve the appearance of the area? 

Robert McNally stated that he is happy to consider any alternatives to replace the sandbags and would be pleased to meet with any of the members on site. 

Cllr. O’Farrell & O’Muirí  ...  view the full minutes text for item 6a

That this Area Committee supports the proposed filtered permeability trial at Haverty Road and requests the trial begins as a matter of urgency please. 

That this Area Committee supports the proposed filtered permeability trial at Haverty Road and requests the trial begins as a matter of urgency please. 

Reply:

A consultation letter has been sent to local residents and stakeholders, advising of the proposals and asking for feedback via our DCC Consultation Hub (visit https://consultation.dublincity.ie/). Consultation is open from 29th June to 13th July 2022. If the result is positive and a majority are in favour then it is anticipated that the proposed scheme can be implemented as soon as possible. The trial installation date has been provisionally set for Sunday 21st August 2022. However, this may be subject to change pending the outcome of the consultation feedback and the assessment and development of a technical design.

Contact:         Andrew Geoghegan Neighbourhood Transport Engineer (North City)

Email:             andrew.geoghegan@dublincity.ie

Order:  Agreed.  Cllr. O’Farrell stated that the residents are the main stake holders and need to be treated accordingly & get priority from a consultative perspective.  Cllr. O’Muirí seconded the motion.  Cllr. Cooney requested that “joined up thinking” be applied to the design & delivery of neighbourhood transport schemes and active travel in general, to get the best outcome for residents.  Cllr. Stocker supported the motion and echoed Cllr. Cooney’s sentiments – she is keen not to push rat running to other parts of Marino as a consequence.  Cllr. O’Farrell stated that a previous motion agreed that DCC would be proactive in ensuring that there is no rat running at all as a consequence of the C2CC.

That this Area Committee agrees to request an early autumn debriefing and forward planning meeting in respect of concerts held in St Anne’s Park & Fairview Park please.   While the area committee supports the benefits of the concerts in principle, there is some work to do going forward as regards the communication and planning aspects, as well as timing of and number of concerts held.

That this Area Committee agrees to request an early autumn debriefing and forward planning meeting in respect of concerts held in St Anne’s Park & Fairview Park please.   While the area committee supports the benefits of the concerts in principle, there is some work to do going forward as regards the communication and planning aspects, as well as timing of and number of concerts held.

Reply:

A meeting is scheduled with the promoters later this week where all such aspects of the concerts will be discussed.

Contact:         Fergus O’Carroll, Senior Executive Parks Superintendent

Tel:                 222 6625

Email:             parks@dublincity.ie

Order:  Agreed.  Cllr. O’Farrell stated that there was a complete lack of notice given to members and residents in advance of these concerts.  He said that the leaving certificate was taking place during these concerts causing huge disruption to local students.  He is keen that the scheduling of concerts will be more considered in future, ensuring that they do not happen in tandem with the state exams.  He would like to meet with Parks in this regard.  Cllr. Cooney requested that Parks reconsider the early closing of certain access routes, to facilitate people travelling from the Dart station at peak commuter time.  Cllr. Muiri would like two separate formal reports (one for Fairview Park and the other for St. Anne’s Park) back from Parks prior to the next meeting, in relation to what worked and what didn’t work for this year’s concerts in both venues.  He would also like a clear commitment from Parks that officials will sit down with the members before the end of this year and agree the schedule for next year’s concerts at both of these venues.  Cllr. Heney stated that communication is key and supported the motion.  Fergus O’Carroll stated that he will be happy to facilitate the above.

That this Area Committee asks that Dublin City Council request and promote more active enforcement of the “no left turn” ban on HGVs turning from Swords Road onto Collins Avenue, to include more targeted messaging on the existing VMS there.

That this Area Committee asks that Dublin City Council request and promote more active enforcement of the “no left turn” ban on HGVs turning from Swords Road onto Collins Avenue, to include more targeted messaging on the existing VMS there.

Reply:

Collins Avenue is covered by the 3.5 tonne ban for vehicles entering from Swords Road. It should be noted that this weight limit does not apply to vehicles accessing the road to make a delivery.

Dublin City Council do not have the authority to carry out checks on HGV’s travelling through restricted areas; enforcement lies within the remit of An Garda Síochána.

However, the location will be examined by the Area Engineer to determine if additional signage can be provided.

The Transport Advisory Group will also raise the Councillor’s concerns with An Garda Síochána at the next monthly TAG Meeting

Contact:         Gerry McEntagart -  North City Executive Engineer        

Email:             gerald.mcentagart@dublincity.ie             

Order:  Agreed.  Cllr. O’Muirí stated he would be pleased if TAG could follow up on the signage.  Cllr. Stocker seconded the motion. Catalin Rosca said he would follow up on this and revert back to the members.

That this Area Committee agree that Seaview Avenue, Clontarf, has been neglected for years, despite my previous questions and motion/requests, no trees replaced, no planters, no proper signage, only a temporary sign falling apart and a sign for stiles road with an arrow pointing and large potholes only temporarily fixed, that have sunk again and are a hazard for cyclists and that this busy Avenue off Clontarf road is given the care and attention it deserves.

That this Area Committee agree that Seaview Avenue, Clontarf, has been neglected for years, despite my previous questions and motion/requests, no trees replaced, no planters, no proper signage, only a temporary sign falling apart and a sign for stiles road with an arrow pointing and large potholes only temporarily fixed, that have sunk again and are a hazard for cyclists and that this busy Avenue off Clontarf road is given the care and attention it deserves.

Reply:

The Environmental Liaison Officer will carry out an audit of signage on Seaview Avenue & Stiles Road and will send a request list to Road Maintenance for painting or replacement as necessary.

The planter request list is currently on hold as we are hoping to change over to 100% recycled plastic planters going forward. This area will be put on the planter request list but I would be grateful if Councillor could pass on contact details of resident to discuss & meet onsite.

Contact:         Joanne O’Sullivan, Staff Officer (Act. Environmental Liaison Officer)

Phone:            222 8843

Email:             joanne.osullivan@dublincity.ie

It appears that there is one empty pit on this road which will be inspected for suitability for possible inclusion in next winter’s tree planting programme.

Contact:         Fergus O’Carroll, Senior Executive Parks Superintendent

Tel:                 222 6625

Email:             parks@dublincity.ie

The footpaths and carriageway on (details supplied) are not part of the works programme in 2022.

The Area Engineer will note this location and consider its inclusion in the 2023 works programme or if additional funding becomes available this year.

Contact:         Derek Horan, Executive Engineer.

Tel:                 222 3898.

Email:             derek.horan@dublincity.ie

Order:  Agreed

Cllr Gilliland reminded the members to email items to fiona.moore@dublincity.ie by Friday 22^nd July.