Agenda and minutes

Order: Minutes agreed.

Richard Shakespeare firstly addressed concerns raised by Deputy Lord Mayor Joe Costello in relation to a refusal for a Planning Information Meeting (PIM) that he had requested regarding a Development in the Central Area which was subsequently granted to another Councillor. The Manager accepted that this was a failure on his behalf and that he had not adhered to the current policy with regard to the density threshold when he had agreed to the PIM. He agreed to revert to the Deputy Lord Mayor directly on the matter.

The Manager informed the Members that the Planning Information Meetings were originally established to assist Councillors in making informed submissions with regard to complex or substantial developments. There is no statutory obligation to provide them but they are useful resource for both Councillors and the public. However, over recent years the increased demand across the City for such meetings had put additional pressure on the Planning Department and it had become necessary to introduce a criteria to determine if an information should be provided for any particular development. In June 2020 the threshold was a minimum of 20 units. However, in September 2020 a revised policy was brought to Group Leaders which established that the threshold at 50 residential units or 5,000sqm for commercial projects.

The Members thanked Richard for attending the meeting and for his report. In the following discussion there was a consensus among the Members on the importance of Planning Information Meetings in enabling them to effectively carry out their role as elected representatives. They registered their disappointment that there had not been greater consultation with Councillors regarding the alteration to the policy and also with how it was communicated. They reinforced their view that such meetings were a vital resource which should continue to be provided and that the Manager should reconsider the policy and how it is implemented.

The Members also requested a report from the City Planner regarding the new proposals which will replace Strategic Housing Developments (SHD) with a new planning process for Large Scale Residential Developments (LRDs).

Richard thanked the Members for their forthright views and acknowledged their concerns. He agreed to reassess the PIM policy with regards to the size and complexity of developments and to revert back to them with revised proposals. He also agreed that Members would be briefed on the new LRD process which would re-establish Dublin City Council as the primary body dealing with planning applications in the City.

Deirdre Ni Raghallaigh provided Members with the background to the Mansion House Accessibility Project. The original proposals had been withdrawn as they had failed to garner sufficient support from a range of stakeholders including disability groups. Following a period of consultation a new scheme was now being proposed which addressed many of the concerns previously raised.

Margret Glupker from the City Architects Department gave a presentation on the new plans which is attached to these minutes. The works are planned to be completed by 2024 and will be carried out over a phased basis to minimise disruption.

The Members thanked Margret, Lenzie and Deirdre for the presentation and were broadly supportive of the proposals.

It was confirmed that the presentation presented a Concept Scheme and was not the final design. The overall aesthetic had still to be finalised and a further presentation including 3D modelling and design plans would be brought before the Committee.

Order: Noted.

Order: The Members agreed the request to use City Hall for this event and noted that the Chief Executive has agreed that the hire fee should be waived. Cllr. Deirdre Heney also thanked Cllr. Darcy Lonergan for her great work on the Women’s Committee, a sentiment which was echoed by all the Members.

Order: The Members agreed to this request.

Ruth Dowling informed Members that two subsequent requests had come in from the Irish Cancer Society to illuminate City Hall on 25^th March in support of Daffodil Day and from Epilepsy Ireland to illuminate City Hall on 26^th March in aid of Epilepsy Awareness Day. The Manager reported that the Lord Mayor had agreed to illuminate the Mansion House in support of Epilepsy Awareness Day.    

Order: As the City Hall Illumination Policy only allows for one lighting event per month and considering the Mansion House was lighting up for Epilepsy Awareness Day the Members agreed to support Daffodil Day on 25^th March this year.   

Priority reports for Q1:

•           Report on Lighting of Dublin City Council Buildings & Infrastructure

•           Naming of Developments

•           Friendly City Agreements

•           City Hall Works

•           IT Sub Group

The Manager informed Members that reports on the following issues would be brought before the Committee in the coming months:

• Report on Lighting of Dublin City Council Buildings & Infrastructure

• Naming of Developments

• Friendly City Agreements

• City Hall Works

• IT Sub Group

Cllr. Micheal MacDonncha informed the Manager that there was an issue with data sharing on City Council iPads. On several occasions he had seen photographs belonging to another Councillor on his own device. 

Order: The Manager thanked the Councillor for bringing this to her attention. This was a potentially serious issue which would be investigated immediately. A report on the matter would be brought to the next meeting.

Cllr. Donna Cooney asked the Manager if it were possible for the Planning Department to could notify Councillors in advance if there were any delays to proposed Part 8 Planning Applications.

Order: The Manager agreed to bring this request to the Planning Department.

Deputy Lord Mayor Joe Costello asked if it were possible to extend the period of time, currently one month, that emails were accessible on mobile devices before being archived.

Order: The Manager agreed to investigate and would report back on the matter.

Order: It was agreed that the next meeting of the Protocol Committee would be deferred until the 3^rd March 2022.