Motion 1 from Councillor Dermot Lacey
This Committee requests the Manager to respond to the urgent request for better drainage solutions to the area at the end of Morehampton Road near Swan Place.
Motion 2 from Councillor Dermot Lacey
This Committee requests the Manager to review the document from the Ranelagh Village Improvement Group and circulated with this motion with a view to seeking ways to implement it as part of this year’s work programme,
Dermot Lacey
RVIG - Ranelagh Village Improvement Group
Proposal to Dublin City Council
RVIG propose the refurbishment of the section of pavement in Ranelagh village bordering houses Nos 70-88 (even nos. only}. This section of streetscape forms the longest uniform continuous coherent terrace of Victorian houses in Ranelagh Village. It is a very important part of the architectural heritage of Ranelagh. The perspective of the terrace has been enhanced by the planting of trees on this stretch of streetscape by Dublin City Council some years ago.
Two elements detract significantly from the terrace.
Firstly, the treatment of gardens and front railings is very disjointed because of some hard surfacing of gardens and removal of railings and some boundary walls. This problem is difficult to rectify with no obvious immediate solution except perhaps but attaching appropriate conditions to future planning permissions for work on any house in the terrace over the coming years.
Secondly, the surface of the footpath has been cut open on many occasions for services maintenance and many repairs are very poor in quality. The pavement now has a random jigsaw/’cut and paste’ appearance. Furthermore, it has a significant number of uneven joints at cuttings constituting a hazard to pedestrians and constituting an impediment to a more age friendly walkability for the older segment of population in the Ranelagh area.
In the 2000’s many old concrete footpaths in the village in a similar condition were replaced with granite kerbing and concrete paving stones. This greatly improvement the appearance and the paving stones approach has facilitated easy uniform replacement whenever services maintenance required excavation. But there has been little or no footpath renewal in the Ranelagh village area since 2009.
We are proposing the renewal of the segment outlined earlier with a somewhat similar approach to the earlier work, but with a variation. Given the quality of the Victorian terrace in question, we propose that the paving be with granite kerbing and granite paving stones. This could either be of the bright grey variety, used in parts of the city or preferably the yellow tinted variety used in some Georgian and Victorian streetscapes in Dublin. This latter type would reflect the yellow brickwork of the terrace.
The length of pavement in question is approximately 75 mtrs. and while the width varies, it is on average approximately 3 mtrs. or a little less, thus giving a pavement area of 225 Sq. mtrs. We are aware from an industry source that granite paving is expensive, approx. three times the cost of concrete. So the extra cost of granite over concrete would be approximately 4-5000 euro (32 vs 12 euro per sq. metre).
Motion 3 from Councillor Mary Freehill
In the interest of developing closer working relations between councillors and officials that three monthly meetings be held in each of the three electoral area offices to focus on local community policy and operational matters.
Motion 4 from Councillor Dermot Lacey
This Committee requests the Manager to report on the following in relation to Donnybrook Cemetery:
1) The reason why numbered blue tags have been placed on many of, if not all, the gravestones (or marker monuments)
2) If the wall where the tree recently fell will be repaired and if the roots of the tree will be removed.
3) An update on the proposals to erect the Columbarium wall and given that the cemetery will therefore be more used if there are any plans to provide access facilities for wheelchair users at the entrance to the cemetery.
Motion 5 from Councillor Tara Deacy
Following on from our meeting on the distribution of the Discretionary fund for 2020, Cllr. Pat Dunne and myself ask that this committee agree we engage in a more informed and lengthy process for 2021. We are proposing that this committee agree (with the assistance of the Community Development Section of DCC) that we review the most recent CSO stats identifying areas of need through the deprivation index and focus any additional funding on those communities most in need. This exercise would also serve to inform our decisions around the Community Grants. We are proposing this process begin shortly after the budget has been decided.
Motion 6 from Councillor Tara Deacy
I, alongside fellow councillors have put a number of motions in for a pedestrian crossing for Ravensdale Park over the last 18 months. I received notification that this would be reviewed and I have since found out that it will not be considered for traffic calming. I ask that this committee agree to reconsider this decision. I have seen far too many near misses over the last few months. We have several visually impaired residents who struggle to cross over this busy junction and many young families are also resident in this area. Can we as a committee all agree that this particular area would greatly benefit from a traffic calming measure before there is a serious accident?
Motion 7 from Councillor Tara Deacy
I note that 220 trees are being planted in the South East Area during 2020. I seek support from this committee to ensure the areas of Kimmage and Crumlin be attended to in terms of a tree planting programme, especially the streets of Captain's Road, Stannaway Road and surrounding streets? Currently many of the streets are almost entirely tree-less: in stark contrast to other areas, there are just a few in place (some of them not in great condition); and in many other cases, the square-shaped hole within the footpath in which trees previously grew has, depressingly, been filled in with concrete. In short, the streets are very grey and sorely lacking in decent greenery and canopy. Can areas like this where tree planting has been low be prioritized as a matter of urgency?
Motion 8 from Councillor Tara Deacy
That this committee agree and support the views of residents from the Kimmage / Crumlin community that Crumlin Swimming Pool opening hours be extended. This is a crucial public service that is not being utilised fully and is causing huge frustrations for residents. The hours at present are not adequate and must be addressed. Can this committee agree that alternative funding streams be investigated in terms of increasing the opening hours, for example sporting grants etc.? We have relied too heavily on discretionary funds to keep the pool open over the last number of years and this is unsustainable.
Motion 9 from Councillor Tara Deacy
In light of the terrible accident that took place on February 24th at the entrance to Eamon Ceannt Park, Sundrive Road I ask that this committee agree DCC put pedestrian crossing in place as soon as possible.
Motion10 from Councillor Mary Freehill
That Dublin City Council complies with its commitment to provide access to all its buildings to people with disabilities.
This committee and the City Council on a number of occasions have agreed to provide handrails along the steps to city hall so far nothing has been done. This entrance and egress are leather for pedestrians and especially for the walking wounded. A number of people have fallen on these steps, if the Council continues to ignore their responsibility they will incur insurance claims.
City Hall and Wood quay are seriously inaccessible to people with hearing losses. It is estimated that 25% of the population have hearing loss i.e. 1 million people. The headphones that work in the council chamber don’t work downstairs. There is no facility whatsoever for people with hearing loss in Wood Quay building.
This committee agrees that an acoustic assessment of both buildings is carried out and that hand rails are immediately installed on the steps to City Hall. This has been agreed by the Council in the past but nothing has been done. I ask that the City Architect attend our meeting to assure us on when the work will commence.
Motion11 from Councillor Claire Byrne
That this area committee calls on the Area Manager to take immediate measures to address the issue of speeding and rat running on Creighton Street. There is a particular issue during peak traffic times where drivers use Creighton Street to reach Sandwith Street to avoid the traffic lights at the Quays/Lombard Street junction and Lombard Street/Townsend Street junction, very often travelling at high speed and ignoring the two stop signs, posing a real threat to pedestrians and cyclists.
Motion 12 from Councillor Claire Byrne
That this area committee agrees not to dispose of the council owned land adjacent to the former Bernard Shaw pub on Richmond Street South for commercial development and agrees that this land should only be used for housing or cultural and creative purposes.
Motion13 from Councillor Claire Byrne
That this Area Committee calls on the Area Manager to resurface the road at Earlsfort Terrace / Stephens Green and to reinstate the road markings here as a matter of urgency. The road has been left in a terrible state due to recent development and utility works here.
Motion 14 from Councillor Mary Freehill
That this committee elect and recommend to Council two members of the South East Area Committee to the management committee of the Swan management Company Rathmines. This was agreed in the first instance when the Management Board was agreed by Council. Subsequently the Council’s Legal Dept. challenged the fitness of an elected member to be a member of this board. I submitted a further legal opinion pointing out the inadequacy of this opinion.
Therefore it is agreed that two members be recommended to city council from this committee and be elected at this committee and submitted to the April Council meeting”
Motion 15 from Councillor James Geoghegan
That a meeting be arranged between Parks Department and residents of Dartmouth Square concerning the decision to leave the gates of the park open at all times.
Motion 16 from Councillor James Geoghegan
That a new system be established for councillors to have personalised contacts within Irish Water for the relevant engineers or officials responsible for each areas within the South East Area.
Motion 17 from Councillor Pat Dunne
That the area manager takes the necessary steps with the relevant sections to have the traffic signals along the Grand Canal pedestrianised. There is a real need from the point of view of Health and Safety to have pedestrian lights at the Herberton Road/ Dolphin Road intersection and at Sally’s Bridge. There has been procrastination in relation to similar requests in the past on the basis that these works would be incorporated into the Grand Canal Cycleway project, but we cannot wait any longer for action on this issue.
Minutes:
Emergency Motion Cllr. Claire O’Connor. Moved by Cllr. Lacey
That Ranelagh Gardens Park be locked at night and the status quo reverted to.
Order: Report to Councillor.
Motion 1 from Councillor Dermot Lacey
This Committee requests the Manager to respond to the urgent request for better drainage solutions to the area at the end of Morehampton Road near Swan Place.
Order: Report to councillor.
Motion 2 from Councillor Dermot Lacey
This Committee requests the Manager to review the document from the Ranelagh Village Improvement Group and circulated with this motion with a view to seeking ways to implement it as part of this year’s work programme,
Dermot Lacey
RVIG - Ranelagh Village Improvement Group
Proposal to Dublin City Council
RVIG propose the refurbishment of the section of pavement in Ranelagh village bordering houses Nos 70-88 (even nos. only}. This section of streetscape forms the longest uniform continuous coherent terrace of Victorian houses in Ranelagh Village. It is a very important part of the architectural heritage of Ranelagh. The perspective of the terrace has been enhanced by the planting of trees on this stretch of streetscape by Dublin City Council some years ago.
Two elements detract significantly from the terrace.
Firstly, the treatment of gardens and front railings is very disjointed because of some hard surfacing of gardens and removal of railings and some boundary walls. This problem is difficult to rectify with no obvious immediate solution except perhaps but attaching appropriate conditions to future planning permissions for work on any house in the terrace over the coming years.
Secondly, the surface of the footpath has been cut open on many occasions for services maintenance and many repairs are very poor in quality. The pavement now has a random jigsaw/’cut and paste’ appearance. Furthermore, it has a significant number of uneven joints at cuttings constituting a hazard to pedestrians and constituting an impediment to a more age friendly walkability for the older segment of population in the Ranelagh area.
In the 2000’s many old concrete footpaths in the village in a similar condition were replaced with granite kerbing and concrete paving stones. This greatly improvement the appearance and the paving stones approach has facilitated easy uniform replacement whenever services maintenance required excavation. But there has been little or no footpath renewal in the Ranelagh village area since 2009.
We are proposing the renewal of the segment outlined earlier with a somewhat similar approach to the earlier work, but with a variation. Given the quality of the Victorian terrace in question, we propose that the paving be with granite kerbing and granite paving stones. This could either be of the bright grey variety, used in parts of the city or preferably the yellow tinted variety used in some Georgian and Victorian streetscapes in Dublin. This latter type would reflect the yellow brickwork of the terrace.
The length of pavement in question is approximately 75 mtrs. and while the width varies, it is on average approximately 3 mtrs. or a little less, thus giving a pavement area of 225 Sq. mtrs. We are aware from an industry source that granite paving is expensive, approx. three times the cost of concrete. So the extra cost of granite over concrete would be approximately 4-5000 euro (32 vs 12 euro per sq. metre).
Order: Report to councillor.
Motion 3 from Councillor Mary Freehill
In the interest of developing closer working relations between councillors and officials that three monthly meetings be held in each of the three electoral area offices to focus on local community policy and operational matters.
Order: Agreed.
Motion 4 from Councillor Dermot Lacey
This Committee requests the Manager to report on the following in relation to Donnybrook Cemetery:
1) The reason why numbered blue tags have been placed on many of, if not all, the gravestones (or marker monuments)
2) If the wall where the tree recently fell will be repaired and if the roots of the tree will be removed.
3) An update on the proposals to erect the Columbarium wall and given that the cemetery will therefore be more used if there are any plans to provide access facilities for wheelchair users at the entrance to the cemetery.
Order: Report to councillor.
Motion 5 from Councillor Tara Deacy and Pat Dunne
Following on from our meeting on the distribution of the Discretionary fund for 2020, Cllr. Pat Dunne and myself ask that this committee agree we engage in a more informed and lengthy process for 2021. We are proposing that this committee agree (with the assistance of the Community Development Section of DCC) that we review the most recent CSO stats identifying areas of need through the deprivation index and focus any additional funding on those communities most in need. This exercise would also serve to inform our decisions around the Community Grants. We are proposing this process begin shortly after the budget has been decided.
Order: Agreed.
Motion 6 from Councillor Tara Deacy
I, alongside fellow councillors have put a number of motions in for a pedestrian crossing for Ravensdale Park over the last 18 months. I received notification that this would be reviewed and I have since found out that it will not be considered for traffic calming. I ask that this committee agree to reconsider this decision. I have seen far too many near misses over the last few months. We have several visually impaired residents who struggle to cross over this busy junction and many young families are also resident in this area. Can we as a committee all agree that this particular area would greatly benefit from a traffic calming measure before there is a serious accident?
Order: Report to councillor.
Motion 7 from Councillor Tara Deacy
I note that 220 trees are being planted in the South East Area during 2020. I seek support from this committee to ensure the areas of Kimmage and Crumlin be attended to in terms of a tree planting programme, especially the streets of Captain's Road, Stannaway Road and surrounding streets? Currently many of the streets are almost entirely tree-less: in stark contrast to other areas, there are just a few in place (some of them not in great condition); and in many other cases, the square-shaped hole within the footpath in which trees previously grew has, depressingly, been filled in with concrete. In short, the streets are very grey and sorely lacking in decent greenery and canopy. Can areas like this where tree planting has been low be prioritized as a matter of urgency?
Order: Report to councillor.
Motion 8 from Councillor Tara Deacy
That this committee agree and support the views of residents from the Kimmage / Crumlin community that Crumlin Swimming Pool opening hours be extended. This is a crucial public service that is not being utilised fully and is causing huge frustrations for residents. The hours at present are not adequate and must be addressed. Can this committee agree that alternative funding streams be investigated in terms of increasing the opening hours, for example sporting grants etc.? We have relied too heavily on discretionary funds to keep the pool open over the last number of years and this is unsustainable.
Order: Agreed.
Motion 9 from Councillor Tara Deacy
In light of the terrible accident that took place on February 24th at the entrance to Eamon Ceannt Park, Sundrive Road I ask that this committee agree DCC put pedestrian crossing in place as soon as possible.
Order: Report to councillor.
Motion 10 from Councillor Mary Freehill
That Dublin City Council complies with its commitment to provide access to all its buildings to people with disabilities.
This committee and the City Council on a number of occasions have agreed to provide handrails along the steps to city hall so far nothing has been done. This entrance and egress are leather for pedestrians and especially for the walking wounded. A number of people have fallen on these steps, if the Council continues to ignore their responsibility they will incur insurance claims.
City Hall and Wood quay are seriously inaccessible to people with hearing losses. It is estimated that 25% of the population have hearing loss i.e. 1 million people. The headphones that work in the council chamber don’t work downstairs. There is no facility whatsoever for people with hearing loss in Wood Quay building.
This committee agrees that an acoustic assessment of both buildings is carried out and that hand rails are immediately installed on the steps to City Hall. This has been agreed by the Council in the past but nothing has been done. I ask that the City Architect attend our meeting to assure us on when the work will commence.
Order: Report rejected. Deferred to April meeting and attendance of staff from City Architects and Conservation Sections sought.
Motion 11 from Councillor Claire Byrne moved by Cllr. Lacey
That this area committee calls on the Area Manager to take immediate measures to address the issue of speeding and rat running on Creighton Street. There is a particular issue during peak traffic times where drivers use Creighton Street to reach Sandwith Street to avoid the traffic lights at the Quays/Lombard Street junction and Lombard Street/Townsend Street junction, very often travelling at high speed and ignoring the two stop signs, posing a real threat to pedestrians and cyclists.
Order: Report to councillor.
Motion 12 from Councillor Claire Byrne moved by Cllr. Lacey
That this area committee agrees not to dispose of the council owned land adjacent to the former Bernard Shaw pub on Richmond Street South for commercial development and agrees that this land should only be used for housing or cultural and creative purposes.
Order: Report to Councillor.
Motion 13 from Councillor Claire Byrne moved by Councillor Lacey
That this Area Committee calls on the Area Manager to resurface the road at Earlsfort Terrace / Stephens Green and to reinstate the road markings here as a matter of urgency. The road has been left in a terrible state due to recent development and utility works here.
Order: Report to councillor.
Motion 14 from Councillor Mary Freehill
That this committee elect and recommend to Council two members of the South East Area Committee to the management committee of the Swan management Company Rathmines. This was agreed in the first instance when the Management Board was agreed by Council. Subsequently the Council’s Legal Dept. challenged the fitness of an elected member to be a member of this board. I submitted a further legal opinion pointing out the inadequacy of this opinion.
Therefore it is agreed that two members be recommended to city council from this committee and be elected at this committee and submitted to the April Council meeting.
Order: Defer to April meeting. Provide written confirmation that Dublin City Council membership of the Swan Management Company is an executive not a reserved function. Further information on the appointment of directors to be brought before the next meeting.
Motion 15 from Councillor James Geoghegan
That a meeting be arranged between Parks Department and residents of Dartmouth Square concerning the decision to leave the gates of the park open at all times.
Order: Report to councillor.
Motion 16 from Councillor James Geoghegan
That a new system be established for councillors to have personalised contacts within Irish Water for the relevant engineers or officials responsible for each areas within the South East Area.
Order: Agreed.
Motion 17 from Councillor Pat Dunne
That the area manager takes the necessary steps with the relevant sections to have the traffic signals along the Grand Canal pedestrianised. There is a real need from the point of view of Health and Safety to have pedestrian lights at the Herberton Road/ Dolphin Road intersection and at Sally’s Bridge. There has been procrastination in relation to similar requests in the past on the basis that these works would be incorporated into the Grand Canal Cycleway project, but we cannot wait any longer for action on this issue.
Order: Report to councillor.