Minutes:
DUBLIN CITY COUNCIL
SOUTH CENTRAL AREA COMMITTEE
20th September 2017
534 Councillor Tina MacVeigh (as amended 20/9/17)
In the interest of equality and realizing the reproductive rights of women in Dublin South Central, this Area Committee agrees that the 8th Amendment should be repealed, that a referendum be held in the spring and calls on people to support a broad inclusive campaign for the Repeal of the 8th Amendment.
Order:Agreed without debate. Cllr McHugh wished it noted that he was not agreeing to this motion.
535 Councillor Hazel de Nortuin
Given the recent rise of suicides in Ballyfermot, this Area Committee sends its condolences to the friends and families of those affected. This Area Committee also recognises all of the supports and services in place and will help, when possible, to fund any initiative to highlight these services to those in need.
Order:Agreed
536 Councillor Greg Kelly
This Area Committee calls on the OPW to engage with DCC Housing in putting forward PP for the joint building of Housing units on the OPW site in Jamestown Road, Inchicore, that was planned in 2003. With the current housing crises all state agencies and local authorities need to be working together.
Order:Agreed
537 Councillor Paul Hand
That this Area Committee is concerned at the ageing and decaying freshwater, wastewater and drainage infrastructure in Chapelizod Village from Main Street to Martins Row and all buildings adjoining. Water pressure here is extremely low in places, occasionally there is a smell from the wastewater system and drainage along the road is inadequate, often leading to flash flooding and water ponding. I would request that the contents of this motion be forwarded to the relevant Departments in DCC and Irish Water for consideration and for necessary action to be taken to upgrade necessary infrastructure in Chapelizod.
Order:Agreed without debate.
538 Councillor Vincent Jackson
The recent opening of another Bookmakers outlet at Ballyfermot Road, in an outlet used previously as an ESB Electric shop, a Bank and a Bookmakers, shows how important it is that DCC develop a retail strategy for suburban shopping areas like Ballyfermot, to stop the proliferation of similar use shops. Ballyfermot now has more Chemists, Take-aways and Bookmakers than any area in Ireland, however we are destroying the retail mix and we in DCC need to become pro-active and insist all development needs planning permission when re-opening / re-development, to help correct this imbalance.
Order:Report to Councillor.
539 Councillor Daithí Doolan
The South Central Area Committee supports the call for an out of hours mental health care service for Ballyfermot and we urge local services and statutory agencies to work together with the community to establish this service as soon as possible.
Order:Agreed
540 Councillor Tina MacVeigh
That, as agreed in meetings to discuss discretionary fund expenditure earlier this year, this Area Committee will fund research commissioned by the community sector in Dublin South Central so as to assess the impact of austerity and cuts to the community sector and the vital services it provides to people in our constituency.
Order:Report noted.
541 Councillor Hazel de Nortuin
This Area Committee will agree to change the Zoning on the piece of land adjacent to Labre Park from Z6 to Z9 to ensure the continued recreational use by residents of Labre Park and runs approximately 30 by 300 meters.
Order:Agreed to refer to the City Council. As the Members requested that Motion 545 be listed for the October Meeting and there is only place allocated for Area Committee referrals on the Council Agenda, members agreed that Motion 541 would go on a waiting list.
542 Councillor Greg Kelly
This Area Committee calls again on the Area Manager to start the process of installing Smart Bins in Dublin South Central. I had a motion passed in January and was told that the bins would go into tourist area's but to date 54 Bins have been installed and only 2 are in Tourist Area's. The other 52 Bins are installed in Baggot Street (39), Sandymount (10) and Donnybrook (3). This goes against what I was told in January. This means that 52 of 54 bins have gone to the Pembroke South Dock Area while again Dublin South Central is overlooked. The Area Manager should start the process of replacing the bins removed from DSC area with the new bins without delay.
Order:Agreed
543 Councillor Vincent Jackson
This Area Committee calls on Dublin City Council, as a matter of urgency, to set up an-interagency meeting with DCC Parks Dept, An Garda Síochana, Ballyfermot Advance etc. to try and offer a response to ongoing anti-social behaviour of open drinking etc in the Lawns Park, Ballyfermot. Nowhere in this Republic would this issue be allowed fester like in this Park, the community are crying out for a proper response from the Civil Authorities mandated to provide protection to the citizens of the state.
Order:Report to Councillor.
544 Councillor Daithí Doolan
The South Central Area Committee will invite Ballyfermot Chapelizod Access Group to make a presentation at the November meeting.
Order:Agreed
545 Councillor Tina MacVeigh (as amended 20/9/17)
This Area Committee condemns the violence and ethnic cleansing by the military against the Rohingya people in Myanmar. The lack of action by the elected government of Myanmar to stop these attacks and make those guilty of human rights violations accountable to the Courts and the Law is evidence that Myanmar remains fundamentally a military state and it’s government lacks the courage and conviction to ensure human rights for all the people of Myanmar.
The Area Committee deplores in particular the attempted justification, denial and lack of action of Aung San Suu Kyi, on whom the Freedom of Dublin was bestowed. The Area Committee resolves to adopt and refer this motion to City Council calling on the Lord Mayor to write to Aung San Suu Kyi expressing Dublin’s horror that she, and her government, choose to absolve the Military from their actions, and refuse to guarantee the civil and humanitarian rights of the Rohingya people.
We ask the Lord Mayor and the Council, in that correspondence, to request Aung San Suu Kyi to voluntarily surrender the honour Dublin bestowed on her through the Freedom of the City and that she request to have her name removed from the City’s Roll of Honour.
If we receive no response, the Council would call on government to amend relevant existing legislation to allow Local Authorities to rescind Freedom decisions.
Order:Agreed to refer to the City Council. As the Members requested that Motion 545 be listed for the October Meeting and there is only one place allocated for Area Committee referrals on the Council Agenda, members agreed that Motion 541 would go on a waiting list.
546 Councillor Greg Kelly
This Area Committee regrets the decision made by the NTA to privatise 24 Bus Átha Cliath routes, including 2 in the Dublin South Central area the 18 and 76 services. We call on Minister Shane Ross to stop his agenda of Privatising the Bus Service in Átha Cliath. We also call on him to outline a public transport policy that is about providing a safe, reliable, affordable public service to ensure every citizen has access and a choice of transport in their local area.
We need to ensure that Bus Átha Cliath does not lose out financially as a result of the Minister's move. Investment must continue, both in Public Service Obligation spend and in Capital Investment. “Private commercial transport companies such as Transdev and Go Ahead are given guarantees of payment by the NTA over fixed term contracts. In contrast Bus Átha Cliath does not know what level of capital or current funding it will get on a multi-year basis and this leaves the company at a disadvantage. “Bus Átha Cliath is currently reliant on the mood swings of Minister Ross and his Cabinet colleagues and this leaves it in danger of being left short financially as they are ideologically opposed to the public service model. “We all know from seeing the privatisation of vital transport services in other countries that services get worse, costs go up, it is nearly impossible to hold private companies accountable, workers are undermined, and it is nearly impossible to reverse.
Order:Agreed without debate.
547 Councillor Vincent Jackson
That DCC support the efforts of Ballyfermot Star in order to develop a community café, bakery / employment project for those recovering from drug addiction etc. This support should consist of allowing a group from the project make a presentation at the October Area Committee, where we will be able to hear plans which could transform the lives of those who need ongoing help and support.
Order:Agreed
548 Councillor Daithí Doolan
The South Central Area Committee will invite Ballyfermot Star to make a presentation on their social enterprise project at the October meeting.
Order:Agreed
549 Councillor Daithí Doolan
The Area Committee instructs the Area Manager, notwithstanding the current process of engagement with the private sector for the identified land initiative/joint venture housing developments, to write to the new Minister for Housing requesting that he fund and support a Council led mixed tenure development, on St Michael's site, as a pilot project to demonstrate the benefits of a fully state funded and Council led development designed to meet social and affordable housing need.
Order:Agreed to refer to the Housing SPC.