SUBMISSION ON THE FINGAL
DEVELOPMENT PLAN 2017-2020.
[email protected] www.krcra.net
Submission on the Fingal Development Plan
2017-2020. | 2
Contents
Area of Main Interest
3
Areas for inclusion in Development plan
4
Royal Canal Greenway
4
Coolmine Level Crossing
5
Planning and Development
6
Speed Limits
6
Cycle lanes
7
Train Stations
7
Train Times on the Maynooth Line
7
Public consultation
8
Public Information
8
Utility Companies
9
Advertising and hoardings
10
Recycling
11
Protected structures
11
Environment
11
Housing
12
Other items of interest for inclusion
12
Summary
14
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2017-2020. | 3
Area of Main Interest
The Kirkpatrick, Rockfield, Coolmine Residents Association (KRCRA) is a standard residents
association based in Dublin 15. The area we cover is mainly along the Coolmine Road. We endeavor to
have developed, all amenities and conditions desirable and beneficial to the association area. While
the residents are interested in many proposals and developments in Fingal we, as an association, are
mainly concerned with those in the Dublin 15 area and in particular those near the association area of
the Coolmine Road.
We are located beside Coolmine railway station and residents frequently utilize the service.
We are also beside the Royal canal and many residents like to walk along the canal when it is safe
enough to do so (the drier months of the year). Many cycle along the safer sections of the Royal canal
towpath.
Our location close to 6 schools and 3 shopping centers (including Blanchardstown) and Coolmine
Industrial Estate means that we have a lot of pedestrians, cyclists and motor vehicles going through
the area to access these services.
There are many cyclists in the association area including those who cycle long distances to work or for
pleasure and those who simply do short trips locally (e.g. shops and schools).
Ages range from children to seniors.
Areas for inclusion in Development plan
Royal Canal Greenway
We are aware that there is a long term proposal to build a cycle way/pedestrian route along the full
length of the Royal Canal. The proposal to provide a high quality continuous footpath/cycleway along
the towpath is very welcome and would improve the use of this amenity enormously not only in this
area but all across the GDA. Many residents make use of the amenity at present but some areas
(particularly the area of the “deep sinking”) are limited to particular times of year (when the towpath is
dry). Other residents never use it as because of the heavy vegetation it looks at times inaccessible!
The completion of the section of the Royal Canal greenway from Ashtown to Castleknock has
increased the use of this section of the canal and makes it safe for cyclists and pedestrians, young and
old, to get from Castleknock to Ashtown and beyond. There is no concern about sharing the road with
vehicles and accordingly you frequently see many younger cyclists enjoying the facility.
The current proposal to provide a high quality continuous cycle way along the Royal canal towpath is
very welcome and would improve the use of this amenity enormously. We are concerned however,
that rather than deal with the difficulties of the “deep sinking” a cheaper but less attractive cycle route
will be imposed directing the cyclist from the canal at Castleknock bridge to public roads where they
will not join the canal until say Clonsilla. This would be a terrible solution in our opinion and
accordingly we request that emphasis is placed on developing a cycle route all along the Royal Canal.
We believe that opening further sections of the canal towpath will open the facility to more and more
pedestrians and improve safety for both them and cyclists wishing to travel from Maynooth to the
centre of Dublin. Having a facility to safely cycle to work for those in the city centre would no doubt
improve the number of cyclists opting for this mode of transport, which can only be considered an
excellent outcome. The ability to have a reasonable percentage of the cyclists and pedestrians in the
area utilise a facility off road means that less money needs to be spent on developing “on road” cycle
facilities and improves the safety of pedestrians, cyclists and motorists.
Finally, we note that the development of the Canal is an important element of the Fingal Tourism
Strategy 2015-2018.We believe that this should be an important factor in any development plan. To
date there appears to have been an emphasis on improving transport facilities along the Dublin
coastline thus improving tourism in these areas. We believe that it is time to improve the transport
infrastructure in the rest of Fingal to boost tourist trade there too. The completion of the Royal Canal
greenway would be a great means of doing just that.
We strongly recommend that the completion of the Royal Canal Greenway be included in the plan.
We would also like the plan to include an undertaking that Fingal County Council will regularly (at least
once every 3 months) liaise with Waterways Ireland to ensure that they (Waterways Ireland) maintain
the tow paths and surrounding areas to a satisfactory level and that they regularly clean up litter and
dumping.
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Coolmine Level Crossing
For many years there has been talk of the closure of the level crossings on the Maynooth line. We
understand that it is an objective of Irish Rail to close the level crossings, which includes Coolmine, for
safety and operational reasons and to facilitate the future upgrade of the line.
“It is proposed to close all seven level crossings on this line, thereby removing the safety
conflicts that arise at these crossing points. Bridges over or under the line together with road
diversions and road closures will be required to deliver the closure program.
From p34 of the National Transport Authority Integrated Implementation plan 2013-2018
In 2013/14 the application to close Porterstown Level Crossing raised many concerns locally and also
raised the issue of the closure of other level crossings along the line. After many public meetings,
reports in local newspapers and on local radio, and correspondence with various interested parties we
received a letter from the now former Minister for Transport, Leo Varadkar and the now former Chief
Executive of the NTA, Gerry Murphy. The significant parts of these letters are the following:
“Nonetheless, given the level of local concern and the fact that the line will not be ungraded
for some time, it has been decided to suspend and further work of closing or by-passing the
level crossings until the end of 2018. At that point, consultations with local residents will
take place long before any plans are put on public display.”
Minister for Transport Leo Varadkar June 2014
“Preliminary engineering analysis has been carried out of the infrastructural works that
would be required to facilitate these level crossing closures. Bridges over or under the rail
line together with road diversions and road closures will be needed at a significant cost. We
have established from the preliminary design work that the capital funding program up to
2018 cannot accommodate these projects. Therefore we are not advancing any designs for
closures at present and will only activate these projects, with the attendant public and
stakeholder consultation, when we are sure that construction funding will be available”.
Gerry Murphy, Chief Executive NTA June 2014
We have received assurances from the current Minister for transport that he agrees to these
assurances. We want the new development plan to include the promise that, in relation to the closure
of the level crossings on the Maynooth line, consultations with local residents and attendant
stakeholders will take place a long time (i.e. at least 12 months)before any plans are put on public
display. We believe that the public should have access to the preliminary analysis already carried out
and that the habit of keeping plans hidden until the matter is sent to public consultation is not
acceptable.
Please include in the plan confirmation that you will liaise with residents long before (at least 12
months) any plan to support the closure of/close any level crossing in Fingal. Please also remove the
reference to supporting/agreeing to the closure of the crossings on the Maynooth Line that you have
in the current plan i.e. don’t carry such statements over.
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Planning and Development
It is in this area that the previous development plan failed and let down the residents of Fingal. We are
very disappointed that 5 year extensions have been granted to sites where permission was originally
granted during the recession but the recession was subsequently used to explain why no work had
occurred.
Perhaps the biggest eye opener for us was the Uxbridge/Dabiza proposal for Castleknock village. To
watch even the Councilors’ become utterly frustrated with the system imposed by the current
development plan would have been laughable if it wasn’t such a serious and long term issue. The fact
that ANYONE is expected to come up with plans and abide by them in FULL for 6 years is ridiculous.
None of us can foresee what is going to happen in Fingal in the next 2 years never mind after that.
Therefore it is vital that the new development plan is worded correctly and is treated as a plan not the
law. We want changes to be allowed to this development plan and urban strategies if more than 75%
of the area councilors agree to it. We also want area council meetings to continue to overview
planning issues within the area.
As already stated FCC must allow for changes, if it is in the interest of the public, to be made to this
development plan is the years to come
We want Fingal to include in the development plan their agreement to outlining the full list of areas of
concern/approval arising from submissions to planning items and to briefly explain why they were
dismissed if that is indeed the case.
Speed Limits
All across the Fingal there appears to be inconsistency when it comes to traffic speed limits. Some
dual carriageways have a lower limit than nearby B roads e.g. the Ongar Distributor road(dual
carriageway and separated from houses by a large wall) in Dublin 15 has a speed limit 20kmph lower
than the B road from Ongar to Clonee. In addition it is proposed that when the new primary cycle
route from the Phoenix Park to the Blanchardstown center is built the speed limit on the main road
connecting both villages will be 30kmph whereas the speed limit in the adjoining estates is 50kmph.
The result of this type of inconsistency is that traffic is pushed off the main road and into “rat runs”
through residential estates.
We would like the plan to include plans to have consistency and logic in relation to speed limits within
Fingal.
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Cycle lanes
There is indeed a demand and need for cycle ways in the area. Traffic is heavy on many roads and it
can be off putting for many.
We feel that efforts should be made to incorporate existing cycle ways into the plans particularly cycle
ways that are safer for all users. We stress this point as in the past plans have been drawn up
introducing new costly cycle lanes while ignoring lanes already in existence e.g. There is a proposal to
introduce a primary cycle route along Coolmine road when there is already a safe off road cycle way in
place in Station court which runs parallel and close to Coolmine road.
We were disappointed to hear at a council meeting in Fingal earlier this year that there are no monies
for the building of further cycleways in Dublin 15 this year and there is unlikely to be any available in
2016 or 2017! It does make all these strategies and plans seem pointless if the result is there is no
money to build anything!
We would ask planners and indeed all concerned to bear in mind that the cycle lanes should be for the
benefit of all cyclists, young and older, those who cycle long distances and those who simply do short
trips, those who have been cycling for years and those new to it. Having off road cycle lanes makes
travelling safer not only for cyclists but also motorists.
We were disappointed to see that the new road to Hansfield station does not have cycle lanes. We
found this strange as the facilities for cyclists is excellent at this station. We would like any new roads
in Fingal to include cycle lanes where possible/feasible.
Train Stations
Many of the stations on the Maynooth line are unmanned for most of the day. In the case of Coolmine
station, an incredibly busy station, it is only manned until 1.30pm from Monday to Friday. The ticket
office is closed at all other times, including match days when many people from outside the area travel
on this line to Croke park/The Aviva stadium. The ticket machines do not always suffice and on sunny
days are almost impossible to read. We understand the need for cost savings but the downside of
unmanned stations is that they do contribute to a feeling of neglect and of course anti-social behavior.
We have also experienced occasions where neither the council nor Irish Rail/Waterways Ireland would
take responsibility for issues as each maintained that the other was responsible.
We would like Fingal County Council to work with the other departments/agencies to confirm who is
responsible for what and to consider solutions to the problem of unmanned stations in Fingal, litter on
and immediately surrounding the area, and the maintenance of green areas around these facilities.
Train Times on the Maynooth Line
The station at Coolmine and indeed Clonsilla, Castleknock etc is very busy at rush hour and reasonably
busy at night. From our observations and discussions we note that the hourly service in the evening is
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off-putting for many individuals heading to the city center. The hourly service is not suitable and does
not encourage people to use the service e.g. if one attends a performance at the Bord Gais Energy
Theatre it is possible that after the event they will have to wait 45 to 55 minutes for a train to
Coolmine/Clonsilla and beyond. This is unacceptable for a capital city in Europe particularly when
compared with the DART and LUAS services. We have heard the argument that there are not enough
passengers for a more frequent service but believe that if there were a more frequent service you
would get increased passengers.
We think that a strategy for transport in the Development Plan should include liaising with the
National Transport Authority pushing for a more frequent service on the Maynooth line.
Public consultation
We appreciate having the opportunity to put forward our opinions in relation to the Development plan
however we have observed that in the case of definitive proposals for change the public will only be
invited to comment when a final decision had actually been made and the likelihood of having any
influence on the matter is somewhere between slim and nil e.g. at a board meeting of the NTA on the
18 October 2013 reference was made to the Integrated Implementation Plan. “Mr. Creegan informed
the board that a total of 94 submissions had been received from the consultation process. A small
number of minor changes concerning environmental issues were made to the plan.”
We have observed similar problems within Fingal e.g. In January 2014 a discussion took place at an
area meeting in Grove road about the proposed cycle lane from the Phoenix Park to the
Blanchardstown Centre. Some of the councilors were concerned with the proposals and requested
that the matter be held over until the next area meeting. The council official stated that he wanted the
matter put out to public consultation in March so that work could commence later that year! This was
a definite statement. The plan was going ahead even before the public were made aware of it!
We are worried/concerned about a number of planning issues in this area and would like them to be
taken into consideration BEFORE final decisions are made and before consultants have completed
their final reports. Accordingly we want the development plan to include a statement that local
residents and interested parties are consulted long before final plans are prepared and put on public
display.
Public Information
Providing information to the public can be difficult and given the volume of information one needs to
provide it in a concise and friendly manner. In addition, while many are happy with using computers
there are residents within Fingal that are not and they should not be marginalized. While we
frequently use the Fingal County Council website we find it very difficult at times to find information.
At other times the system is a turnoff e.g. I went to www.fingal.ie/devplan to determine how one
made a submission on line. I hit the appropriate button to make a submission and was told that I
couldn’t as I didn’t have an account! I then had to open and account but could not proceed any
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further…..no explanation. It was 40 minutes later that I received an email stating that the account had
been activated and I could proceed. This will be of no use to members of the public who are making a
last minute submission. Frankly I believe many would have given up when told they had to set up an
account. It seems unnecessary. In addition you do not appear to allow submissions by email which
frankly makes no sense. We also query the reason why you do not allow written submission to be
handed in to you Blanchardstown office; given its proximity to the Blanchardstown center this would
be very handy.
A lot of information that is issued does not necessarily make sense to those reading it for the first
time. We had dozens of questions arising from documents issued on the Fingal Community Network
and frankly got so confused we gave up in the end. Given the number of organisations that attended
the plenary meetings in relation to the number of organisations in Fingal we assume many others feel
the same.
Therefore we want to include in the development plan the setting up of a forum of various
individuals/groups across Fingal who you can ask to quickly look at documents before they are issued
to see if they make sense to a fresh pair of eyes. We also want you to allow submissions by email and
by hand to the Grove Road office.
While Fingal may not be in charge of some plans e.g. the Greater Dublin Area transport plan its effect
on the residents of Fingal is huge. In addition, more often than not FCC will actually have contributed
to these plans. It is not possible for voluntary bodies to keep abreast of all of the items on all websites
and therefore we want the Fingal website to alert residents when any department or Government
body are planning items that MAY affect Fingal or its residents. This will help to reduce the shock
many experience when some final decision is revealed.
We want FCC to set up regular communication with all registered bodies informing them, by email, of
developments/proposals/events. These committees can then disseminate the information to their
members.
Utility Companies
Over the last 2 years the KRCRA committee have taken special notice of utility units all over Fingal.
We note that there is an extraordinarily large number of them that are in disrepair and/or covered in
Graffiti. We believe the time has come for Fingal County Council to insist upon the following:
1. Full and proper reinstatement of areas when work has been carried out.
2. A serious deposit/retention fee to be levied which will reimburse the council in the event that
they have to rectify broken paths etc. due to inaction by the utility company.
3. Insist on regular maintenance of the units including the removal of graffiti. By regular we mean
once every 3 months.
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4. Be cognizant of residents and the general public when looking at where they install units.
Currently, the impression, rightly or wrongly is that they have no regard for the public.
5. Remove old, unused units and reinstate the areas.
We realise that this may prove costly for some utility companies but the fact is most of them are public
limited companies and are currently behaving in a manner that would be unacceptable by any other
company. The days of one rule for some and another for others should be long gone. We request that
all 5 points be included in the development plan.
We appreciate that the council may be tied by laws in some areas but think that given the size of
Fingal you should be able to insist the laws by changed to give FCC more power if necessary. As
already mentioned it should improve areas without a cost to the tax payer and for us that makes it a
no brainer.
Advertising and hoardings
There appears to be an enormous increase of advertising boards/Placards in a number of areas in
Fingal. In many cases they are unsightly and detrimental to the area. The area of Coolmine Industrial
Estate is a prime example. It is so littered with advertising that it is impossible to see anything and it
makes the place look like a dump. It is unnecessary and frankly a turnoff for public members utilizing
services and/or just passing by. We have heard reports that businesses have been turned off from the
area too.
We note the in March 2010 Fingal County Council’s Blanchardstown Urban Design Framework stated
(in relation to Blanchardstown)
Weaknesses
o Saturated with traffic
o Poor pedestrian and cyclist environment in places
o Visually degraded by conversions of houses to business use and
excessive and unsightly signage
If anything these problems have gotten worse. We note that you have independent reports actually
detailing the advertising on each of the building on Blanchardstown Main street and were appalled to
see that there were only a few that had less than 3! We were particularly annoyed by those premises
used by politicians, including Fingal Councilors’.
We would like Fingal to regard excessive advertising as litter and request the business/service remove
it promptly or charge them for removing it. We want Fingal to introduce limits to the number and type
of advertising hoardings a business can have and the development plan and subsequent Urban design
plans to state the limit and that Fingal will actively enforce the use of excessive advertising/posters.
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Recycling
The recycle center at Coolmine is a great asset and it appears to be heavily relied on. We are curious
however as to whether the limited opening hours are contributing to the increase in dumping in the
area. We note that the recycle center in Swords is open for considerable longer hours and more days
and would like the development plan to include a commitment to extend the opening hours and days
at Coolmine so that all areas of Fingal are being treated the same. We believe this will help with the
litter and dumping problem in Dublin 15.
Protected structures
The recent destruction of Beechville in Blanchardstown Main Street by a developer has highlighted
the issue of protected and historic structures. We would like the following to be included in the
development plan:
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Fingal to provide a listing of all protected and historic structures in Fingal and let the list be
readily available
Move some of our historic structures to protected structures.
An active campaign to highlight the need to protect our heritage and to encourage anyone
who has concerns about these structures to call a dedicated phone number. While we
appreciate that you may be constrained by planning laws we believe that Fingal County
Council is powerful enough to set a standard and push for more powers in this area.
The standard 6 week time frame for public submissions to be extended in cases of work on
historic and protected structures plus
A more intensive monitoring of work at the sites of historic/protected structures.
Protect and improve the iron bridge over the liffey at the strawberry beds in D15.
Purchase and protect the old Porterstown school (beside Porterstown Level Crossing) – now
privately owned. This site would make an excellent stop off for those utilizing the canal banks
when it is completed.
Environment
We want the Development plan to include points as follows:
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Protection for the Liffey Valley, Royal Canal, Tolka Valley, strawberry beds, Westmanstown
and the area alongside the phoenix park.
Agreement for a bridge from the Royal canal over the railway to St Catherines Park to improve
access for pedestrians and cyclists. While St Catherines Park is a wonderful addition to parks
within Fingal for most visitors it is only accessible by car.
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Confirmation that current green spaces within Fingal are zoned as green
Impose sanctions on derelict sites
Protect our trees and if it necessary to remove some replace with trees rather than the current
practice of saplings
Agree to produce a booklet on places/structures of interest within ALL of Fingal to encourage
visitors to all areas.
Make the lands around Connolly Hospital a specific objective i.e. zone for hospital only.
Housing
Housing developments need to be spread more evenly across the county. It appears that a lot of
developments are in the D15 area and we question whether this is tied in with the fact that in the last
census 4 of the 5 poorest areas in Fingal were in the D15 area. We find it pointless to continue to build
houses predominantly in one or two area of Fingal when there are better transport systems within
others. All of Fingal should be treated equally. Therefore we want the new development plan to
include a promise that housing development will be spread across the county.
We understand that the new strategy is for high density building near rail lines. We believe a lot more
work needs to be done before Fingal supports this view. The fact is that the Maynooth line has a very
basic service when compared to the service provide by the LUAS or even DART. In addition, the roads
along the D15 section of the rail line cannot handle additional traffic. We want FCC to state that
further work will be carried out to determine whether high density is suitable for the Maynooth Line
and until such time it will not be supported or agreed to.
There should be a limit to the high density housing in general within Fingal. We need to learn from
past mistakes and recognize that what may work in the USA or Germany will not necessarily work
here. Lots of what was built in the boom is not appropriate now. What we have learned over recent
years is that people do not want to bring up their children in apartments. We need a mix of
apartments and housing to cater for needs in the area.
The development plan should include support for the development of retirement villages and special
needs villages across Fingal. It has been suggested that if suitable retirement villages were built it
would free up houses suitable for families.
Please include plans to impose sanctions on derelict sites.
Other items of interest for inclusion
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Appropriately zoned area for graveyard in Castleknock/Blanchardstown perhaps Abbotstown
Ensure all industrial estates are clearly signposted and are well maintained. Working with
residents associations to encourage more public participation in area maintenance
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Provide meeting centres with facilities to support organisations and organise social gatherings,
Summer festivals etc,
Organise cluster meetings in demographic areas ensuring socially excluded can attend to
encourage representation in the wider area
Provide transport to local colleges e.g. ITB and build links between Adult Education Centres
and Local Adult Education Programmes to support this goal
Provide grants and encourage entrepreneurial workshops and training. Establish a dedicated
training centre for upskilling and further training. Provide initiatives for industries to employ
locally
Provide information days for youth. Facilitate workshops and find and use their ideas to
encourage ownership of youth projects.
Meet regularly with local business and industries to gather ideas and encourage shared goals.
Create hubs for idea and skill exchange to support all. Organise cluster meetings for local
business to exchange ideas and identify required supports.
Summary
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We strongly recommend that the completion of the Royal Canal Greenway be included in the
plan.
We request that emphasis is placed on developing a cycle route all along the Royal Canal.
We would also like the plan to include an undertaking that Fingal County Council will regularly
(at least once every 3 months) liaise with Waterways Ireland to ensure that they (Waterways
Ireland) maintain the tow paths and surrounding areas of the Royal Canal to a satisfactory level
and that they regularly clean up litter and dumping.
Please include in the plan confirmation that you will liaise with residents long before (at least
12 months) any plan to support the closure of/close any level crossing in Fingal.
Please remove the reference to supporting/agreeing to the closure of the crossings on the
Maynooth Line that you have in the current plan i.e. don’t carry such statements over.
We want changes to be allowed to this development plan and Urban strategies if more than
75% of the area councilors agree to it.
We want area council meetings to continue to overview planning issues within the area.
FCC must allow for changes, if it is in the interest of the public, to be made to this development
plan is the years to come
We want Fingal to include in the development plan their agreement to outlining the full list of
areas of concern/approval arising from submissions to planning items and to briefly explain
why they were dismissed if that is indeed the case.
We would like the plan to include plans to have consistency and logic in relation to speed limits
within Fingal
We would ask planners and indeed all concerned to bear in mind that the cycle lanes should be
for the benefit of all cyclists, young and older, those who cycle long distances and those who
simply do short trips, those who have been cycling for years and those new to it.
We would like any new roads in Fingal to include cycle lanes where possible/feasible.
We would like Fingal County Council to work with the other departments/agencies to confirm
who is responsible for what and to consider solutions to the problem of unmanned train/dart
stations in Fingal, litter on and immediately surrounding the area, and the maintenance of
green areas around these facilities.
We think that a strategy for transport in the Development Plan should include liaising with the
National Transport Authority pushing for a more frequent service on the Maynooth line.
We are worried/concerned about a number of public planning issues in this area and would like
them to be taken into consideration BEFORE final decisions are made and before consultants
have completed their final reports. Accordingly we want the development plan to include a
statement that local residents and interested parties are consulted long before final plans are
prepared and put on public display.
We want to include in the development plan the setting up of a forum of various
individuals/groups across Fingal who you can ask to quickly look at documents before they are
issued to see if they make sense to a fresh pair of eyes.
We also want you to allow submissions by email and by hand to the Grove Road office.
Submission on the Fingal Development Plan
2017-2020. | 15
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We want the Fingal website to alert residents when any department or Government body are
planning items that MAY affect Fingal or its residents. This will help to reduce the shock many
experience when some final decision is revealed.
We want FCC to set up regular communication with all registered bodies informing them, by
email, of developments/proposals/events. These committees can then disseminate the
information to their members.
In relation to utility companies we want to include and for Fingal County Council to insist on
the following:
o Full and proper reinstatement of areas when work has been carried out.
o A serious deposit/retention fee to be levied which will reimburse the council/taxpayer in
the event that they have to rectify broken paths etc. due to inaction by the utility
company.
o Insist on regular maintenance of the units including the removal of graffiti. By regular
we mean once every 3 months.
o Be cognizant of residents and the general public when looking at where they install
units. Currently, the impression, rightly or wrongly is that they have no regard for the
public.
o Remove old, unused units and reinstate the areas.
We want Fingal to introduce limits to the number and type of advertising hoardings a business
can have and the development plan and subsequent urban design plans to state the limit.
Fingal CC will actively enforce the use of excessive advertising/posters.
Include a commitment to extend the opening hours and days at Coolmine recycling center so
that all areas of Fingal are being treated the same
Fingal to provide a listing of all protected and historic structures in Fingal and let the list be
readily available
Categorize some of our historic structures as protected structures.
Undertake active campaign to highlight the need to protect our heritage and to encourage
anyone who has concerns about these structures to call a dedicated phone number.
The standard 6 week time frame for public submissions to be extended in cases of work on
historic and protected structures
A more intensive monitoring of work at the sites of historic/protected structures.
Protect and improve the iron bridge over the liffey at the strawberry beds in D15.
Purchase and protect the old Porterstown school (beside Porterstown Level Crossing) – now
privately owned.
Protection for the Liffey Valley, Royal Canal, Tolka Valley, strawberry beds, Westmanstown
and the area alongside the phoenix park.
Agreement for a bridge from the Royal canal over the railway to St Catherines Park to improve
access for pedestrians and cyclists.
Confirmation that current green spaces within Fingal are zoned as green
Impose major sanctions on derelict sites
Submission on the Fingal Development Plan
2017-2020. | 16
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Protect our trees and if it necessary to remove some replace with trees rather than the current
practice of saplings
Agree to produce a booklet on places/structures of interest within ALL of Fingal to encourage
visitors to all areas.
Make the lands around Connolly Hospital a specific objective i.e. zone for hospital only.
We want the new development plan to include a promise that housing development will be
spread across the county.
We want FCC to state that further work will be carried out to determine whether high density is
suitable for the Maynooth Line and until such time high density housing along the rail lines will
not be supported or agreed to.
There will be a limit to the high density housing in general within Fingal. We need a mix of
apartments and housing to cater for needs in the area.
The development plan should include support for the development of retirement villages and
special needs villages across Fingal
Appropriately zoned area for graveyard in Castleknock/Blanchardstown perhaps Abbotstown
Ensure all industrial estates are clearly signposted and are well maintained. Working with
residents associations to encourage more public participation in area maintenance
Provide meeting centres with facilities to support organisations and organise social gatherings,
Summer festivals etc,
Organise cluster meetings in demographic areas ensuring socially excluded can attend to
encourage representation in the wider area
Provide transport to local colleges e.g. ITB and build links between Adult Education Centres
and Local Adult Education Programmes to support this goal
Provide grants and encourage entrepreneurial workshops and training. Establish a dedicated
training centre for upskilling and further training. Provide initiatives for industries to employ
locally
Provide information days for youth. Facilitate workshops and find and use their ideas to
encourage ownership of youth projects.
Meet regularly with local business and industries to gather ideas and encourage shared goals.
Create hubs for idea and skill exchange to support all. Organise cluster meetings for local
business to exchange ideas and identify required supports.