Cherrywood Luas light railway line has been criticised for its lack of park and ride car parks

A councillor says the move to reduce development levies for car parks is “legally questionable” without public consultation.

Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council is to reduce development levies on temporary ‘park and ride’ car parks along the Luas line B1 extension to Cherrywood by 75%.

Councillors voted for the change at the council’s monthly meeting last Monday.

“I have considerable sympathy for any measure that would encourage park and ride facilities for the Luas line. But any major change to the development levy schemes is required to undergo proper consultation,” said Cllr Richard Humphreys.

“The decision of the FG and FF councillors to ram through this change without any such consultation is, in my view, legally questionable,” Humphreys said. He said that the results of consultation could have gone further than councillors have and shown that people wanted the levies removed fully.

Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown county manager, Owen Keegan, told councillors last week that it was an “urgent issue,” that current levies are “penal,” and he said he was quite confidence that the changes are within the capacities of councillors.

He said the park and ride developments planned are temporary – for around five years — and the council would have to be satisfied that the parking charges and operation hours are reasonable. He said the Railway Procurement Agency is happy to rebate the Luas levy in full for the car parks.

Kathleen Holohan, director of planning for the council, said by her estimates car park owners would not make enough money to be able to pay back the original levies from the money earned from parking for five years.

Keegan said: “We are aware of a number of proposals, some of which already have planning permission and one or two in the process of getting permission. But it’s unlikely that any of these would proceed given the current levy.”

A number of councillors raised issues with unfairness of exempting levies for some while others have paid them or have to pay them before developing sites. It was agreed that the levied be reduced by 75% rather than removed fully. The vote was carried with 15 councillors for it and nine against.

Cllr Hugh Lewis (PBP / ULA) said, “The Luas system should have never been built without park and ride facilities in the first place. It’s systemic of bad planning.”

Cllr Tom Joyce (FG) said while councillors have said they are in favour of park and ride that some had voted against it already.

Cllr Victor Boyhan (Independent) said he knows of people who have had problems building extensions to their houses or building houses because their land is within the levy area.

Planning permission has been granted for the following car parks along the line:

• 350 spaces at Carrickmines to the Railway Procurement Agency for 6 years (details)
• 387 spaces beside Leopardstown Valley Luas stop to Viscount Securities for 5 years (details)
• 78 spaces at Murphystown Road, Sandyford, to Fianna Fail councillor Thomas Murphy (details)

Still in the planning process:

• 197 spaces at Cherrywood Science and Technology Park, Cherrywood, Loughlinstown, awaiting further information from Dunloe Management Services (details)

IMAGE: Some rights reserved by infomatique

The no 7 bus route is included in a new list of changes.

Dublin Bus has listed a route it cut without public consultation or notice as an improvement.

The number 4 and 4a bus routes were merged with an overall frequency cut of 30% on weekdays and 66% on Sundays. Capacity on buses was also reduced as the route’s long ‘bendy’ buses were replaced with lower capacity double-deckers.

Dublin Bus did not respond to a request for comment to explain why this route was included under the header ‘improvements’ on dublinbus.ie, or why a route already changed is included in a new phase of the cost cutting .

The bus company is continuing with its cost cutting and bus rerouting programme, and it has recently uploaded its latest planned changes on to its website.

Dublinbus.ie says “Dublin Bus is pleased to announce proposals for services in Sandymount and on the Merrion Road QBC as part of Network Direct. These service changes cover the following existing routes” and lists the following: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 7a, 7b, 7d, 8, 45, 45a, 59, and 111.

It also says that changes to buses serving the Howth Road / Portmarnock includes the routes 29a, 31, 31b, 32, 32a, 32b, and 32x.

Although, because the company is unwilling to comment, it is unclear why its website says routes already changed are includes in a new phase of changes.

MORE: Merrion Road QBC changes on dublinbus.ie
MORE: Howth Road / Portmarnock changes on dublinbus.ie

Major Dublin city cycle routes will remain unconnected as a key section is delayed following what was described as intensive lobbying.

Four million euro of funding for the project was suspended by the Department of Transport pending a review of options on a strategic cycling route after residents in East Wall objected to it.

Dublin City Council had planning permission for the full €10m route between Portobello to East Wall Road at the end of West Road, via the Docklands, but it is now revaluating the section between the north Docklands and Fairview Park. It has said it will consult with residents before going ahead with the East Wall section.

The route in the short term will now only be completed between Portobello and Guild Street in the north Docklands, which is due to open by July. “[This section was] delayed one month due to harsh weather in December,” said Ciarán Fallon, the cycling officer at Dublin City Council.

The project is part of the city’s plan to allow commuters, leisure cyclists and tourists to travel along a network made up of the Dublin sections of the Grand and Royal canals and along Dublin Bay from Sutton to Sandycove, or even further along the coast.

If the project had gone ahead uninterrupted, it would have created the largest completed section to date – 8.6km from Portobello at the Lower Rathmines Road to Bull Island at Dollymount.

A petition signed by residents of East Wall objecting to the cycle route “went missing,” as Dublin Observer previously reported.

The petition was signed by hundreds of residents but was submitted with the wrong reference number. And although it mainly referred to the cycle route, it was only submitted against a small section of the project – a pedestrian and cycle bridge crossing the River Tolka, from West Road to Fairview Park. There is currently no permission for this bridge.

The city council has since admitted that it should have returned the submission or informed the residents of the error.

Council officials and councillors also disagreed on what public consultation had happened with residents in East Wall. Last year Cllr Emer Costello (Labour) told the council’s central area committee meeting of the large amount of confusion around the project and warned that there must be serious consultation with residents to rebuild trust. Cllr Marie Metcalfe (Ind) said an independent facilitator would be needed.

The council originally planned a two-way off-road cycle track on West Road. Residents’ complaints centred on the loss of parking spaces, however a council survey showed little demand for parking on the street.

“Options for the route north of Guild Street are currently being investigated,” said Ciarán Fallon. He said there is now no completion date set for the section between Guild Street in the Docklands and Fairview Park via East Wall.

Late last year one councillor heavily criticised the delay and he confirmed to Dublin Observer this week that his still holds this view.

Cllr Naoise Ó Muirí (Fine Gael) said that the plans for the cycle route in the East Wall area were “withdrawn by City Council officials because of intensive pressure / lobbying by East Wall residents and some of their “local” politicians. In my view this is a short-sighted decision. DCC officials certainly didn’t cover themselves in glory on this occasion but the rationale for the strident opposition from within East Wall seemed pretty flimsy at best.”

He added: “The only real alternative being proposed seemed to be to send cyclists down the East Wall Road, an area still ruled by dangerous HGVs. So the strategic interests of the City are set aside once again and the associated millions of funding may well be on its way back to the Department of Transport already.”

His party colleague Cllr Mary O Shea, at the central area meeting last month, said that “we should all hang our heads in shame” if the funding is lost.

While the council confirmed the funding was suspended by the Department of Transport, the department did not respond to a request for further comment.

MORE: How does a 5km cycle route cost €10m?
MORE: Petition against cycle route goes missing

Planned Dublin canals and bay cycle network

View Dublin’s canals and bay cycle routes in a larger map

MAP KEY
Purple: Plans not confirmed
Red: Planned
Orange: Problematic / sometimes passable. No plans to upgrade to date.
Yellow: Under construction
Green: Passable (some with gates)

As part of the Irish Sports Council’s National Walking Event, in conjunction with Operation Transformation, a new Irish Heart Foundation Slí na Sláinte walking route, ‘The Metals’, will be launched by An Cathaoirleach Cllr. Lettie McCarthy on Saturday, 15th January 2011 at 12pm in County Hall, Dún Laoghaire. On this day every county in Ireland will have a similar walking event to cater for all levels of fitness, but may be of particular interest to those looking to start exercising again.

Slí na Sláinte (“Path to Health”) is a unique initiative of the Irish Heart Foundation designed to encourage people to get more active and get walking, on routes marked out at 1 km intervals.

The Metals Slí na Sláinte route is 3km in length (6km return) from Dún Laoghaire Pier to Dalkey, suitable for all levels of walker and it is supported by Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council, Department of Transport’s Smarter Travel Project Fund and Dún Laoghaire Rathdown Sports Partnership.

Speaking in advance of the event, An Cathaoirleach Cllr McCarthy remarked, “Connecting Dún Laoghaire to Dalkey, the new route takes in some of the most scenic and historical streetscapes  and villages in the County and provides an attractive link for pedestrians and cyclists to DART stations, schools, recreational facilities and shopping.  Residents and visitors alike will benefit from this new amenity, and I strongly encourage the community to come out and join us at the launch of the new Slí na Sláinte route and the Irish Sport Council’s National Walking Event on January 15.”

Edel Byrne from the Irish Heart Foundation added: “We hope the community of Dún Laoghaire will get great enjoyment and benefit from the new Slí na Sláinte route in the town. Getting active makes such a big difference to your heart and overall health, helping to reduce stress, ease back pain and reduce the risk of heart disease. For heart health adults need at least 30 minutes of physical activity, such as brisk walking, five days a week. By having a clearly marked and safe walking route, we aim to make it easier for people in Dún Laoghaire to get active as part of their normal day.”

The new Slí na Sláinte will be launched by an enjoyable walk along the route and the unveiling of the route map board, followed by light refreshments. Trained walking leaders will be available and the event will include information on the history of The Metals. All are welcome and encouraged to attend.

For further information on this event and to register your interest please contact Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown Sports Partnership at 01-2719507 or sportspartnership@dlrcoco.ie.

Anyone seeking further info on Slí na Sláinte routes can contact Edel Byrne, Slí na Sláinte National Co-ordinator at the Irish Heart Foundation, 4 Clyde Road, Dublin 4, Tel: 01 668-5001 or e-mail: ebyrne@irishheart.ie

New plans have been released for Dún Laoghaire Baths by Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council.

Local residents opposed previous plans. The Save Our Seafront group was set up to campaign against plans for an 8-storey apartment and shopping complex.

Local Green Party TD Ciarán Cuffe said he welcomed part of the proposals but said the amount of landfill planned was not justified, calling it ‘land-grab’. He fears that the council are planning to use the land for new surface car parking.

The council says the scaled down plans for the baths include:

“The proposals take account of current fiscal constraints and are intended to stimulate public interest and awareness of what can be created over the next number of years in order to strengthen our coastal defences and link the 3 strategic locations of the East Pier, the coastal promenade and the Peoples Park,” the council said.

The concept proposals are online here (pdf) and can also be viewed at the County Hall, Dún Laoghaire between 9.00 am – 5.00pm Monday to Friday from November 18 to December 17 2010.  A public meeting will be held on Thursday, November 25 in the County Hall.

Green Party TD Ciarán Cuffe, said: “I am pleased that the council has performed a U-turn from its earlier high rise proposals, and I welcome the proposals to provide a café and children’s bathing area on the site.”

But he added: “However, I do not believe that the amount of infill of Scotsman’s Bay is justified. I am also concerned that the council may be proposing to provide additional surface car parking, as I do not believe this is justified. No one wants to see a ‘land-grab’ of the sensitive maritime habitats on the coastline.”

Cuffe added that the current pool should be revamped and opened in the shorter term.

“In the short to medium term, and given the limited funds available in the current economic climate, I would like the council to re-open the existing outdoor pool during the summer. Such a plan could be achieved at a fraction of the cost of the council’s proposals, and would not involve spending €10 million on a costly breakwater. The old Baths have survived without such costly protection,” he said.

View Dún Laoghaire Baths redevelopment in a larger map

Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council had relayed a coastal flood risk warning from Dublin City Council on Thursday evening, but it changed the threat warning at 5pm this evening.

Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown council now says the “current highest predicted tide level does not pose a threat in the Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown coastal region.”

Meanwhile, Dublin City Council still has its warning in place, unchanged since this morning.

Councillor Barry Ward, who sits on Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council, said he was concerned over conflicting flood warning and the confusion this could lead to.

“Given that the long-promised flood prevention measures in Blackrock and Stillorgan still haven’t started, these warnings understandably alarmed hundreds of residents in Blackrock and Stillorgan living next to the Carysfort-Maretimo Stream. It now seems that the Council need not have frightened them,” said Ward.

He added: “I have now received assurances from the council that there is not a flood risk in these areas, but until the Carysfort-Maretimo flood prevention project is completed, local residents who have been flooded on numerous occasions and can no longer insure their homes, will worry every time they hear a local flood warning.”

Ward accused Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council sitting on its hands on flood prevention, saying: “This scheme has been promised for years: the plans are complete, the departmental funding has been identified; everyone knows what has to happen.”

He said tenders were submitted for the project in January, funding was applied for on the September 8 and, since November 1, he says, the Department of the Environment is now recommending revising the tender.

“The affected residents cannot wait any longer. DLR must act now to ensure that these people do not have to endure another winter wondering when they will be flooded. Councillors have been kept out of the loop to the extent that we have to hound officials for basic information or progress updates,” stated Ward.

Dublin Bus has slashed services on what was seen as one of its top routes.

Route 4 has 36% fewer buses per week compared to the old 4 and 4a bus routes which were merged two weeks ago.

Updated bus stop timetables were also only put in place after the cuts were implemented leaving passengers at stops with incorrect or no information. Notice of the changes was posted on Dublinbus.ie a week before the change.

On weekdays there are now 58 fewer bus journeys per day, a 30% drop. On Saturdays, 66 bus journeys were cut leaving 62 buses per day. The reductions was most severe on the Sunday timetable where a cut of 66% was made leaving just 17 services southbound and 16 northbound for the day.

Dublin Bus said the changes are an “overall minor frequency adjustment,” but a spokeswoman did not respond to questions on the exact changes.

Route 4 serves areas from the Northside of the city to the Southside, including: Ballymun, Glasnevin, Phibsboro, the City Centre, Ballsbridge, Sandymount, Blackrock, and Monkstown.

The changes are part of the Dublin Bus Network Direct project to streamline bus services. Public consultation for the no 4 bus route only covered extending the route – the merger and frequency reductions again were not revealed.

The semi-State company claimed that the changes were advertised in national newspaper advertisements. However, while other route mergers were mentioned, the advertisements did not make any reference to merging the 4 and 4/a routes or the timetable cuts.

Adding to confusion of users, timetables were first only changed online. Timetables at some bus stops were left unchanged or blank for up to a week after the cuts leaving commuters waiting at stops for buses that were not due to arrive.

Last week, over a week after the changes were made, Dublin Bus defended the lack of information at bus stops.

The company said: “This is a process obviously, that can take a number of days but since last week all of our on-street information on the Northside of the city relating to Route 4 has been updated, the city centre information is updated and almost all of the on-street information on the Southside of the city is complete.”

The National Transport Authority, which approved the changes, said Dublin Bus is only required to provide correct and up-to-date timetables on at least 95% of bus stop. But beyond what is strictly required, the authority said it has raised the issue of lack of up-to-date timetables at stops with Dublin Bus.

CUTS BY NUMBERS

Dun Laoghaire

Prices are to rise at Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council’s off-street car parks from next month.

The council says in order to meet the European Commission’s requirement that 21% Vat be charged on council services it will increase the charges for off-street car parks, while on-street parking will be kept at the current price.

Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council says it expects to make the increases during September.

Where the current charge is €3 per day, 60 cent is to be added, or with a current charge of €5, €1 will be added. Per hour parking will be increased from €1 to €1.20 per hour. A full list of changes can be found at dlrcoco.ie.

The Festival of World Cultures was disrupted when a fire broke out in Dun Laoghaire’s Pavilion complex yesterday.

Reports that the fire started in the car park or that any cars caught on fire were not accurate, said Garda Superintendent Martin Fitzgerald at the scene. He said the confusion was likely down to the large amount of smoke generated by the fire.

He said the fire originated at an electric circuit board in the Crunch Fitness Premier gym at around 5.30pm.

People were evacuated from the gym, The Forty Foot bar, and The Pavilion Theatre. Marine Road was closed off for a number of hours. The Dublin Fire Brigade gave the all clear after 8pm.

The main damage was to electrical cables and smoke damage while no structural damage was detected.

St Patrick’s College, Drumcondra, are receiving €30 million for a new facility and the refurbishment of current building. The work is to include lecture theatres, libraries and offices. It is expected to be finished in 2012.

Enrolment at St Patrick’s College, owned by Dublin City University, has doubling over the past decade from 1,024 for 1999/2000 to 2,500 for 2009/2010. The project is designed by architects RMJM Scotland in partnership with Taylor Architects of Castlebar, Co Mayo.

Meanwhile, €5 million will go to a new National Film School at the Dun Laoghaire Institute of Art, Design and Technology. Work is expected to start next week.

The film school will be designed to accommodate 385 students, with courses in film, television and radio in the one building.

The Tanaiste also approved funding for what was described as “health and safety works” at the Church of Ireland College of Education, Rathmines, Dublin.