WORKS ALONG IRISH RAIL LINE
There was much concern earlier in the summer about the poor finish of works carried out by Irish Rail along the railway line embankment. Residents on Northbrook Avenue Upper, Stoney Road, Leinster Avenue and Faith Avenue spoke to myself and Councillor Ray McAdam about the need for Irish Rail to better landscape the embankment as well as installing a fence as is the case on the East Wall side of the railway line. In an effort to address this problem, I have been in contact with the Chief Executive of Irish Rail requesting that these works be carried out. I received an update recently stating that the Infrastructure Engineer for the North Strand area will be landscaping the embankment and that these works will be completed before the end of the year.
HOME INSURANCE COVER DIFFICULTIES
Since March this year, the Minister responsible for the Office of Public Works (OPW) has been engaging with the Insurance Federation and individual companies to address the difficulty home-owners in flood risk areas have in obtaining insurance cover for their properties. Minister Hayes informed me, during a recent debate in the Dail, that the OPW recently put forward proposals to develop a sustainable system of information sharing with the Insurance industry for areas vulnerable to flooding. The aim of this presentation is to ensure that the flood prevention and defence works carried out by local authorities and the OPW meet the requirements set out by the insurance industry assessments of risk. By developing a satisfactory information sharing system, it is hoped that an agreement can then be reached between the State and insurance companies that will ultimately see home-owners get the insurance cover they need to protect their homes from potential flooding in the future. If you have any questions about this issue, please get in touch with me and I’ll answer any queries that you may have.
SEAN McDERMOTT STREET SWIMMING POOL REFURBISHMENT
Dublin City Council recently completed work on a final design for the refurbishment of Sean McDermott Street swimming pool. More than €1 million has been provided by the Government and the City Council to fund the renovation of the Sean McDermott Street pool and two other City Council pools. It is expected that a contractor will be selected early in next year to undertake these much needed works. This is obviously a very welcome development but both myself and Councillor Ray McAdam are disappointed by the length of time it has taken to get to this stage. We have been committed to ensuring that the pool remains open and that these essential renovation works proceed as quickly as possible.
NEWCOMEN BRIDGE WIDENING SCHEME
The National Transport Authority provided funding earlier this year to examine proposals to connect the Royal Canal cycle route with North Strand Road. This project would include the possibility of widening Newcomen Bridge to facilitate this connection thereby providing much improved pedestrian and cycling facilities. The City Council has now completed its analysis of how to proceed in advancing this project and have submitted the relevant documentation to the National Transport Authority and Irish Rail. A formal response has yet to be received from Irish Rail. I understand that the City Council will be meeting with Irish Rail next month in order to reach agreement on how to move this project forward to the design and consultation phase. Both myself and Councillor Ray McAdam will continue to keep you updated on how this proposal further develops.
JUNK COLLECTION IN DECEMBER
The much missed Junk Collection organised by Dublin City Council will be taking place in December. As a result of measures presented by Fine Gael Councillors last November, the junk collection has been re-instated. This will be a valuable opportunity for residents to get rid of old household items. I understand that Dublin City Council has set a date for when the collection will take place next month but that officials from the Public Domain Unit will be distributing leaflets outlining when and where the collection will be taking place.