1A ANNAMOE ROAD PLANNING APPLICATION (2965/15)
LIDL Ireland has lodged an application for planning permission to develop the site behind Hanlon’s Bar. The application proposes to demolish all existing buildings fronting onto the Old Cabra Road and warehouse structures to the rear. Construction of a mixed use development is proposed including the provision of a supermarket, bakery, off-licence, café, bathroom / tile showroom and Hardware retail units and four three-bedroom terraced houses off Annamoe Road. The application includes provision of eighty-one car parking spaces for the supermarket. A further seven car-parking spaces is proposed for the two retail units and the terraced houses off Annamoe Road will have access to six car-parking spaces. Further details of the application are available on my website at www.paschaldonohoe.ie. Anyone wishing to lodge an observation on the application, must do so in writing on or before July 13th 2015. Councillor Ray McAdam and I can also arrange for a briefing for local residents with officials in the Planning Department of the City Council to outline the particulars of this planning application. If you would be interested in attending such a briefing, please let either myself or Councillor Ray McAdam know.
GRANGEGORMAN PRIMARY CARE CENTRE – WORKS UPDATE
Significant progress is being made on the construction and development of a new Primary Care Health Centre in the Grangegorman campus that will serve the Stoneybatter district. Construction is expected to be concluded by next summer and the HSE intends for the new facility to be open to the public by November 2016. Once completed, the Primary Care Centre will accommodate TWO full Primary Care teams. Each team will consist of a wide range of services including:
• GP,
• Public Health Nursing,
• Physiotherapy,
• Occupational Therapy,
• Speech and Language Therapy,
• Psychology,
• Social Work along with Clinical Nutrition and Dietetics.
In addition there will also be two Child and Adolescent Mental Health teams that will be located in the facility along with the regional Ophthalmology service. The provision of these services in a state of the art facility will be an important asset to the local community.
€6.5m FUNDING FOR HOUSE BUILDING ON INFIRMARY ROAD
The Government has allocated €6.5m in funding for the construction of 30 social housing units on part of the former Department of Defence lands on Infirmary Road. This money is welcome and it is important that Dublin City Council now moves quickly to finalise the design of the type of units to be provided and advance a formal planning application. Both myself and Councillor Ray McAdam believe the local community should have some input into this process. Officials have now confirmed that as part of the planning process, local residents will have a chance to view and lodge observations on the draft plan put forward by the City Council. I expect Dublin City Council to present a planning application to Councillors in September after which the public consultation process will begin. Please be assured that both Councillor McAdam and I will keep you updated of progress on this matter.
STONEYBATTER PUBLIC REALM ENHANCEMENT WORKS
Dublin City Council has set aside €50,000 for the development and completion of public realm improvement works across the Stoneybatter district. Among the areas already selected by the Community Development Section of the Council are Thor Place, Hanlon’s Corner, Stoneybatter and Halliday Square. Council officials have already been working on draft plans to enhance the streetscape and appearance of these areas. A report on the proposals is to be provided to Councillor Ray McAdam shortly. If you would to review the plans and have your say on what is being developed, please email me at paschal.donohoe@oir.ie.
STUDENT ACCOMMODATION PLANNING APPLICATION (3000/15)
A planning application has been lodged with the City Council to construct a new student residential complex on the site along Grangegorman Road Lower near with the junction with Fitzwilliam Place North at the entrance to Dublin 7 Educate Together National School. The plans lodged with Council seek to demolish all buildings on the site and construct a new 132 bed-space student residential accommodation. 125 of the spaces will be single en-suite rooms. Bicycle parking will be provided for 76 bicycles and includes the provision of a communal games area, caretaker’s apartment and a communal roof terrace on the sixth floor. The development will be accessed through two entrances on Fitzwilliam Place North and three entrances located on Grangegorman Road Lower. The deadline for the lodging of observations is July 20th. As with the LIDL application at Hanlon’s Corner, if you like to meet officials from the Planning Department of Dublin City Council, please contact either myself or Councillor Ray McAdam.
STONEYBATTER LOCAL AREA PLAN – PROPOSAL
Work has begun on the compilation and drafting of a new Dublin City Development Plan. This plan is the key strategy document that details the vision and direction for the future development of the entire city. It is the rule book, upon which all applications for planning permission must comply with and be judged against. The initial phase of creating a new Development Plan took place last month when City Councillors decided on the aspirations and objectives that should be contained in the plan. A draft of new Development Plan will be publicly available by the end of July and the formal public consultation process will begin on October 1st. Councillor Ray McAdam and I have put forward a proposal to develop a statutory Local Area Plan for the Stoneybatter district. Given the number of key sites across the area and the possibility of their being developed over the next five to six years, we believe it is necessary for a localised plan to be drawn up with the support of the local community to determine the type of development that should take place in Stoneybatter in the coming years. Councillors have supported in principle, the idea of Stoneybatter Local Area Plan but the input of local residents will be key for this proposal to be included in the final plan. If you would like more information on the Development Plan process, please email me at paschal.donohoe@oir.ie.
TACKLING BURGLARY-RELATED CRIME
Gardai in the Bridewell and other stations across the Inner City have been involved in three separate operations designed to tackle burglary-related crime. Operations Fiacla, Acer and Creeper have now been in place for the past number of months and they have proved successful in identifying and targeting prolific offenders and criminal groups associated with burglary crime. By the end of March this year, 945 arrests were made for burglary offences with 553 of these charged with various offences. In addition to this, the Chief Superintendent has announced that a new Burglary Response Unit will be established for the Inner City and Cabra area. This will mean that a dedicated team of Garda officers will focus exclusively on burglary related crime. The unit is modelled on the Divisional Drugs Squad and will be located in Fitzgibbon Street.