PROPOSED IMPROVEMENT WORKS ON BLACKHORSE AVENUE
Dublin City Council will be undertaking a series of improvement works along Blackhorse Avenue. A Part VIII planning application will come before Councillors in September in respect of works between Cabra Gate and Springfield. These works include:
- Realignment, widening and reconstruction of the road from Cabra Gate entrance to the Phoenix Park to the junction with Springfield Road.
- Construction of new footpaths on both sides of the road from Cabra Gate to the junction with Springfield Road.
- Construction of a new section of a new boundary wall and railing to existing lands beside Park Crescent House Apartments and directly opposite Skreen Road.
- Existing traffic calming ramps will be re-constructed on their existing locations.
Should City Councillors adopt the improvement scheme for this stretch of Blackhorse Avenue at their meeting in September, the Roads & Traffic Department will seek tenders immediately. Construction work is expected to begin in late October or early November. This proposal has been made possible because of €440,000 being made available by the Department of Transport to Dublin City Council. Minister Varadkar has also advised me that his Department has allocated a further €247,347 for the completion of additional re-surfacing works along Blackhorse Avenue at three separate locations including:
- The Railway Bridge near the North Circular Road end of Blackhorse Avenue
- Between Springfield and the cemetery
- At Ormond Terrace.
By Minister Varadkar making these monies available, a substantial improvement will be made to the current condition of Blackhorse Avenue. I will work to keep you updated of when exactly these works will begin.
SATURDAY OPENINGS FOR GRANGEGORMAN BRING CENTRE
Throughout the past number of years I have been working with Councillor Mary O’Shea to have the Grangegorman Recycling Centre re-opened on Saturdays. The need for this facility to be open on Saturdays and accessible to the local community has increased given some Waste Operators’ decision to start charging for the collection of recyclable materials. I am therefore delighted to report that the Grangegorman Bring Centre is now open to the public on Saturdays across the summer between 10am and 4pm. Council officials have also advised Councillor O’Shea and I that future Saturday openings will be reviewed at the end of August.
CITY COUNCIL CHANGES TO HOUSING ALLOCATION SCHEME
Dublin City Council is currently in the process of finalising a new scheme of allocating public housing in the future. As present, applicants are awarded points and the more points an applicant has, the more likely it is that an offer of alternative accommodation will be made. Under the new scheme recently adopted by City Councillors, a person’s future housing need will be determined on the length of time the applicant has been on the waiting list rather than the number of points attributed to that application. Any housing applicant currently in receipt of a welfare or medical priority will maintain that priority status under the new allocations scheme. Officials in the Housing Department of the City Council will be writing to advise applicants of these changes that are due to come into effect from September. If you are on Dublin City Council’s Housing List and have concerns or questions about the proposed changes, please get in touch with me.
SECURING DUBLIN CENTRAL COMMUNITIES – TACKLING LOCAL CRIME
Securing a highly visible Garda presence across the communities of Dublin Central is essential in preventing crime. Unfortunately, we have seen an increase in the number of burglaries from peoples’ homes in recent weeks. At the recent Central Area Policing Committee, I highlighted this problem with the local Chief Superintendent in an effort to ensure that a comprehensive response is put in place to protect our communities. There are a number of highly focused Garda operations now in place across the entire Division to pursue the mobile criminal gangs involved these robberies. Local Gardai are also closely monitoring the publicity for social media organised ‘drinking parties’ that have occurred across Dublin Central. A more visible Garda presence will be in place at public parks and open spaces across the coming weeks in order to deter similar events taking place.