DUNMANUS GREEN SENIOR CITIZENS’ HOUSING
Last month, officials from the Housing Department of Dublin City Council met with representatives from the Cluid Voluntary Housing Agency. The focus of this meeting was to finalise the tender process for the construction of the new senior citizens’ housing complex, for which planning permission has already been approved. Advertisements seeking tenders for the project have now also been publicised. Following on from this, the formal application for funding from the Department of the Environment has been submitted. I will be working closely with the Minister for the Environment, Phil Hogan TD, to ensure that this application is processed as quickly as possible.
GAELSCOIL BHARRA – NEW BUILDING PROJECT PROCEEDING
I will continue to work on the provision of a new school building for the pupils and teachers of Gaelscoil Bharra. Funding continues to be agreed for this work and this project is on the Department of Education’s new school building plan. The Design Team for the Department are finalising architectural plans and costs. When this is complete the school project will be tendered for construction. I will work directly with the school to ensure that building begins as soon as possible.
CABRA GRAFFITI REMOVAL
The Public Domain Unit of Dublin City Council has been removing incidents of graffiti on various sites across the Cabra district recently. The Probation Service, the Council’s Corporate Contractor and the City Council’s Waste Management Services have removed graffiti along Fassaugh Avenue, St. Attracta Road, the Liam Whelan Bridge and along the Cabra Road. If there are items of graffiti along your street or avenue, please contact me at paschal.donohoe@oir.ie and I will follow up with the City Council to have it removed.
CABRA TRAFFIC MATTERS
The Traffic Group of the City Council has considered the request for enhanced traffic calming measures to be introduced at the junction of Kilkieran Road and Killala Road. It has recommended that changes be made to the lay-out of the corners at this junction which will, it is hoped, reduce vehicle speeds. I will be working with the City Council to ensure that these works are undertaken as a matter of priority. Concern has also been raised with me by residents about the volume of Heavy Goods Vehicles using Carnlough Road to access the An Post facility on Bannow Road. These vehicles are required to use Bannow Road as it represents the shortest distance travelled on weight restricted roads. I am continuing to pursue the implementation of this restriction with local Gardai to ensure that it is properly enforced and infringements restricted. A request for the introduction of speed cushions along Bannow Road is also being examined by Traffic Engineers of the Council presently, as is a request for the installation of a right turn filter light from the Ratoath Road onto the Navan Road.
CITY COUNCIL LITTER BLITZ OPERATION – UPDATE
The City Council is continuing with its Litter Blitz across Dublin Central. This operation sees Dublin City Council officials teaming up with the Gardai to jointly survey known litter black spots in order to catch and pursue those responsible for the illegal dumping of rubbish. This approach is being backed up by Litter Wardens, Public Domain Officers and Environmental Liaison Officers and Inspectors calling to homes in areas where illegal dumping and fly-tipping has been particularly bad, requesting that house-holders provide documentary evidence of how they are disposing of their household waste. To date, more than 2,000 specific visits to homes have been carried out.
Information that has been gathered during this process is being collated and reviewed in order to determine what actions are required, in terms of the issuing of fines or the commencement of prosecutions through the courts. In the last month, a total of 99 fines were issued by Litter Wardens. More than 275 streets were inspected by Litter Wardens with a total of 1776 illegally dumped bags removed and investigated. Thanks to the work of Fine Gael Councillors, additional funding has also been made available in the Council Budget for the purchase and administering of portable CCTV equipment which the City Council will use in areas where illegal dumping is most prevalent. The administering of this equipment will also mean that CCTV images will now be used in littering and illegal dumping prosecutions pursued by the Council. This will be a significant step in tackling the scourge of illegally dumped.