North Wall Matters – Winter 2017

NORTH WALL PUBLIC LIGHTING UPGRADES

The Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government, through the North East Inner City Project Board, has provided funding to Dublin City Council for the upgrading of public lighting across the north-east inner city. As a result of the allocation of this money, Dublin City Council undertaken works, including:

• Painting of Lamp Standards,

• Replacement of existing Brackets,

• Installation of lanterns with new Brackets and LED lights.

To date, the City Council has completed the painting of Lamp Standards on Amiens Street, between Connolly Station and Seville Place. Similar works have taken place along the North Circular Road, between Seville Place and Poplar Row. The Public Lighting is now seeking to progress LED upgrades on streets across the North Wall, including Coburg Place, Emerald Place, First Avenue, Fourth Avenue, Mariners Port, Oriel Street Lower, Oriel Street Upper, Second Avenue and Third Avenue. Importantly, the Council intends to act on an issue that I have consistently raised in recent years regarding the quality of lighting on the walkway under the Seville Place Bridge. Both myself and Minister Paschal Donohoe will work to update you of further progress in respect of this upgrade Programme.

ROADS IMPROVEMENT WORKS 2017

I am delighted that the Roads Maintenance Division of Dublin City Council has now carried repairs to damaged speed ramps across the North Wall which I worked to secure funding for earlier this year. Repairs and improvements have been undertaken to ramps at the junctions of Seville Place with Fourth Avenue, Third Avenue, Second Avenue and First Avenue. Across the coming weeks, I will be meeting Roads Maintenance officials to identify streets across the North Wall that require resurfacing and should be included in the 2018 North Inner City works programme.

TEMPORARY SCHOOL RELOCATION – PLANNING APPLICATION LODGED

The Planning Department of Dublin City Council is considering an application for planning to enable the temporary relocation of St. Laurence O’Toole’s Girls and Boys National Schools during the planned refurbishment works. In the event that planning permission is granted by Dublin City Council both the girls and boys national schools will be relocated into a two storey ten classroom facility for the duration of the refurbishment and amalgamation of the schools in the existing building on St. Laurence’s Place. The planning application was lodged on October 23rd last and I anticipate that a decision will be made by the middle of December. Both Minister Donohoe and I will work to keep local residents updated of developments in this regard.

NEW CITY COUNCIL ONLINE HOUSING APPLICATION SYSTEM

Since October 24th last, Dublin City Council has established a new online system to allow applicants for alternative housing to track the progress of their application. This new online system enables applicants to view their position on the housing waiting list. If you have applied for alternative housing with Dublin City Council, you will be able to view your position on the relevant area list you applied for or whether you have a priority status on either medical or welfare grounds. Applicants can access this new system at http://www.dublincity.ie/HousingOnline by logging on using your Housing Application Number and your Date of Birth. Officials in the Housing Allocations Section of the Council have begun notifying all applicants that the new online system has gone live. If you have any questions or queries arising from the details above, please email me at raymcadam@gmail.com.

ARE YOU REGISTERED TO VOTE?

The right to vote is fundamental to our democracy. All adult residents in the city have the right to vote in Local, European and General Elections as well as Referenda. If you want your voice to be heard be voting, make sure that you are on the Electoral Register. Email me at raymcadam@gmail.com if you are uncertain as to whether you are registered and I can find that out for you. If you are not registered, I can send you a voter registration form which is easy to complete. The deadline for you to be registered at November 25th 2017. By making sure you are registered, you can ensure that your vote counts and your voice is heard at the next election or in forthcoming Referenda!

ROYAL CANAL GREENWAY – PROGRESS REPORT

Since my last update on the dedicated cycle and pedestrian route along the Royal Canal, Dublin City Council has made some changes to the planned programme of works, which has delayed the start of construction work. With regards the stretch between Sheriff Street Upper and the North Strand, the Transportation Department has added the upgrade of the Seville Place/Sheriff Street junction to the scheme. The detailing and agreement of additional elements of work with relevant parties, receipt of supplementary ground investigations information, the development of a rodent eradication specification and further work for addressing invasive species which had spread significantly since the previous survey undertaken by the City Council contributed to the delay. The initial phase of the tendering process has now been completed with Council officials expecting the second stage to start in November. In terms of Phase III of the project, between the North Strand Road and the Phibsborough Road, the Council has had to review the documentation surrounding the cost of the project, meaning that tender documents should now be issued in December 2017. Therefore, no construction work will begin on the site until mid-Spring 2018, which is disappointing.

SHERIFF STREET PLAYGROUND

A further tendering process to select a contractor to undertake the works to enhance the Rainbow Park playground has been completed. At the North Inner City Area Committee meeting this week, Council officials confirmed to me that a contractor has now been selected and approved and I expect these works to begin later this month. The works will incorporate a new play space design following on from the consultation process with local kids earlier this summer. The cost of these works are being covered by the Government through the North East Inner Project Office chaired by Michael Stone.

SHERIFF STREET LIFTING BRIDGE

Our Fine Gael-led Government committed to covering 50% of the cost to repaint the Sheriff Street Lifting Bridge. Dublin City Council recently sought tenders from interested contractors which resulted in a slightly higher than expected cost. This process has delayed works beginning and while it was intention of the North East Inner City Project Office to begin work straight away, the Gardaí and the Transportation Department of the City Council has requested that they be deferred until after Christmas. This decision was agreed upon as neither the Garda nor senior City Council officials wanted to close down a traffic lane on Sheriff Street for the duration of the works in the build-up to Christmas. I want to assure you that myself and Minister Paschal Donohoe will continue to liaise with the Project Office and Dublin City Council to make sure this work begins quickly in the new year.

CCTV EXPANSION – NORTH EAST INNER CITY

Funding made available by Minister Paschal Donohoe in the Budget for the North East Inner City Project office has allowed the Gardaí to expand the CCTV network across the North Wall and the wider north-east inner city. €300,000 has been allocated by the NEIC Project Implementattion Board to enable the Gardaí to install new cameras within the Store Street and Mountjoy Garda districts. These cameras will be installed in various locations within Summerhill, the Five Lamps, Sean McDermott Street Street, Amiens Street and Sheriff Street among others. The additional cameras will be monitored from Store Street Garda Station and will be used by Garda officers only. The expansion of the CCTV network across the North Wall and the City Centre, is in line with the recommendations of the Mulvey Report, and will be of huge help and reassurance to the local community and the Gardai.

DUBLIN CITY COUNCIL HOUSING MAINTENANCE WORKS

As a member of the Dublin City Council’s Housing Committee, I can confirm that the Housing Maintenance Department have made changes to how repair works will be managed in the future. Maintenance Staff will now carry out repairs by a pre-arranged appointment. If you have made contact with the Housing Maintenance Department to arrange for a crew to undertake repair works in your home but if you miss the appointment or need to change it to an alternative date, you make those arrangements by calling Housing Maintenance directly on 01 222 2191 or 01 222 2222. If you experience any difficulties in securing an appointment for a maintenance crew to call to your home, please make sure to contact me at raymcadam@gmail.com.