Ballybough Matters – April 2019

FUTURE OF ANNESLEY MOTORS SITE
Residents and householders across Ballybough have questioning me about the future of the former Annesley Motors site on Ballybough Road and what actions are being taken by Dublin City Council to address the derelict state of the buildings. Therefore, at the April meeting of Dublin City Council last week, I asked the Chief Executive, Owen Keegan to indicate whether the Vacant or Derelict Sites Section of the Council has examined whether the site is to be added to the Register of Vacant Sites or Derelict Sites. The Chief Executive responded to my representations advising that a file has been prepared for the inclusion of the former Annesley Motors site to the Vacant Sites Register. I believe that this will be actioned in line with the criteria outlined in the Urban Regeneration and Housing Act, 2015. A second inspection is due to take place shortly to ascertain if this site has been vacant for 12 months. In the event of this second inspection find the site to be vacant, as outlined in the Act, a Notice of Proposed Entry to the Vacant Sites Register will be served on the owners of the site. I will share a further update with you when that information is available. I hope this information is of assistance to you. However, if you have any questions or queries arising from the details provided, please email me at RayMcAdam@gmail.com and I will endeavour to answer any enquiries you may have.

NORTH INNER CITY COMMUNITY POLICING PLAN 2019
The Dublin Central Joint Policing Committee at its meeting on March 25th last formally adopted the North Inner City Community Policing Plan 2019. The Plan sets out the core community policing commitments and objectives for the year ahead and is based on the community issues that have arisen in 2018. It is also linked with the actions identified in the Mulvey Report. As Chair of the Dublin Central Joint Policing Committee, I have worked with senior Garda management locally as well as the Community Policing teams in the Bridewell, Store Street and the Mountjoy / Fitzgibbon Street districts to ensure that as resources grow, we utilize the fullest extent to keep communities of the North Inner City safe and secure. A key element of this plan is the retention of the ‘small areas policing’ initiative to provide the highest level possible community policing service to residents, householders and businesses across the North Inner City. Garda resources have been increased over the last number of years as a result of greater investment by our Fine Gael-led Government. This has resulted in the total Garda numbers for the North Inner City currently standing at 743. Some of the key objectives in this new Community Policing Plan, include:
• Build a proactive and prioritized community policing ethos and service in the North Inner City where every Garda, civil servant and reserve member regardless of their rank or grade, considers service to the community a core function.
• Enhance, promote and develop the community policing service through the Small Areas initiative to everyone in the community.
• Address anti-social behaviour and quality of life issues in our public parks particularly in the summer.
• Increase the level of interaction between Community Gardaí and young people on the street.
• Work with youth projects and services to develop a multi-agency approach to facilitate a supportive route out of crime for young people.
• Use pre-emptive, intelligence-led operations, including hot spot and high visibility patrolling to address drug related issues and quality of life issues in the North Inner City.
If you have any questions or queries arising from the details of the new Community Policing Plan for the North Inner City, please get in touch with me at RayMcAdam@gmail.com.

ARE YOU INTERESTED IN TAKING PART IN A CONSTRUCTION SKILLS COURSE?
The Construction Skills Course operated by the Eastside and Docklands Local Employment Service runs several times a year and each course lasts for three weeks. The central modules include:

• Health and Safety in the workplace
• Site Maintenance
• Brick Laying
• Insulation

Eastside and Docklands Local Employment Services (EDLES) works with a number of well-known industry partners to place the graduates in to full-time employment upon their successful completion of the course. To date, EDLES has a 75% placement rate for all successful graduates. If you are interested in training in the construction sector, contact Jim Hargis, Employment Services Manager, on 01-6771930.

NEIC Community Grant Scheme 2019- Round 1
The NEIC Community Grant Scheme is now open! Our Fine Gael-led Government’s NEIC Initiative Programme Implementation Board has approved €100,000 funding for an NEIC Community Grant Scheme 2019 which will be administered by the NEIC Programme Office in 2 rounds. This year’s Scheme will focus on two overarching themes.
• Theme No. 1 Environmental Awareness and Improvements
• Theme No. 2 Active Living, Recreation and Wellbeing
The purpose of the Scheme is to financially support North East Inner City communities in delivering their own projects at local level where it can be demonstrated that such projects will contribute to the achievement of the objectives of the NEIC PIB under one or both themes which have been identified as priority. As in 2018 the Community Grant Scheme will operate in 2 Rounds. The first round will be run in Spring/Summer and second round will follow in Autumn/Winter.
• Round 1: Completed application forms will be accepted from Monday, 1st April 2019 until Tuesday 30th April 2019 (4:00 pm).
• Round 2: Completed applications will be accepted from Monday 2nd September 2019 until Monday 30th September 2019 (4:00 pm).

WHERE STANDS THE CROKE VILLAS REGENERATION PROJECT?
Householders on Foster Terrace, St. James’ Avenue, O’Sullivan Avenue and Clonliffe Avenue sought an update recently on the current status of the Croke Villas regeneration project. I therefore asked the City Council to provide me with an update at the April meeting of the North Inner City Area Committee. Officials updated me on the summary of planning permission, the number of homes to be built and the current Judicial Review that is before the High Court relating to this project.

The City Council confirmed that:
• The Croke Villas Regeneration Project seeks to provide a total of 72 new dwellings on the site of the former Croke Villas flat complexes and on sites on Sackville Avenue. These proposals were the subject of 2 separate Part 8 Applications.

• The first of these, Reference Number 367/2017 approved in November 2017, was for the provision of 11 houses on the sites of former cottages on Sackville Avenue. These houses are 3 bedroom dwellings providing a total of 55 bed spaces. 10 of the units have a floor area of 107m2, with one unit having a floor area of 109m2. Production of tender documentation for these Units is at an advanced stage and it is anticipated that construction of these units will commence on site in Quarter 3 of this year.

• The second, Reference Number 400/2017 approved in December 2017, was for the provision of 61 Apartments in 2 blocks, along with underground parking and extensive design enhancements of the existing Sackville Avenue thoroughfare. This development is the subject of a Judicial Review. The mix of Apartments in this proposal is as follows; 2 studio apartments, 19 one bedroom apartments, 37 two bedroom apartments and 3 three bedroom apartments providing a total of 205 bed spaces. Production of detailed tender documentation for this proposal is on hold pending the outcome of the Judicial Review.

• The Judicial Review hearing took place over two days (10th and 11th December, 2018) and is still with the courts.

If you have any particular questions or queries arising from the details provided in the report I secured from Dublin City Council, please email me directly at RayMcAdam@gmail.com.

CLONLIFFE AVENUE TRAFFIC IMPROVEMENT SCHEME
Following on from discussions I had with Clonliffe Avenue householders earlier this spring regarding speeding along the road, Dublin City Council’s Traffic Engineers have agreed to undertake speed surveys to measures vehicular speeds. The purpose of these surveys is to indicate the nature of measures that may be prepared as part of a draft Traffic Improvement Scheme for Clonliffe Avenue. As you know there was a bad accident at the junction of Clonliffe Avenue and Ballybough Road last month which further emphasised the need for the City Council to examine the potential for a traffic improvement scheme that can help reduce vehicular speeds.

IMPLEMENTING NORTH-EAST INNER CITY GREENING STRATEGY
The Greening Strategy for the North-East Inner City has been formally adopted by the North Inner City Area Committee following the public consultation that concluded before Christmas. In addition to longer-term projects currently like the redevelopment of Mountjoy Square and Diamond Park, a programme of smaller scale greening projects will be undertaken this year. These five projects include:
• Greening of Belvedere Plaza – the junction of Belvedere Place with the North Circular Road.
• Guild Street Plaza – the junction of Sheriff Street and Spencer Dock.
• James Joyce Street tree planting.
• The installation of a Green-wall at Seville Place.
• Tree planting on a residential street which will be determined shortly.
€350,000 has been provided by the North East Inner City Project Implementation Board to fund these initial projects under the Greening Strategy. As and when work is scheduled to begin on these projects, I will be in touch to share this information with you.