Stoneybatter Matters – January 2026

CHRISTMAS TREE DISPOSAL OPTIONS

Dublin City Council is running a free Christmas tree disposal service from January 4^th – 18^th, 2026, with all trees recycled into compost and wood chips. For Stoneybatter and nearby areas, you can drop your tree to the Grangegorman Bring Centre (Grangegorman Road Upper, Dublin 7) during the following hours:

• Monday–Thursday:                                      9am–4pm;
• Friday:                                                           9am–1pm;
• Saturday:                                                       10am–4pm;
• Sunday (4th, 11th & 18th January only): 10am–2pm.

There is also a Croke Park drop-off option from January 4^th – 16^th, 2026, with entry via St. Joseph’s Avenue only and parking available on site. Please only deposit trees during the stated opening hours.

CLEANING UP #STONEYBATTER & #DUBLIN

Over the Christmas and New Year period, I received a number of messages from residents about illegal dumping and litter in Stoneybatter — including around Sigurd Road / Ostman Place, behind Aughrim Court, and along routes like Cowper Street, St Joseph’s Road and Oxmantown Road. I understand the frustration: when waste sits for days, it becomes unsafe, attracts vermin, and undermines the pride people feel locally.

Immediate action: Where issues were raised with me directly, I arranged for public cleansing crews to remove dumped material, and as Lord Mayor, I am escalating repeat problems to senior management so we get sustained attention, not just one-off clean-ups.

What’s changing across Dublin

Dublin City Council is strengthening its approach to street cleaning and waste enforcement, including:

• More staff on the ground, with additional operational recruitment across the service
• Major investment in new street-cleaning equipment and vehicles
• Stronger enforcement, including additional litter wardens and targeted use of CCTV
• Ongoing work to tackle the bags-on-streets problem, which is a major driver of litter and dumping in inner-city neighbourhoods

What I’m pushing locally for Stoneybatter: My focus in the weeks ahead is:

• More effective, more frequent cleaning on our streets and at known hot spots
• A tougher response to repeat dumping locations, including enforcement support
• Progress on the new waste depot in the Dublin Industrial Estate, which will help crews serving Stoneybatter and the North-West Inner City spend more time cleaning locally and less time travelling

Keep reporting — it helps: I know people are tired of reporting, but it does matter. Reports with exact location, time, and details help build the evidence needed to target repeat offending and improve service response.

ARBOUR HILL TRAFFIC CALMING & ROAD SAFETY UPDATE

I brought Dublin City Council’s Senior Roads Engineers to the Mansion House just before Christmas to press the case for immediate and longer-term traffic calming and road safety measures in and around Arbour Hill and Arbour Place. I was clear that residents are frustrated by speeding, pinch-points and unsafe crossings — and I wanted firm commitments, not another round of “we’ll look at it”. I am pleased to report that a package of actions is now moving: a Minor Works scheme at the church (including a road build-out to narrow the carriageway, new ramps and an upgraded zebra crossing) is being finalised, with construction targeted for February/March 2026; a speed survey will take place in January 2026 on the Manor Street–Arbour Place stretch, with a ramp to follow in February/March if warranted; and double yellow lines on Arbour Place are being prioritised for installation in January/February 2026. We also discussed the potential for a stop/go arrangement on the narrow section up to No. 43 Arbour Hill, which the Transportation Advisory Group will now raise with Active Travel colleagues to explore inclusion in a future scheme. I’ll keep you updated as each measure moves from design into delivery.

JAMES FRANEY – THE MAN WHO GAVE HALLIDAY SQUARE PARK TO THE PEOPLE OF DUBLIN

You’re warmly invited to our first plaque event of 2026, taking place at 11.00 a.m. on Saturday, January 10^th , at Halliday Square Park, Dublin 7, when I, as Lord Mayor of Dublin, will unveil a new plaque honouring James Franey — the local man who donated this park to the people of Dublin. James Franey was born in 1912, lived locally at 32 Viking Road, and worked for many years as a baker in Boland’s Mills. A committed community member, he was also a founding member of the Halston Street Parish Credit Union. After retiring, James bought the plot at Halliday Square from the Whelan family of 35 Manor Place, and spent years cultivating fruit and vegetables there, helped by his friend Kevin Downes of 147 Oxmantown Road, a former groundsman at Áras an Uachtaráin. As he grew older and could no longer maintain the plot, James made a remarkable decision: on 28 July 1997, he donated the land to Dublin Corporation, ensuring it would remain a shared green space for generations to come. So, please join us, and help us celebrate a simple act of generosity that still enriches Stoneybatter every day.

COWPER STREET GREEN SCHOOL ZONE – St. GABRIEL’S N.S.

In early 2023, I circulated details of the proposed Green School Zone outside St. Gabriel’s N.S. on Cowper Street — a road safety project I have been campaigning for since then. I’m pleased to confirm that Dublin City Council has now secured funding to progress the scheme, including support from the NTA through its School Mobility Programme Fund. I am also aware of a concerning incident in late November, when a pupil leaving St. Gabriel’s with a parent was clipped by a car travelling at an inappropriate speed. Thankfully, no one was seriously hurt — but it reinforced the urgent need for improved safety measures on Cowper Street. The project will focus on Cowper Street between Oxmantown Road and the Lucky Lane junction, with construction currently anticipated during 2026. I am determined that it begins as soon as is practically possible. The project will include measures including footpath widening, school zone signage, new bike parking, pencil bollards outside the school gate, additional planting, and raised gateway features to slow traffic. Further details and drawings are available online at www.raymcadam.com.

GRANGEGORMAN PLAYGROUND: RE-SURFACING WORKS & NEW MOBILITY SWING

As a Board Member of the Grangegorman Development Agency, I have continued — alongside local community representatives — to press the case for practical, meaningful improvements to the playground on the Grangegorman campus, so that it remains a safe, welcoming and genuinely inclusive space for children and families in our area. The Playground will close this month to facilitate re-surfacing works and the installation of a new, fully accessible mobility swing. For health and safety reasons, the playground is expected to remain closed for approximately six to eight weeks while the works are completed. The project will add the new swing alongside the existing play equipment (with no equipment being relocated), and will require the removal of some landscaping/planting in the northern corner to ensure the swing can be installed and fully accessed. The new mobility swing will be EN-compliant, wheelchair accessible, and capable of accommodating two wheelchair users at a time.

MONTPELIER (FORMER O’DEVANEY GARDENS) UPDATE

Applications have now closed (12 noon, 16 December 2025) for Dublin City Council’s recent release of 99 Affordable Purchase homes (26 one-beds, 62 two-beds and 11 three-bed houses), which are expected to be ready for occupation from July 2026. More broadly, Montpelier is progressing in phases and the first residents from the earlier affordable homes launch are expected to begin moving in from February 2026, with Phase 1 due to complete in June 2026 delivering 379 social, affordable and cost-rental homes. Importantly for local residents, key facilities — including shops, a crèche, a pharmacy and a GP practice — are planned to be in place as the homes are occupied. Dublin City Council has also advertised a Choice Based Lettings opportunity at Montpelier (Tuath Housing) for 1 x 2-bed apartment and 7 x 3-bed apartments. The CBL opened Friday 19 December 2025 and closes at 5pm on Friday 9 January 2026. Please note: you must have “Area P” selected as an area of preference on your social housing application to be eligible.

BIKEBUNKERS ARRIVE IN STONEYBATTER

BikeBunkers — Dublin City Council’s new on-street bicycle lockers for residents who don’t have a secure place to store a bike — are now starting to roll out across the city. A small number have already been in place on a trial basis, and Dublin City Council is now moving to the next phase, with the first 100 of a planned ~300 units due to be installed across the next six months. I was delighted to officially launch the service here in Stoneybatter, with the first permanent BikeBunkers unveiled at Viking Place and Mount Temple Road . Each BikeBunker provides six secure parking spaces, and residents can rent a space for €100 per year. The system is being delivered for Dublin City Council by Bleeper, who are assembling and installing the new units in Dublin — with the BikeBunkers shipped from the Netherlands and now being rolled out in stages, starting locally. If you’d like to rent a space, or suggest a location for a new BikeBunker near your home, you can do so via BikeBunkers.ie.