Headed Items
CONFIRMATION AND RE-AFFIRMATION OF MINUTES
Minutes of Meeting of South Dublin County Council, 12th January 2009
(circulated herewith)
REPORT OF AREA COMMITTEES
a) Terenure/Rathfarnham Area Committee (1) - 6th January 2009
Dealing with Roads, Planning, Development and Corporate Services
(no report)
b)Terenure/Rathfarnham Area Committee (2) - 13th January 2009
Dealing with Community, Parks, Environment and Housing
(no report)
c) Tallaght Area Committee (1) - 19th January 2009
Dealing with Community, Parks, Environment and Housing
(no report)
d) Tallaght Area Committee (2) - 26th January 2009
Dealing with Roads, Planning, (1 report - Place Naming Strategy For Tallaght Town Centre) Development and Corporate Services
(circulated herewith)
e) Lucan/Clondalkin Area Committee (1) - 21st January 2009
Dealing with Planning, (1 report - Clonburris SDZ) Development, Roads & Housing
(circulated herewith)
f) Lucan/Clondalkin Area Committee (2) - 27th January 2009
Dealing with Community, Parks, Environment and Corporate Services
(no report)
STRATEGIC POLICY COMMITTEES
(No report )
STANDING COMMITTEES - ORGANISATION, PROCEDURE AND FINANCE COMMITTEE
a) Draft Calendar of Meeting Dates
b) Report on Conferences
c) Nominations to CPLN Partnership (formerly known as Clondalkin Partnership)
(all circulated herewith)
REPORTS REQUESTED BY AREA COMMITTEES
(no reports)
Questions
To ask the Manager in view of the recent closure of two hotels the Glashaus and Tallaght Cross and increase in job losses in the area, will he outline if has any new incentives or proposals to attract new investment and business interests in to the County?
To ask the Manager will he outline if the BER cert legislation is causing any delay in the roll out of housing units in the County and how many units are effected since its introduction?
To ask the Manager will he outline how many cases are waiting to go to the courts in relation to illegal telecommunication masts erected in the County and the areas they are located in?
To ask the Manager can he give an update on the scheme he hopes to introduce to facilitate senior citizens moving from private to Council sheltered accommodation, numbers so far identified, when will be the earliest date that he proposes to introduce the scheme, and if he needs the Department of Environment approval for its introduction?
To ask the Manager in view of the demand for allotments in the South Dublin County Council area, the obvious health and environmental spin offs of such activities, does he have any proposals to encourage the establishment of similar or other schemes in conjunction with schools and senior citizens clubs in the County?
To ask the Manager in view of the historic significance of this year in relation to the An Chead Dail, the GAA and the ITGWU does he plan to mark any of these occasions in the County during the year?
To ask the Manager for an update on the re-cycling collection for South County Dublin covering the following items:
(a) The company which is now carrying out the collection?
(b) Where the recyclable material is sent?
(c) The money recovered from recyclables?
(d) The cost to the County of the recycling service?
(e) The percentage of the material in the recycling bins that is actually recycled and what happens to the rest?
To ask the Manager to state the number of deaths on roads in South Dublin County in each of the years 2008/2007/2006 and can he also provide comparative statistics for the other Dublin Council areas, and indicate what actions, in co-operation with the Gardai and other relevant agencies, are being undertaken in an effort to minimise the loss of life on our roads?
To ask the Manager to provide figures for the number of ratepayers who have not payed their rates for 2008 as a percentage of the overall number of rate payers in the County and can he/she make a statement on what impact if any these figures have on the Council's finances?
To ask the Manager, in the period January 2007 to December 2008 (A) how many inspections of private rented accomodation took place to ascertain whether or not they met the regulated standard, (B) how many of these properties passed and failed to reach the standard and (C) how many prosecutions took place as a result of these findings and can the Manager make a statement on the matter?
To ask the Manager, considering the importance of the success of the Tallaght Master plan lands as the County Town, while taking into account the loss of the Tallaght Cross and Glashaus Hotels and what seems a slow uptake in certain apartment and office space, what additional efforts can be made by SDCC in conjunction with various Departments and agencies to ensure the continuation of the growing improvements to the area?
To ask the Manager for a comprehensive report on the initiatives which the Council is leading or partnering to eliminate all illegal dumping in the Dublin Mountains and would he make a statement on the matter?
To ask the Manager if he will investigate, possibly by way of a pilot project at one or two locations, the possibility of providing containers at Bring Banks for the disposal of plastic bags and cardboard boxes, to facilitate residents in using the banks for disposing of glass and plastic bottles and reduce litter, and if he will examine the practice of Dublin City Council in providing such containers?
To ask the Manager if the audit of SDCC recreational facilities requested by the Government has been completed, and if it has, could he provide councillor with details of the audit on an Electoral Area basis?
Headed Items
DECLARATION OF ROADS TO BE PUBLIC ROADS
(no reports)
PROPOSED DISPOSAL OF PROPERTIES/SITES
a) Proposed Disposal of Affordable Dwellings
b) Proposed Disposal of lands at Grange, Clondalkin to Coras Iompar Eireann. Variations of Certain Terms & Conditions.
Report on Part 8 of the Planning and Development Regulations 2001-2007, Aylesbury/Cushlawn Traffic Calming Measures.
TRAVELLER ACCOMMODATION PROGRAMME 2009 – 2013
Manager's Report February 2009
FORTUNESTOWN LOCAL AREA PLAN
(circulated herewith)
MAYOR'S BUSINESS
That this Council, subject to Council approval of the Fortunestown Lane/Garter Lane Local Area Plan, and recognising the statement in the Plan that “it is considered prudent to reserve a 3 acre site on the plan lands for a school to meet the existing and future needs of the local community” and that “no more than 50% of the lands shall be developed before a school is constructed on site”, supports the submission received from St Marys NS in respect of the school site, (Ref FGD/007), and requests that the submission together with this statement of support be referred to the Department of Education and Science.
Correspondence
Ministerial
Letter confirming position on Car Parking Levy
Other
Email, dated 27th January 2009 from Athlone Town Council requesting this Council's support for their attached letter to the Commission for Energy Regulation.
Motions
That this Council calls on the Manager to investigate the establishment of an outreach service in conjunction with NGO’s and State Agencies to inform Senior Citizens from the South Dublin County Council area of grants and other entitlements that are available to them and many administered by this Council.
That SDCC appoint an Area Manager to each of the administrative areas within the county. A primary function of this manager would be to co-ordinate the functions of the various internal departments to ensure that works are planned and delivered as a project - with consistent and predictable levels of quality and service. This person would be a single point of contact for work-in-progress within that area.
That this Council supports the demand of the Disability Federation of Ireland that the Government and the Health Services Executive provide adequate monies for the funding of disability and mental health services, specifically that the Government cancels the proposed 1% cut proposed in Budget 2009, that the HSE restore the 1% cut being implemented in 2008 and re-assign the €70 million redirected by it in 2007 and 2008 back to disability and mental health, and that the Government puts in place measures to ensure that the HSE cannot unilaterally remove disability and mental health funding allocated to it by Government, and requests the Manager to write to the Ministers for Finance and Health and Children and the Chief Executive Officer of the HSE conveying the views of this Council.
That the Manager write to the Minister for the Environment requesting that he set up a joint working group composed of representatives of both the elected members and management of South Dublin, Fingal, Kildare and Dublin City Councils, with the objective of actioning the recommendations of the EMS Report on the Liffey Valley (given that the OPW have indicated that they are not to coordinate the work of promoting a Liffey Valley National Park).
That this Council agrees to the introduction of a pilot scheme to provide 'children at play' signs to local residents associations without charge. Such a scheme could include a limit per year on the number of signs and an equal division throughout the County. The current situation where communities with greater wealth can easily afford to pay for such signs which the Council then erects without charge is manifestly unfair, as other communities with equal or greater need, but who cannot afford to buy the signs, are left with their children facing greater risks when playing in their area.
That the Council, in the context of the ongoing Lisbon debate, fully utilises its designated member of staff charged with European Responsibilities, and, through discussions at CPG level and among party leaders, considers the option of using existing meeting headings and structures to regularly and formally inform members of developments at European Union level which directly affect the work and policies of the local authority
That this Council will explore the possibility of locating a viewing point amenity, in the Dublin Mountains, that will serve as point of significant interest within our county.
This Council recommends that single people, male and female, be permitted to go on the South Dublin County Council housing lists even when they live at home.
That this Council is dissatisfied with the level of grant from the Local Government Fund per head of population allocated to SDCC, which is the lowest of all County and City Councils, does not accept the reasons given by the DoEHLG which vaguely refer to a historical position when the Dublin Local Authorities were re-organised in 1994, is concerned that as a consequence of the low level of LGF grant commercial rates in SDCC are higher than they might otherwise have to be, thus putting pressure on businesses based in the County, and requests the Manager to write to the Minister for EHLG demanding a review of the LG Fund and that the level of grant per head provided to SDCC be immediately increased to be the same as that of Fingal Country Council.
That the Manager present a report on the cost of the Corporate Image Change to the Council.
That this Council calls on the Manager to investigate the feasibilty of transferring any affordable homes currently in possession of the Council that cannot be sold in the current climate (i.e. certain section 23 apartments) to either direct social stock or RAS stock with a view to a fast track solution to help reduce the growing SDCC housing list.
This Council views with concern the current proposals to transfer vital adult and childrens services from Tallaght Hospital and agrees to write to the Minister for Health and Children Mary Harney TD to express our concern at the continued downgrading of services from this hospital.