COMHAIRLE CONTAE ÁTHA CLIATH THEAS
SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

MEETING OF LUCAN AREA COMMITTEE

Tuesday, March 25, 2014

MOTION NO. 5

MOTION: Councillor G. O'Connell

"That the Manager responsible brings forward a progress report on holding the Palmerstown/Palmerston plebiscite."

REPORT:

The procedure to conduct a plebiscite was initiated following the meeting of the County Council held on 9th December 2013 where the following motion was PASSED:

'Given that the residents of 'Palmerstown Village' are deeply concerned that their Historic and Heritage Village has been misnamed 'Palmerston Village' instead of 'Palmerstown Village' (possibly named from the townland of 'Palmerston' instead of from the Irish name of Baile Phamar), and that current M50, N4 and 148 signage is directing people to a town land (Palmerston) that no longer has relevance in an Urban environment; that search engines such as Google currently directs customers who Google 'Palmerstown' to Palmerstown Village and environs, while customers who Google 'Palmerston' are quite rightly directed to Palmerston Rathmines but not to the Village of Palmerstown in this County; therefore, before the name 'Palmerston' becomes popular outside its current narrow confines (i.e. this County), the members of this Council strongly recommends and herby resolves: (1) that a plebiscite be held to change the name of Palmerston Village to Palmerstown Village involving all of the electors and ratepayers north of the 148 incorporating the Village area of Palmerstown, i.e. lower Kennelsfort Road, the Old Lucan Road, Mill Lane, Waterstown Avenue, Robin Villas, Riversdale Estate, Riverside Estate, Riverview Estate and Hollyville Estate including all industrial premises on both Old Lucan Road and Mill Lane as well as Stewarts Hospital; (2) that management provide to this Council an accurate costing for (2.1) the estimated cost of holding of the plebiscite (2.2) the location of signage that will have to be changed should the plebiscite successfully revert the name of Palmerton Village back to Palmerstown Village (2.3) the estimated cost of this work (2.4) that provision be made in the 2014 Budget for the holding of the plebiscite and (2.5) that the plebiscite be conducted as early as possible in 2014.'

The statutory procedure to change the official name of a street, place or locality is set out in the Local Government Act, 1946, the Local Government (Changing of Placenames) Regulations 1956, as amended by S. 67 LG Act 1994. Changes to the name can only be done by way of conducting a plebiscite of the qualified electors in the area and the consent of the majority of qualified electors is required for any change to be made by resolution of the Council.

In accordance with S. 67 of the Local Government Act 1994 "Qualified Electors" means:

- every person who in relation to the urban district, town, townland, non-municipal town, street or locality,  as the case may be is registered as a local government elector in the register of local government electors for the time being in force, or

- not being so registered is the rated occupier of a hereditament other than a hereditament the valuation of which attracts an allowance equal to full abatement of rates pursuant to section 3 of the Local Government (Financial Provisions) Act, 1978 .

A map of the plebiscite area (see attached) has been drawn up based on the estates/premises as outlined in the motion – '….north of the 148 incorporating the Village area of Palmerstown, i.e. lower Kennelsfort Road, the Old Lucan Road, Mill Lane, Waterstown Avenue, Robin Villas, Riversdale Estate, Riverside Estate, Riverview Estate and Hollyville Estate including all industrial premises on both Old Lucan Road and Mill Lane as well as Stewarts Hospital….'.  The number of electors currently listed on the Register of Electors 2014/15 for the plebiscite area is approx 590.

Preparatory work is also underway in relation to establishing the number of rate payers in the area concerned and in this regard arrangements are in hand to carry out an on site visit to ensure all relevant accounts / addresses have been accounted for.