COMHAIRLE CONTAE ÁTHA CLIATH THEAS
SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

MEETING OF TALLAGHT AREA COMMITTEE

Tuesday, October 29, 2024

MOTION NO.5

MOTION: Councillor L. Dunne

"This Area Committee commends the efforts of numerous stakeholders, the Council and residents who are actively tackling levels of antisocial behaviour and illegal dumping in MacUilliliam estate. However, to effectively address these issues, we call upon the Manager to work across all departments and develop more comprehensive strategies. By working together, to implement additional measures to ensure a safer and cleaner environment for all residents in the estate?"

REPORT:

In recent years there has been increased cross collaboration across the local authority, our partner agencies and residents to improve safety and the public realm in Mac Uilliam estate. There is a multi- agency committee which meets approximately every six weeks and includes representatives from the Council, Barnardos, Tusla, Connect 4, South Dublin County Partnership, Foroige, YMCA, Tallaght Community Arts, DDLETB, An Garda Síochána and CYPSC (Chair).

In addition, monthly meetings are held with the resident's association to discuss any concerns in the area. These meetings are attended by the staff including the housing officer, anti-social community safety team, community development officer and Community Gardaí for the area. The West Tallaght Community Safety Forum meets every 6 weeks and our community department are actively looking for a representative from Mac Uilliam to attend. Fortnightly clinics take place in the community room in Citywest Shopping Centre for residents and these are attended by the housing officers and An Garda Síochaná.

Several events and initiatives listed below have taken place in Mac Uilliam this year, which were all well attended by the residents:

Estate Management

• 6^th July 2024 – Family fun day in conjunction with our community department
• Clean-up day took place on 12/13^th October 2024. Pre-meeting held with residents and skips were provided for the residents of Mac Uilliam with the objective of reducing illegal dumping in the estate. 
• Inspection of communal areas in multi-unit developments are conducted monthly by housing officers. 
• Planting workshop at the community garden on Mac Uilliam Avenue, which was funded by estate management for the children in the estate.

Community Development

Initiatives under the Community Safety Innovation Fund currently being delivered include:

• Light Up Mac Uilliam Festival took place on the 28/29 September'24.This initiative successfully brought together several key organisations—South Dublin County Council, Noise Music South Dublin, Tallaght Community Arts, and Creative Ireland—to create a meaningful and positive impact on the community.
• Additional street lighting is being installed in Mac Uilliam in collaboration with our public lighting section.  
• Funding of €1,000 has been given to Connect 4 who are linking with Barnados for a Halloween Event.
• €3,000 has been given to Foroige to work with youths in Mac Uilliam and to run an event (gaming van & spray paint) in November and the Civic Theatre Christmas Panto in December.
• Funding is also available to engage a walking leader for Mac Ulliam and a physical activity programme targeting men. Consultation is ongoing with community groups to progress this initiative. A small walking group meet every Wednesday and the Active South Dublin are looking to extend this pilot.

Housing Maintenance

Housing maintenance works continue to be carried out in Mac Uilliam including external painting works have been completed in the Parade, Walk and Way with further homes on the Lane to be completed. Other planned maintenance works include kitchen and bathroom refurbishment, mechanical ventilation, windows and doors replacement and safety works. A specialist contractor was also recently engaged to remove paint and clean footpaths in the estate.

Public Realm

The Public Realm section have carried out various upgrades to the landscape in Mac Uilliam. These consisted of the following;

• A new 270m footpath has been installed at the entrance of the estate, providing safe pedestrian access across the green and promoting greater connectivity for residents.
• A total of 36 large, mature trees were planted adjacent to new and existing footpaths to enhance the landscape and promote ecological maturity within the estate.
• A 500m exercise loop has been installed using buff macadam to integrate into the existing footpaths. The loop includes distance markers every 100m encouraging users to alternate between running and walking. This design promotes an active lifestyle and motivates individuals to engage in regular physical activity.
• Over 260,000 pollinator-friendly bulbs have been planted in the estate which provides an array of colour from early February until May.
• Sports Capital was recently awarded for upgrading the MUGA in Mac Uilliam estate.

The grass within the estate is maintained every two weeks by the public realm section. Before cutting, the estate undergoes litter picking and debris removal, typically resulting in the collection of 40 to 50 bags of litter.

In addition to the bi-weekly grass cutting, the public realm team visits the site twice a week with a grab truck, frequently encountering discarded items such as furniture, fridges, washing machines, and bonfire remains. Periodic inspections by supervisors are also conducted to ensure ongoing maintenance. As well as this Oxigen thoroughly sweep and clean the estate every 6 weeks and sweep and clean the main road (Fortunestown Lane) every 2 weeks.

Our waste enforcement and licensing section have also been actively engaging with estate management to address the waste issues and will shortly commence a targeted initiative in the estate.