Show me the money

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CommunityCouncil
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Joined: 22 Feb 2019, 16:31
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In our last two posts, we discussed how Fingal has slashed the amount of infrastructure it will deliver in its new plan for Donabate. We then outlined how Fingal can’t even deliver on this slimmed down programme of much needed facilities for the area.

Today we are going to identify the root cause of this failure to deliver.

It all boils down to one thing.

Money.

When developers are granted permission to build houses or apartments, they must pay levies to Fingal.

These levies should be used to make the necessary infrastructural improvements to the local area. These works ensure the village grows sustainably.

Developers can also make financial contributions instead of providing green space in their developments. The basis for this is that the money will be spent by the local authority on improved amenities.

A significant amount of development is happening on the peninsula.

Fingal is therefore raising vast sums of money from developments in Donabate.

If this is the case, why are they behind the curve on the delivery of key improvements as set down in their own plans?

Surely, they are investing all this money on improving the area.

The facts speak for themselves.

In the last three years, Fingal has raised some €10,863,603.96 in development levies on the peninsula.

In the same period the council spent a paltry €650,000 on infrastructural improvements in Donabate.
The local authority has also forked out a meagre €845,000 for improvements in Portrane.

For every €1 the council takes in development levies, it spends less than 15 cent on infrastructure in the area.

Purchasers of new homes have handed over hard earned money on the understanding that things would get better.

This is a reasonable expectation, isn’t it?

Tomorrow we will go back to school in our post called “Class Action” where we discuss the provision of education facilities in the area.
jack white
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Quick question:

Is the distributor road not included in the 'paltry 650,000' that has been spent on infrastructure in Donabate?

I'm sure It cost a lot more than that.

And it would help to be clear on the issue. Pretty soon prospective FG TDs and their FF counterparts who have been supporting them in government will be knocking on the door asking for votes and I want to have all the facts at hand. Throwing the 650,000 for infrastructure argument at them won't achieve much if they can point to a road that cost several million.

It's obvious that investment in infrastructure isn't enough for a town that could well have a population of 21,000 in a few years time. The Hearse Road is little more than a boreen and totally unsuitable for a town with the population the size of Athlone. And yet there is no hint of it being properly upgraded. In fact the recent resurfacing probably indicates that there is no chance of it being brought up to the required standard. Politicians in power (and we are talking about what is effectively a FG/FF coalition) need to be questioned. And we need to have all the relevant facts to do so.
aoifey
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jack white wrote: 13 Jan 2020, 12:24 Quick question:

Is the distributor road not included in the 'paltry 650,000' that has been spent on infrastructure in Donabate?
correct me if i'm wrong but the distributor road isn't technically a bypass of the village. It is in place simply to open up land for more development and therefore can't exactly be considered as infrastructural improvement. Besides, once it is opened, traffic is going to be even heavier on the approach to Donabate (in my opinion) due to traffic lights etc.

the simple fact of the matter is that Donabate/Portrane is being completely neglected as an area. Double the population and yet don't improve the infrastructure at all. We may well end up seeing some sort of enquiry/tribunal into the goings on out here in a few years time.

and what are our local politicians doing? yes they and their supporters claim that they work hard, work tirelessly etc etc etc. But i don't see it. They should be banging down the doors of Fingal County Council continuously until they get what is required for the area. F**k the diplomacy. Just get out and do what you're being paid to do. Work for the people or step aside and let others do it. It should really be that simple. You're not working tirelessly enough as we are being dumped upon from a great height. If you cant do the job then just let someone else do it.
Derek
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The distributor road will be an absolute disaster. It's ridiculously narrow and each junction will be controlled by traffic light. Its only success will be to generate traffic. If a candidate knocks on my door trumpeting this as a good news story, I ask him or her to confirm when they plan to start building the other half of it. It should be a dual carriageway, but I suspect the council will permit development all the way to the edge of the road, thereby making its widening utterly impossible
Séamus Mac Brádaigh
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Joined: 03 Sep 2019, 17:16

jack white wrote: 13 Jan 2020, 12:24 Quick question:

Is the distributor road not included in the 'paltry 650,000' that has been spent on infrastructure in Donabate?

I'm sure It cost a lot more than that.

And it would help to be clear on the issue. Pretty soon prospective FG TDs and their FF counterparts who have been supporting them in government will be knocking on the door asking for votes and I want to have all the facts at hand. Throwing the 650,000 for infrastructure argument at them won't achieve much if they can point to a road that cost several million.

It's obvious that investment in infrastructure isn't enough for a town that could well have a population of 21,000 in a few years time. The Hearse Road is little more than a boreen and totally unsuitable for a town with the population the size of Athlone. And yet there is no hint of it being properly upgraded. In fact the recent resurfacing probably indicates that there is no chance of it being brought up to the required standard. Politicians in power (and we are talking about what is effectively a FG/FF coalition) need to be questioned. And we need to have all the relevant facts to do so.
The distributor road was mainly funded by Central Government and not by Fingal (see https://www.independent.ie/regionals/fi ... 17841.html)
jack white
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Thanks for that, Seamus.

No doubt a wily politician will point out that the amount of money coming from central government and Fingal combined is significantly bigger than the money raised from developers on the peninsula but it still won't change the fact that there's a hell of a lot more infrastructure needed if the town is to develop the way it should.
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