With a bit of a shock I was told this week that we stand to lose the last remaining trees on the Ballisk common along with the public walkway that goes into the back gate of the community centre. There seems to be a planning application in the council (f18a/0302) that proposes the permanent closing of the walkway and the destruction of those large polar trees to build 6 houses.
Why did nobody tell us about this when the application was lodged on the 29th May and the closing date for observation is Tuesday the 3rd July? Where is the SPDD that champions the cause of people of Donabate when it comes to our living environment and infrastructure? Not to mention our local councillors? Adrian Henchy lives within sight of the proposed development and him and his dad Pascal are Directors of the limited company that runs the community centre. Can they not inform the community that we stand the chance to loose a valuable parts of our living environment (not to mention the school kids who are being force to walk down the narrow footpaths of the Portrane road)?
Very disappointing!!
Walkway to be closed, trees on Balisk common to be cut down
SPDD has been instrumental in campaigning to have the right of way to the community centre and secondary and Educate Together primary school reinstated. This has been closed for nearly 9 months. A question submitted by SPDD on the reinstatement of the right of way by Councillor Paul Mulville last month was omitted by Fingal County Council. The developer has recently submitted a new planning application F18A/0302 for a number of houses on this site. However we are extremely concerned that a proposal to move the right of way also forms part of this application. We understand that a proposal to leave the bit of tarmacadamed path that is currently there, and force pedestrians across the entrance road at the end of it and then on to the estate footpaths and along in front of the 6 new houses that are planned up to the community centre entrance forms part of this application. The closing date for submissions on this application is 3rd July 2018.
- Attachments
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SPDD recognises the need for housing and wishes for development in Donabate to be carried out in a sustainable way that enhances and reflects the needs of a growing community. @SPDD17
Press statement:
The failure of Fingal County Council to include a question about the continued closure of a public right-of-way in Donabate has been described as extraordinary by a community group.
Supporting Proper Development in Donabate (SPDD) had asked Councillor Paul Mulville to submit a question to the county manager about the pathway this month.
Officials in the council replied to Cllr Mulville that the question was omitted in error from the agenda for the June area meeting.
The right-of-way is used by childre on their way to all schools on the peninsula.
It has been closed now for more than six months despite its retention being a condition of the planning permission.
The closure of the pathway forms part of a comprehensive, formal complaint made by SPDD made to Fingal County Council (FCC), which has been forwarded to Housing Minister Eoghan Murphy and Taoiseach Leo Varadkar.
The right-of-way crosses the Paddocks site which has planning permission for housing.
The question asked the chief executive of FCC “if he will outline the current position regarding the reinstatement of the pedestrian right-of-way on Ballisk Common between the Portrane Road and Donabate Portrane Community Centre, which is urgently needed on pedestrian safety grounds for children walking to school; if he is aware that Gas Networks Ireland have confirmed that the works on the gas main have now been completed; if he will outline when the path will be re-opened given
the many missed deadlines provided by the developer to date for the re-opening?”
The developer who owns the land around the right-of-way had claimed work on gas pipes was delaying the re-opening of the pathway.
But SPDD has had confirmation from Gas Networks Ireland that any works on pipelines has been completed.
There has been no works carried out on the site for months now.
The pathway was used extensively by children going and coming from the three primary schools and the community college.
A spokesperson for SPDD said it was extraordinary that the right-of-way was still closed, and that a question on the issue for the FCC chief executive was left off the agenda for the June area meeting.
SPDD said it was unacceptable that Fingal has not been more proactive on the issue, and said the failure to include the Cllr Mulville question was unacceptable.
The right of way at Ballisk Common leads from the Somerton estate on the Portrane Road to the community centre.
SPDD said the walk-way is now closed for more than eight months at this point.
The failure of Fingal County Council to include a question about the continued closure of a public right-of-way in Donabate has been described as extraordinary by a community group.
Supporting Proper Development in Donabate (SPDD) had asked Councillor Paul Mulville to submit a question to the county manager about the pathway this month.
Officials in the council replied to Cllr Mulville that the question was omitted in error from the agenda for the June area meeting.
The right-of-way is used by childre on their way to all schools on the peninsula.
It has been closed now for more than six months despite its retention being a condition of the planning permission.
The closure of the pathway forms part of a comprehensive, formal complaint made by SPDD made to Fingal County Council (FCC), which has been forwarded to Housing Minister Eoghan Murphy and Taoiseach Leo Varadkar.
The right-of-way crosses the Paddocks site which has planning permission for housing.
The question asked the chief executive of FCC “if he will outline the current position regarding the reinstatement of the pedestrian right-of-way on Ballisk Common between the Portrane Road and Donabate Portrane Community Centre, which is urgently needed on pedestrian safety grounds for children walking to school; if he is aware that Gas Networks Ireland have confirmed that the works on the gas main have now been completed; if he will outline when the path will be re-opened given
the many missed deadlines provided by the developer to date for the re-opening?”
The developer who owns the land around the right-of-way had claimed work on gas pipes was delaying the re-opening of the pathway.
But SPDD has had confirmation from Gas Networks Ireland that any works on pipelines has been completed.
There has been no works carried out on the site for months now.
The pathway was used extensively by children going and coming from the three primary schools and the community college.
A spokesperson for SPDD said it was extraordinary that the right-of-way was still closed, and that a question on the issue for the FCC chief executive was left off the agenda for the June area meeting.
SPDD said it was unacceptable that Fingal has not been more proactive on the issue, and said the failure to include the Cllr Mulville question was unacceptable.
The right of way at Ballisk Common leads from the Somerton estate on the Portrane Road to the community centre.
SPDD said the walk-way is now closed for more than eight months at this point.
SPDD recognises the need for housing and wishes for development in Donabate to be carried out in a sustainable way that enhances and reflects the needs of a growing community. @SPDD17
why do you expect SPDD to do your homework for you? Planning applications are public record and are available to view online at any time. maybe you should be checking these regularly yourself instead of waiting for a voluntary group to do things for you.padraig wrote:With a bit of a shock I was told this week that we stand to lose the last remaining trees on the Ballisk common along with the public walkway that goes into the back gate of the community centre.
Why did nobody tell us about this when the application was lodged on the 29th May and the closing date for observation is Tuesday the 3rd July? Where is the SPDD that champions the cause of people of Donabate when it comes to our living environment and infrastructure?
Very disappointing!!
yes, it's all very shifty, but once i heard of the walkway closure 9 months ago, i knew it would never reopen. this was always going to be the outcome.
lots more of this underhand behaviour will be happening over the next few years.
you should really ask yourself why FCC mysteriously didn't include the question at the last meeting.
ask yourself why ALL our public representativers have been completely useless in all of this. I gave them all the benefit of the doubt at the start but not any more.
i look forward to the tribunals on all this stuff when Donabate becomes the anti-social behaviour capital of Dublin in 10 to 15 years time. We are going to be a hub for social housing on a scale not seen anywhere else in Dublin. and yes I'm stereotyping because well, history.