1. Confirmation of Minutes
(i) To consider the confirmation and signing of the Minutes of the Meeting held on 18th May 2015.
(ii) To consider the confirmation and signing of the Minutes of the Special Meeting held on 25th May 2015.
Cllr D’Alton (Ind): Requests amendment in relation to her convent motion of last week. The Council identified the property as dangerous and has written to the company’s receivers to ask permission with a view to gaining voluntary access to the property in order to examine it.
MDO: It hasn’t been defined as dangerous because we need to get on site to do the examination first. But the rest will be noted.
Cllr McGrath (FF): Any response from Bus Eireann in relation to coming to meet with the Municipal District representatives? Thanks MH for the work on the Lower Kimoney Road. Great job, badly needed. Any update on the one way system in Mount Oval?
MDO: No update from Bus Eireann.
AE: Hasn’t looked at the Mount Oval situation yet but intends to discuss it with the roads design office and NRO. New N28 works might have an impact on this entire area.
Cllr D’Alton (Ind): Any response from the receiver of the convent in Passage West? Now a full month since he was written to. How long will the Council wait for this reply before enacting its legal powers and just entering the site with a view to identifying the works that need to be undertaken to make it not dangerous? Also we had requested a briefing on Douglas LUTS?
MDO: Will chase up with solicitors. No response as yet. No problem to get the briefing. Will speak to Peter O’Donoghue.
Cllr Forde (FG): Welcomes 8 girls and 2 teachers from Scoil Athair Maithiu, the girls national school in Togher. They are present on the invitation of Cllr O’Laoghaire and on an issue they raised.
Cllr O’Laoghaire (SF): The girls have done lots of work on raising awareness of dog poo. They found that it is a big problem on the county side of Togher. One day in a survey they found 57 samples. There are currently no bags, bins or signs in Togher. The school is working on its 4th Green Flag on travel. The girls in the Students Council have taken this study on dog fouling on board.
Cllr Canty: Tidy Towns in Ballincollig have got lovely new posters and boxes for collecting dog poo in the Regional Park. There is funding available but you just have to tap into it. Ballincollig Tidy Towns would be delighted to talk to them at any time and help.
Cllr D’Alton (Ind): Similar issue in Passage West, where we have a long public walk that is very popular with dogwalkers. Our Tidy Towns group asked and asked for bins but the County Council didn’t want to provide. Eventually we applied for a Local Agenda 21 grant for a bin and a year’s maintenance contract. In the second year we applied for another bin and again in the third year. Now we empty the bins ourselves. Worth the grief to have them. Ran a dog show in Passage West a couple of weeks ago. Used it to sign up to the Green Dog Walkers Programme, a new intiative from the Council. When you sign the pledge, you become a Green Dog Walker. This means that you use a special lead and wear a special badge, always clean up after your dog and always carry a spare bag or two to share with dog owners who have forgotten theirs. Signed up 10 people at the dog show. Not bad – very wet day and in Scotland, where it started, they signed up 2 at first.
Cllr Collins (FG): Have two bins on Carrigaline walkway. Dogs that walk around uncontrolled are the problem. Education is the way to go. Involvement of the Area Office with the help of local organisations. Asking the local authority to empty the bins all the time is not fair.
Cllr McGrath (FF): Compliments the school on highlighting the issue. Is a combination of approaches. We have to provide the bins and we have to improve enforcement. It isn’t good enough for people to leave their dogs wander without control.
Cllr Forde (FG): Is involved in the residents group in Maryborough. Some of the people on the residents committee tackle people walking through the estate who do not pick up after their dogs. That’s not ok either. You can influence policy from a young age. Don’t forget that. Asks all councillors to introduce themselves individually to the girls.
AE: It is fair to say that the Council does have issues with dog bins, with their maintenance and collection. Accepts that there are no litter bins at all in Togher. Thinks that they were removed some time ago and that there were reasons for it. Has no problem with putting ordinary litter bins in Togher. Will meet the problem half way in this respect. Will also follow up on the signs in particular. There are better signs available now. More graphic, etc. She will get some of these.
Cllr Forde (FG): Introduces the executive to the girls. Compliments the teachers on bringing the children in.
Cllr Collins: Asks the Area Engineer if she could change the design of the litter bins she will be putting in. With the current design, dog foul is pulled back out of the bins by the crows trying to get at food underneath.
Cllr O’Laoghaire (SF): Thanks the Chair for taking this at the top of the agenda. Thanks the Area Engineer for her response. Perhaps engagement with the Tidy Towns and the girls in relation to location of bins and signs is the next step.
2. Consideration of Reports and Recommendations:
Shannon Park Masterplan and Proposed Amendment to Carrigaline Electoral Local Area Plan 2011 – Briefing on Revised Proposals for Public Consultation
Ross Palmer (Senior Executive Planner):
This revision has been caused by some comments at the March meeting about the precondition that the roundabout should be signalised prior to development. We went back to Arup and working with Peter O’Donoghue’s section, teased out a number of option to facilitate a bit of flow of traffic around the roundabout. They took some time to have a look at various models and have come up with a number of options. What is shown here is one of the options that we have chosen to improve the circulation at the roundabout. We need to build a new lane on the Ringaskiddy side that will allow both LH and RH turning and another lane on the way to Cork. So 2 lanes going around to Cork.
Ringaskiddy lane is 70m long to allow quite a lot of cars assemble.
The consultants also say there is a need to build an additional lane southbound on the R611 going into Carrigaline. With these two proposals, they feel confident that at least 200 houses could be commenced on the site without any major change to the traffic situation.
We said we would make some revisions to the Masterplan. We have had to do minor modifications to the phasing programme. So Phase 1 is the NW corner of the site. Sustains 200 houses on its own.
Phase 2 – 550 houses built in phases of 70 or so. In that 2nd phase the Park and Ride, the local commercial hub and the local primary school are still going ahead.
Cooney’s land on the eastern side – recommendations have not changed.
CE has asked us to prepare a new programme of events from now onwards. Will go for consultation on Local Area Plan next week.
Cllr Collins (FG): The phasing is the one big difference. At the last meeting, you said phases 1 and 3 could go ahead.
Ross: Only change to the 3rd phase is that the amendments to the roundabout would be in place before Phase 3 goes ahead.
Cllr McGrath: This is a better document than the last day’s. Got this document in advance of the meeting – that was positive. Improved amendment. Phasing makes sense. Double lanes makes sense. Incorporating the junction of Carrignacurra will make a big difference.
Asked that we move on to the next item:
Shannon Park Roundabout Upgrade – Briefing on Economic Imperative
A Hind (Senior Planner): Interim changes at roundabout will allow the housing development commence. But the minor upgrade does not create additional capacity to expand employment at Ringaskiddy. It is that issue that has been driving the signalisation issue. Without the major upgrade – the signalisation or the completion of the motorway, the jobs potential of Ringaskiddy is undermined. It is not a separate issue to that at Shannonpark. If the jobs potential is undermined, we will have diminished economic capacity for growth. So CE is proposing to proceed with the Part 8 scheme.
Dependency ratio will rise to 80% over the next 30 years. Economy in the future is going to perform a very different function. If we are not going to decrease our prosperity we will have to deliver an economy which has more high value jobs. Otherwise we cannot support those dependents.
If our economy is just based on selling things to each other, we wouldn’t be as wealthy as we are today. So we need to sell things to people on the same land mass, i.e. Ireland. But there aren’t that many customers for our business. So very important to sell things to our nearest neighbours, i.e. the EU.
Need to plan for a large number of extra people. Need to plan to support a large number of older people. So need to shift to high value jobs. Need to build environmental capacity. What about Ringaskiddy? It is central to Cork’s plan in this. Ringaskiddy is really important.
We have been planning for this for a long time. We need to protect the capacity of the blue land (zoned industrial). Motorway is proposed. But motorway is not good enough for this. Motorway would obviate the needs for the signalisation of the roundabout. But at best, even with a firm commitment announced by government in the morning, it still has a number of procedures to go through. It has to go to contract, be constructed, there is a sequencing issue in relation to the Dunkettle interchange. Dunkettle needs to come first, according to the NRA. So even in a favourable climate, it could be 6 – 7 years before the N28 upgrade is delivered. So we are at the cusp of an upturn and we want to be ready to grab every opportunity that is offered to Cork. That is what is driving this.
Outside Greater Dublin, Ringaskiddy is the largest FDI cluster in Ireland. Ringaskiddy is a big deal and we want to protect it. Many of the world’s top pharmaceuticals are employed there. There is a strong supply of housing nearby so conditions are right for inward investment. The UCC facilities, NMCI, etc. are there so there is a lot of science and innovation there. That was deliberate policy. If we are not to waste the potential created by that, we need to have the signalisation ready to go.
PoC got their decision to relocate. So very important from a commercial and tourism point of view.
So the CE is going to promote the Part 8 proposal and it will come back with a final decision before Council.
Cllr Forde: This presentation is of very high calibre. Wish many government departments could take a leaf out of Andrew’s book. Great credit due to the councillors and the Council for driving this development.
Cllr McGrath: You’d be forgiven for thinking that the presentation wasn’t about traffic lights at a roundabout. This would be a very strong presentation for the government to get the N28 upgrade moved forward more quickly. This should be the focus, not traffic lights at a roundabout which will make no difference. Thinks very unfair to be linking signalisation with jobs and economic growth. Correlation that he doesn’t see. Uses the roundabout many times each week. Does not think that it will make any difference to signalise. Extraordinary that we are here as a Council highlighting the imperative of signalisation when the same Council supported PoC saying that signalisation was not necessary for the PoC. Problem is the road from the roundabout in the direction of Cork. Not any more than a regional road. No sticking plaster of signalisation. Traffic lights will not be needed
When new road goes ahead. Wants clearity that Part 8 will come back to MD members.
Cllr O’Laoghaire: They are linked and they are not. We received a presentation on traffic modelling and Shannonpark that was predicated on economic growth in Carrigaline. Is it fair to say that Shannonpark is exclusively related to Ringaskiddy? No reference to a play area in the Masterplan. Needs to be factored in. Asks about General Development Contribution reference in Section 1.4.36 of the LAP changes.
Cllr O’Donnabhain: Traffic lights don’t work. Ballincollig would demonstrate this. Traffic lights have hindered economic development. Andrew’s points are very well made. Would be directing them towards the department, etc. Should direct these towards the advancing the new road, not signalising the roundabout. If the government is serious, the motorway is the only way forward. The FDI and port facilities need to be grown and this can happen only with the motorway.
Cllr Harris: Loathe to cross Seamus who is an expert in the area. But understands that there is a safety issue with trucks. Traffic lights might help this.
Cllr Collins: At Pfizer presentation recently. Outlined how important Ringaskiddy is to the entire network within the country. They have a container leaving their place in Ringaskiddy and in 48 hours it will be on the shelves of shops on the west coast of America. Glad of the 2 lanes out of the roundabout. 200 houses will take 4 – 5 years to build. Max is 50 houses/year to build. Access in the interim will necessitate growth of the industries. Sequencing of the lights can be altered to reflect the volumes of traffic at different times of the day. Would hate that anyone would try to stymie the development of these industries or the port. Knows that the government I being lobbied about the N28.
Cllr D’Alton: Much has been said already and agree with it but do not want to revisit it. Just don’t understand when there are 3 bottlenecks on the route, why address the middle one only. Shanbally is a bottleneck on one side of the Shannonpark roundabout and the two lanes going north merging into one will be another. What is the sense in addressing only the middle bottleneck? Are there new plans for Shanbally?
Cllr O’Donnabhain: There had been a proposal for a slip road from Carr’s Hill. Please clarify.
Cllr Desmond: Very frustrating to have a third Part 8. There is democracy involved in all of this. Does the Part 8 come back to the Municipal District? It needs to. Notes what I said. You can quote scripture to suit yourself. We’re cutting and pasting it to suit.
Cllr Forde: We have a wonderful opportunity here. There are conflicting issues but we have to do our best to get it right. Cork region is under threat from Belfast and from Dublin. The industries will go where they get a decent package. Cork needs to continue to deliver to support our own people here. This is a very clear picture from Andrew. Ultimately, this will be a decision for full Council.
Andrew Hind: Ringaskiddy is too important to the Cork economy to make it dependent on a motorway being built at some point in the future. The motorway will solve the Shannonpark problem. The motorway hasn’t even been through due process with An Bord Pleanala. There are administrative hurdles to be jumped in that regard. Presentation is to remind Cllrs of the importance of Ringaskiddy to the region and to the State. An Bord Pleanala may not grant planning for further development in Ringaskiddy because there is not adequate road access. We cannot risk that.
The science of traffic engineering is that traffic lights work.
It’s too big a risk for Cork to take not to proceed with this.
Ross: Play areas in the Shannonpark development will be in the central spine area. Already discussed. Defined in O-09. Is to serve the local residents and people from Carrig na Curra also.
Development Charges – they are not paid by individuals directly but by the developers. We will change the wording of that.
Timeline – 21st September we can make our comments on amendments following the planners’ report. We might send it out in advance to give you a chance to have a look.
A Hind: As a matter of law, the final decision on the changes in relation to the roundabout rests with the CE.
My understanding on the modelling is that both bottlenecks mentioned by Cllr D’Alton had been included in the modelling. This Peter O’Donoghue’s department but he is not here today.
Cllr Collins: Can the play facilities be provided for the 200 houses from day one? Also thinks we are overrun with schools in Carrigaline.
Ross: There will be open space provided within the layout. Thinks unfair to request him to finish development of the central area within the first phase. But he has to do attenuation ponds, surface water drainage, etc. so he will commence the recreational area but won’t have finished it until he finishes phase 2.
Cllr Collins: There are a number of clubs who do not have facilities of their own but wonders could they use this?
Ross: Something that can be dealt with later.
South Cork Manager: Once the submissions on a Part 8 have been received, they usually come back to the local meeting before they go to full Council.
Cllr McGrath: I said the construction phase would be 2 years. Felt the non-construction work could be done before that. Have we any idea when the Part 8 is likely to start? We should not have 2 public consultations running parallel because it will lead to confusion.
Andrew Hind: Will talk about this with the CE. The intention was to proceed with the Part 8 as quickly as is practical.
Douglas Pay Parking Bye Laws: Draft Bye Law Amendments
MDO: Agreement after the last meeting in May in relation to the time and to omit the Woollen Mills references. Wording for the second permit was still not quite decided.
New wording circulated. All happy with proposed wording.
Carer’s permit: Cllr D’Alton kindly sent in details in relation to other local authorities. Douglas has 156 on-street spaces. But Sligo with a population of 175,00 car parks has 16 car parks. Similarly Kilkenny. Naas, has 430 onstreet and 266 car park spaces. So their parking areas are covering a much broader area than we are. The by-laws only apply to a limited number of residents. We don’t see a need for carer’s permits. Some towns allow permits for voluntary carers only. Not paid carers. Carer parking was never raised as an issue for the past number of years. A carer could be there for only an hour or two each day. But with a permit they could have blanket permission to park on street for as long as they like.
Cllr Forde: Would like to support on the humane element. But has come across a few issues where they have put in a wheelchair parking space and someone comes to think they own it. Maurice’s point about carer’s only being in there for an hour is valid. Needs more thought.
Cllr D’Alton: Accepts that the footprint of pay parking area in Douglas is small. But the houses in Douglas are older, generally with an older population. In addition, we have already been talking about the suitability of the cottages in Douglas for older people. They are on the flat, close to shops and to the church. It would not be unreasonable to permit that either the primary or second permit to which each house is entitled could be granted to a carer if necessary. That would not be taking up any commercial spaces on the street but would allow people the necessary help to grow older in their own homes.
Cllr Desmond: Home help is in for half hour period. If you are lucky, it is an hour. With the wording we have there, a second permit could be allowed to the house/carer. This would be a 24 hour care situation. There hasn’t been a demand for it to date but it is a reasonable provision to make.
MDO: This would practically be someone who is living in the house.
Cllr McGrath: Was feeling similar to Cllr Desmond. We need to distinguish between someone who is a declarable carer and someone who is coming in for only half an hour each day. Thinks the current wording covers that. So if there is a full time carer, they could be covered under that. May be an option.
Cllr Harris: It would appear that it is already covered under the current situation because you cannot legislate for everything. With a small bit of flexibility we can deal with it but as we go forward in the future, we can deal with it.
Manager: It would be difficult to distinguish to differentiate between different types of carer. Possibly the second resident’s permit could be an option. Concern is that we are introducing things that are not necessary. Pay parking area is very limited. Would like to see where are the people who need this service. We can look at the carer need on a case by case basis.
Cllr D’Alton: Would be happy if we were to minute that the Municipal District is willing to look at accommodating carers with the second permit on a case by case basis.
Agreed.
3. Annual Meeting July 2015
Election of chair will be at next meeting.
4. General Municipal Allocation/Town Development Fund
MDO read out how we had decided to assign spending of the Town Development Fund. The St. Patrick’s Day parade funds are being paid. Contact has been made with towns that have asked for Christmas lights, including Passage West, Carrigaline, Douglas and Togher. We are waiting for a response from Ballincollig. It seems that the problem in Ballincollig is significant so we may not be able to help them.
Twinning
Spraying – MDO will send out the areas to be covered. Cost will be €8k. So we can spray twice if necessary.
Painting scheme – Discussed the scheme with the County Architect. County Architect thinks Carrigaline – below the school and church and houses and going down the main spine of the town – would be a good place to start. County Architect didn’t think Douglas West would be best for the first year.
Public lighting – priority areas will be dealt with. Putting out contracts for the 3 areas that were selected.
€5k for marketing proposals – needs to be fleshed out.
€29.5k – AE was talking about extra street sweeping.
Cllr McGrath: Good day’s work the last day. Our money is pretty much allocated. Bin collection – does our contribution cover it once per weekend every weekend, etc? Bank holiday weekends? Area enhancement measures – extra sweeping is a good idea – contractor could possibly come earlier in the day when there aren’t so many parked cars? Verge cutting – huge issue. Needs to be included. Not hedge cutting.
Cllr D’Alton: Agree with the verge cutting but would like to incorporate vergeside litter picking too. The kind of litter that builds from coffee cups and plastic bags thrown from car windows.
Cllr O’Laoghaire: Public lighting – comment from AE on what is possible and not please.
Streetscape painting scheme terms and conditions seem reasonable. Cork City scheme allows paint it yourself at 100% of the cost. Can we allow this too? Had circulated a suggestion that we might assist the school in providing pre-schooling places. When could we deal with miscellaneous ways of spending? We need preschool places to be provided locally or they will attend preschool outside the parish and will then attend primary school outside the parish. Thinks the TDF is a potential source of assistance if it is possible under the guidelines. Togher family centre, community centre, etc. all support it.
Cllr O’Donnabhain: Agrees on the verge cutting issue. Extra money like this could make a substantial difference.
Cllr Murphy: Lots of dilapidated buildings in Passage West. Can the Council write to dilapidated owners for us?
Manager: No. Our remit is derelict buildings only.
Cllr D’Alton: Cllr Murphy right about this. Have spoken about this twice at these meetings before. Passage West Tidy Towns met with Kevin O’Neill some years ago about this. Call it creeping dereliction. Asked that the County Council would write to owners of such properties when they are bringing down a streetscape. Kevin O’Neill agreed. Have already asked Municipal District would they continue with this practice and was told yes.
Manager: Can do it but thinks a letter to such property owners would be best coming from a Tidy Towns group rather than from the County Council.
Cllr D’Alton: On draft guidelines for painting scheme – wording is not clear that only those parts of the property visible from the street are covered by the scheme. Also in Passage West, we used the words “up to” 50%. Then when the scheme was oversubscribed, we reduced the level of funding rather than leaving anyone out. Of course the danger is that if the level of funding is reduced too far, it may no longer be attractive.
Cllr McGrath: Agrees with Cllr D’Alton on the “up to” 50%. Allows leeway.
Cllr Canty: As a painting contractor – health and safety is gone off the richter scale. Someone might not be able to come up with the money.
MDO: The scheme is clear on the H&S requirements that are necessary. As a public body, we have to do this. Other public buildings do not qualify under the scheme.
At our TDF meeting, we agreed that we would put aside €10k for miscellaneous spending. We didn’t decide how to deal with miscellaneous requests. We also have put aside €14k from the GMA. Is this all to go to the AE?
Cllr Forde: Each of us to have a look at extra projects to come out of the miscellaneous fund. How often do we want to decide on what projects to fund?
AE: €14,000 will barely do verge cutting and litter picking. That can’t come out of the TDF. Has very little for verge cutting at the moment. Can do junctions only – and only some junctions at that. Would like to take the suggested approach of combining verge cutting and litter picking.
After discussion, decided that we would examine projects submitted for funding out of the €10,000 in July and in October. A grant to any project would be capped at €1,000. The €14,000 will go to the Area Office for verge cutting and litterpicking.
Cllr Forde thanks the Area Engineer for the cleanup at Dolmen Wood.
5. Disposal of Property
To consider the disposal of property at 16 Maulbaun, Passage West, Co. Cork to Passage United Sports & Social Club Ltd for 2 years (by way of lease) commencing 1st October 2015 for the consideration of €100 per annum.
To consider the disposal of property at No. 29 Mount Rivers Estate, Kilnagleary, Carrigaline, Co. Cork to Breda O’Sullivan for the consideration of €350.00 inclusive of administrative charges.
Agreed.
6. To consider the following Notices of Motion in the name of:
Cllr S McGrath
1. “To seek an update from the Engineer regarding the proposed Pelican Crossing near the entrance to Maryborough Woods on the Carrigaline road.”
AE is still waiting for design on this. Thinks it will not be done this year. There are other schemes that are ahead of it. Original condition of planning which required the pelican crossing was altered to a financial planning contribution.
2. “To seek a written update regarding the recent spending of planning contributions in Passage West from the Harbour Heights development.”
Received report: Response to McGrath’s motion
3. “To seek an update from the Engineer regarding the request for traffic calming measures in the car park of Barnahely cemetery, Ringaskiddy.”
Sometimes there is anti-social behaviour in the cemetery at night time.
AE: Is aware of this issue. There are proposals for road realignment in the general area for link ups with the new N28. Will see if works can be done as part of this.
Cllr J Harris
I propose that on behalf of Newton Court residents association that following work be undertaken immediately:
1. “Footpaths and roads in the estate which are in very poor condition be repaired.”
AE: The Area Office is putting together a contract for footpath works at the moment. Newton Court is not on the list. Will see if any isolated sections can be addressed. Will be at the top of the list for next year.
Cllr Harris: Newton Court is becoming a throughway for kids going to school at Belview. Elderly people living here also.
2. “That exit on to main road by Cooney’s Lane from Newton Court is a danger to children especially at school times and that a barrier at exit is required and a footpath linking Newton Court with Belview footpath is urgently needed.”
AE: Houseowners have reached agreement with Cork County Council to sell some land that will link Newton Court to the footpath. We just now have no resources. The barrier has been brought up in the past and the barrier will be put up. So the priority will be for safe crossing. Agreement with the landowner is about 2 years old now. We had hoped for NTA funding to cover that link. But now the NTA no longer gives that kind of funding.
Cllr Forde: Are there development charges from Ardfield left that could be used? Can we chase the NTA for money?
3. “That trees in the estate be trimmed.”
AE: We will look at it. Will be hoping to do road surface at the junction.
Cllr M D’Alton
1. “That Cork County Council would carry out the necessary works to the Cut n Cover, Monkstown to make it wheelchair accessible.”
Cllr D’Alton: Came particularly to light on the morning when Nathan Kirwan was trying out his exoskeleton. He wanted to do the walk in the Cut and Cover. But he could not because the surface was too poor. It cannot be used by wheelchairs. Surface needs addressing, as does the access at either end. Doesn’t need anything structural, just smooth surface and small ramping.
AE: Will see what she can do.
2. “That Cork County Council would improve facilities for crossing the R610 at the head of Pembroke Wood, Passage West.”
Cllr D’Alton: Has brought this issue up many times, including in Passage West Town Council. The largest estate in the town but doesn’t even have a ramp to help buggies, wheelchairs and bikes get off the path and on to the other side. There is a state of the art uncontrolled crossing at the bottom of Rockenham, but pedestrian usage there is very low. Where it is needed most, there is no crossing. Looking for an uncontrolled crossing, not traffic lights.
AE: Hopes to do entire roundabout project later this year. Will include uncontrolled crossing at Pembroke wood as part of this.
Cllr D’Alton: Have heard this many times before and know funding is an issue. If it does not go ahead this year, can the uncontrolled crossing just be installed in advance of the roundabout works?
AE: Thinks this would be possible but hopes to do the entire roundabout.
Cllr MR Desmond
1. “To ask the Engineer to reinstate the traffic/crash barrier along the bend of the Rochestown Road, from the Rochestown Park Hotel along the front of Belgard Downs.”
AE: All the residents would like that a crash barrier would go in there. It is gone for well longer than 2 years, maybe 2008/9. The design view generally is that crash barriers are not a solution to problems in an urban area. There is definitely an issue there because of the bend and speed.
Cllr Desmond: For the 15 years that the crash barrier was there, there was no incident at all. This is the 3rd wall repair. There was another incident when the car went through the hedge.
AE: The other issues with regard to the wall would have been earlier than that. Crash barriers cause other issues. They protect the properties behind but not the pedestrians on the footpaths. The crash barrier moves laterally. But we are working on something. She will revert with a workable proposal.
2. “That this Municipal District would investigate the possibility of working with Cork City Council to extend the Coca-Cola Zero Bike Scheme to include a bike station in Douglas village.”
Cllr Desmond: 31 stations, 330 bikes throughout the City. Very successful scheme. We are at the edge of the city so could we put a bike station in Douglas.
MDO: Will make contact with the City Council and see if this is possible.
Cllr Murphy: Supports and may be move them out to Passage afterwards.
Cllr D O’Laoghaire
1. “To seek a report providing an update on any plans the Council has for the playing pitches in Ardfield, Grange.”
AE: Ongoing issue here.
Cllr Forde explains the history behind the playing pitches and where they are at now.
2. “That the Council will consider the possibility of putting bins in place in Togher, as well as signs and bags to combat issue of Dog Fouling.”
Already dealt with.
4.50pm – I had to leave the meeting at this point.
Cllr D O’Donnabhain
1. “That this Municipal District would write to the Department of Environment, Community and Local Government and request that the Minister make emergency funding available for the immediate repair of the Weir at Ballincollig Regional Park.”
2. “That this Municipal District would oppose the introduction of a chain of office for the chair of the Ballincollig/Carrigaline Municipal District.”
7. Votes of Congratulations
8. Any Other Business