Bridge design chosen for Metro West Liffey Valley crossing

In recent weeks, the RPA awarded the contract to build the Metro West Liffey Valley crossing to Bruno Happoid and Explorations Architecture.

You can view some images of the proposed bridge here.

Success! Mayor of Fingal agrees to reconvene Liffey Valley Advisory Committee

Good news.

Further to my request to the Mayor of Fingal, Cllr Michael O’Donovan last week, calling on him to reconvene the Liffey Valley Advisory Committee which hasn’t met for the last 5 Years! (see here), the Mayor has emailed me and stated that he hopes to hold a meeting of the Committee in January.

Im delighted about this because, as I said in my press release, there are a range of important issues that have to be addressed about the Liffey Valley area (flooding in Strawberry Beds, possible Metro West bridge, extending the SAAO) and I think these need to be tackled on a cross county basis.

I look forward to hearing about the issues that the Committee will be addressing at its January meeting – maybe they might even be able to find the minutes from their last meeting in 2003 which are still missing!!

Text of Mayor of Fingals reply to me:

Roderic, a chara

Your point is well made.

However, I can assure you that we are still making progress on the Fingal side of the Valley.

We have, in the Development Plan, managed to maintain the Green Belt zoning on lands on the shoulder of the Liffey Valley and, of course, the SAAO remains in place in the core Valley area.

I have recently visited the Lucan Demesne/St. Catherine’s Park site and I’m happy that this parkland is developing well as a place for passive and active recreation. Fingal has invested €8 million there so far, and I’m confident we will preserve the wildlife areas there as well as developing sports fields on the lands.

We also have a plan to refurbish the old Metal Footbridge, although I’m not sure if funding is in place.

There is, of course, much more to be done, and it is important that we co-ordinate our efforts.

In the next week, I hope to bring officials and Councillors from the three local authorities together for a think-tank and to convene the Liffey Valley Committee in January.

We have good plans, including the development of the Shakleton Mills (now in Fingal ownership) as an interpretative centre for the Valley. We do, however, need OPW funding if we are to get the job done.

Perhaps you could prevail on your senior colleague John Gormley to release funding for the Liffey Valley National Park project. (This year, Fingal has been cut by 7% in our finance from the Government!).

I believe one of the reasons the Liffey Valley Committee meets so rarely is because so little funding is available for the Valley, even though we have the plans.

Le meas,

Cllr Michael O’Donovan

Press Release – O’Gorman demands that Liffey Valley Advisory Committee meet

13/11/08

Green Party Castleknock ward candidate, Roderic O’Gorman has called on the Mayor of Fingal County Council to swiftly convene a meeting of the Joint Fingal and South Dublin Liffey Valley Management Advisory Committee. O’Gorman made the call after the County Manager confirmed in a reply to Green Party councillor that the committee has only met 6 times since its formation in 1995 and has not met for the last 5 years.

“I have written to the Mayor of Fingal and called on him to rapidly convene a meeting of the Joint Fingal and South Dublin Liffey Valley Management Advisory Committee. I recently had a question asked at a Fingal CC meeting about how often this committee meets. When the County Manager replied, I was shocked to discover that this committee has only met 6 times since it was first established back in 1995. Indeed, the last time the committee met was in 2003. This means that the Committee hasn’t met once during the lifetime of the current Fingal County Council, which was elected in 2004”.

“The Liffey Valley is a huge natural resource for Fingal – particularly for those of us living in the Dublin 15 area. I would have thought it was plainly obvious that Fingal councillors should be working with members of South Dublin County Council on issues of joint concern relating to the management of the valley area. Why else was this committee set up in the first place?”

In answer to a question put on behalf of Roderic O’Gorman, Cllr Robbie Kelly, a Green councillor from Malahide, the Manager reported that the first meeting of the Liffey Valley Advisory Committee was held on 1st March, 1995 and that subsequent meetings were held on 9th January, 1996, 21st June, 1996, 6th June 2001, 22nd January 2002. The most recent meeting was held on 31st March, 2003.

“Not only has the committee hardly met at all, but the Manager also reported that he was unable to locate minutes for the few meetings it did have. Has the benefit of any work the committee actually achieved in its very few meetings now been lost”, asked Roderic O’Gorman.

“I can think of a range of issues that the committee could be dealing with. The possible extension of the Special Amenity Area Order (SAAO) to the south side of the valley, the impact of the Metro West crossing on the valley, recent severe flooding suffered in the Strawberry Beds area”.

“Further, I think the Liffey Valley Advisory Committee should be working to progress the Towards a Liffey Valley Park strategy document which was drawn up on the behalf of the Office of Public Works, after public consultations. This was a very wide ranging document looking at how the maximum public benefit could be obtained from the Liffey Valley in areas such as recreation and tourism, with the eventual aim of creating a Liffey Valley national park. I’d like to see Fingal County Council becoming the driving force behind this strategy and working with South Dublin CC to achieve its objectives”.

“If I am successful in the local elections in June next year, one of the first things I will commit to doing as a councillor for the Castleknock and Blanchardstown areas is to quickly seek to have the Liffey Valley Advisory Committee reconvened and meet on a regular basis. It’s vital that Fingal County Council is leading the fight to preserve the Liffey Valley and enhance its use as an amenity for people in Dublin 15”, concluded Roderic O’Gorman.

Editors Note – Text of response to question from Cllr Robbie Kelly (Green Party)

Fingal County Council

13th OCTOBER, 2008

ITEM NO. 18

JOINT FINGAL AND SOUTH DUBLIN LIFFEY VALLEY MANAGEMENT ADVISORY COMMITTEE

QUESTION: Councillor R. Kelly

“To ask the Manager when did the last meeting of the Joint Fingal and South Dublin Liffey Valley Management Advisory Committee take place, when is the next meeting of the Advisory Committee scheduled to take place, how many times has it met since its formation and are minutes of its meeting available?”

REPLY:

The last meeting of the Joint Fingal and South Dublin Liffey Valley Management Advisory Committee took place on 31st March, 2003.

The Inaugural Meeting was held on 1st March, 1995 and meetings were held on 9th January, 1996, 21st June, 1996, 6th June 2001, 22nd January 2002.

No future schedule of meetings has been arranged.
Minutes of the meetings are being sourced and will be made available as soon as possible.

Fingal CC needs to match Government measures to support cyclists

Green Party Castleknock ward candidate, Roderic O’Gorman has called on Fingal County Council to follow the Governments lead and implement more measures to encourage and support cycling. He was speaking after a number of announcements in the budget which were of benefit to cyclists.

In what was a very tough budget, one of the few positive points was the two new initiatives that the Government has brought forward to support cyclists. Firstly, a tax exemption on bicycles and bike safety equipment of up to €1,000 per person, for those who use it to cycle to work. This is to encourage employers help their employees meet the cost of switching to the bike.

Secondly, an investment of €5 million in upgrading cycling routes in Dublin City. This will be focused on improving safety for cyclists.

I’ve spoken to many people in Dublin 15 who have switched to cycling to work for a variety of reasons – it’s healthier, with the rise in fuel prices it’s cheaper and due to the traffic congestion in the area, its now often faster than the car! However, almost everyone I have spoken to have told me of some story regarding narrowly missed accidents.

In particular, many local cyclists have highlighted to me how dangerous it is to try and cycle toward Chapelizod and from there into town, with Tower Road near Castleknock College and the Knockmaroon Hill being particular blackspots. Some cyclists said they simply have to cycle on the footpath due to safety concerns.

The Government have made moves to make cycling more attractive and safer. Now it is up to Fingal County Council to play its part. There needs to be an examination of the volume and direction of cycle paths in the area. A look at the Dublin Transport Offices map of cycle lanes in Dublin 15 clearly shows that there is a big gap for cyclists between the Blanchardstown area and the new cycle lane along the N3 by the Phoenix Park racecourse development. Further, there are virtually no cycle lanes in and around Castleknock village.

Over the next two years, the Council needs to interact with cyclists in the area and learn what their specific needs are. Possibly, some consideration could be given to speaking to Waterways Ireland and arranging for a high quality cycle path to be developed alongside the Royal Canal.

Also, the Council should go further in developing the cycling/walking to school element of the Green Schools Programme, which has received extra funding from the Department of Transport over the year. Many parents would love to let their kids walk or cycle to school, but they are simply too scared to let them out on the roads in Dublin 15 because there are not enough cycle paths and pedestrian facilities are so poor.

In the run up to the local elections next June, I intend to focus strongly on the lack of cycling and pedestrian facilities across Castleknock, Carpenterstown and Blanchardstown. If I am elected to the Council next year, ensuring that those who wish to walk or cycle, be they young or old, will be able to do so will be a top priority for me.