I hope that this update finds you well! We are now less than five weeks to the County Council elections and I have been out and about speaking to residents about their hopes and issues for the area. It has been an incredible honour to be a councillor for the Palmerstown-Fonthill local electoral area. I am proud of my record, but know that there is much to be done in the future. This is a brief overview of the matters I have been working on over the past month or so, which are of interest to people I have been meeting during our regular door-to-door engagement across our area. As ever, if you would like to know more, please feel free to get in touch, or follow my work onFacebook,InstagramandX. You can see previous versions of this updatehere.
Le gach dea-ghuí,
Shane /
Will you join my campaign team?
With less than a month to go to the local elections, I need your energy, enthusiasm and dedication on my team! if you are somebody who believes in making positive changes within our community and are willing to dedicate some time and effort, I would be grateful to have you join our team. Regardless of your level of experience, your involvement can make a meaningful difference whether it is knocking on doors, delivering leaflets or hanging posters.Emailme now to sign up to be part of Team Shane. Thank you!
Resurfacing our roads and keeping them safe
I am extremely pleased to report that, following my motion and representations, theroad surface on the R148between the entrance to the Oval and Circle K will be repaired. This is long overdue as this is not only an entry point to Palmerstown, but an entry point to South Dublin County. This is in addition to the confirmation in March that the Foxborough side of the R136 junction will be resurfaced properly.
Councillors were informed ofa repair programmefor the increased number of potholes in our area, which have been exacerbated by the wet weather in recent months, including areas where I have reported need for repair to the Council.The condition in which both Station Road and the Ninth Lock Road have been left during recent building works has left a lot to be desired. I have raised this directly with the Roads Section to ease the burden on frequent users of those routes. Having campaigned for it for some time, I am delighted to report that the Council will install a fullyellow boxat the St Mark’s entrance onto the Neilstown Road in the near future. Finally, I have also requested a revision of the sequencing of traffic lights on Castle Road to improve traffic flow.
A successful Ballyowen Lane clean-up!
Thanks to everyone who joined ourrecent clean-up of Ballyowen Lane! We had a great turnout of over 20 people from different estates in the area and lots of interest from passers-by. It was really wonderful to see so many people take pride in where they live and represented a good day’s work! I believe that places that look like they are cared for are ones that do not encourage anti-social behaviour which is why I am so proud of what I have delivered in the Ballyowen Lane area over the past five years. Thanks to Lucan Tidy Towns and Ballyowen Castle Community Centre for their support! I am currently planning a community clean-up near Rowlagh Shops for the 18 May – let me know if you are interested or would like help organising a clean-up in your area.
Some progress on the Silver Bridge!
Persistence pays off! I have consistently kept the need to bring the Silver Bridge back into use on the Council’s agenda since being elected. I’m pleased at the progress indicated in a response tomy latest questionon the Silver Bridge. A joint feasibility study between Fingal and South Dublin County Councils has been proposed to explore how this bridge could be brought back into use. I’m also excited about the positive signal from council management about the tourism opportunities this would present for the broader area.
Progress needed on local secondary school capacity
While I was pleased to received confirmation from my colleague, Minister for Education Norma Foley TD, that theLetter of Intent for the constructionof Griffeen Community College has been issued to the contractor, I am disappointed that there has not been similar progress on the new. building for Lucan Community College. I fully support the current campaign by the parents of Lucan Community College to have a similar letter issued immediately to enable progress on the long overdue new building. I will continue advocating for this to the Minister directly.
I have also called on Dublin & Dún Laoghaire Education & Training Board to take steps to enable a common enrolment system for secondary schools in Lucan to avoid months of needless stress for students and their families, on whether they have a place or not.This is something that has been raised with me repeatedly and there needs to be action taken to address it.
Progress in delivering the pavilions our clubs need
The Council provided anupdateon the rollout of the Council’s Pavilion Programme for its parks. I have consistently been pushing for progress on this for the past few years, by tabling questions at Council meetings and requesting updates. The pavilions will now be delivered as a modular build programme to avoid the delays that were seen with the previous tendering process. I am very pleased to see new locations added such as Willsbrook Park. However, the current proposals for Collinstown Park need to be revised considerably. I am working with Collinstown FC and other clubs to make the case for adequate facilities to the Council and ensure that this rapidly growing club is fully supported. I secured a commitment from Council management that they will consult with local clubs to deliver a unit that is large enough for Collinstown Park.
Improving our footpaths and laneways
I was very pleased to see footpath repair completed onElderwoodRoad, and other parts of the Woodfarm extension – something which I requested, as well as repairs to a number of nasty trip hazards which I reported, onFoxboroughRoad, Colthurst Road and Griffeen Avenue. I have also requested long overdue repairs to footpaths on Palmerstown Avenue, Palmerstown Heights, Woodfarm Avenue, Palmerstown Manor and Wheatfield Road. There are other locations which I have reported, such as Abbeywood, Foxford and Earlsfort but if you know of any, please let me know.
Last year, I raised the need to resurface laneways in Palmerstown, including behind Palmerstown Drive and between Oakcourt and Wheatfield Road. I am pleased to report thatresurfacingwill take place over the coming months on both laneways. I have been seeking to have the lights on the laneway between Oakcourt and Wheatfield Rd repaired for some time.I am pleased to see additional lighting will be installed following my request.
Fighting for extra facilities for Mill Lane Park
Mill Lane Park in Palmerstown is a beautiful park and somewhere which is used by many of our local clubs as well as being somewhere I love to run. Iraisedthe need for the installation of a shared running path in the location to enhance its usability for local runners and running clubs. If re-elected, this is something I will push for over the lifetime of the next Council.
Quarryvale Park upgrade work to start imminently
At April’s Council meeting, I wasdelighted to be informedby the Chief Executive that upgrade works for Quarryvale Park will start in May and will complete by the end of the year. These works are something I have sought since being elected. As part of the design consultation, I ensured that many of our local voices and community groups were listened to. This will be a great amenity. If you would like to learn more about the plans, please get in touch.
Caring for our public spaces
I was so disappointed to see graffiti appear on walls in our area, many of which are maintained by local groups. If you see graffiti, please let me know and I will request removal. I also recentlyraisedthe state of the signage in our parks and I am pleased that the management will source new Perspex for the signs where required. Anti-social behaviour by a few should not deprive the rest of us of an amenity. There are some public lights which have been out of order for some time – I am working to have them repaired as soon as possible. I also recently joined Wood Avens residents in raising issues of interest with the Council If your residents’ group would like such a meeting, let me know.
Lucan Pool Update
At April’s Council meeting, we wereinformed by the Chief Executiveas to following timeline for the opening of the Lucan Pool – ‘The projected completion date for Lucan Leisure Campus, comprising the new swimming pool and upgraded existing leisure centre, is in the second week of June, based on an updated contractor programme. This tmeline depends on a number of key programme objectives being delivered in the interim including, most critically, external steelworks, pool deck screeding and tling, pool filling/commissioning, and electrical sub-contractor works, which will all impact on other required finishing works and the contractor has been instructed to prioritise these critical dependencies and to ensure appropriate resources and productivity on site to achieve completion on schedule‘. Based on conversations with the pool operator, if the completion date of June is met, it would be reasonable to assume the pool will be open by September.
Hot School Meals expansion launched in Lucan
It was wonderful to mark the expansion of the Hot Meals Programme at St Thomas JNS, with An Taoiseach and other invited guests. The Hot Meals Programme is such a good idea, not only providing nutritious lunches for primary school children but also a help to busy parents! Expressions of interests were received from over 900 Primary Schools in respect of 150,000 children and you can see the schools in our area that are offering hot meals from todayhere.
New bottle banks at B&Q Liffey Valley
Since being elected, I have consistently raised the need for the provision of bottle banks for people living in North Clondalkin. There has been some progress made with the installation of bottle banks in the car park at B&Q Liffey Valley in the past few weeks, but I will continue to see if other locations can be identified. All Council bring banks can be foundhere.
Ballyowen Community Centre is hiring an assistant centre co-ordinator!
Ballyowen castle Community Centre are hiring for anassistant centre co-ordinator. This role is for 20 hours week and might suit someone looking for a part time role. To apply please send a cover letter not exceeding one page and a CV detailing relevant experience to info@ballyowencommunitycentre.ie by Friday 17th May 2024.
WORKING WITH OUR DUBLIN MEP
Councillor Shane Moynihan, c/o County Hall, Tallaght, Dublin 24, Ireland
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