Archive for the 'Castleknock' Category

O’Gorman meets Minister Cuffe over concerns about Castleknock development

Published on August 3, 2010 in Castleknock, Community Issues, Development Plan, Planning and Press Releases. 0 Comments Tags: , , .

03/08/10

Green Party Dublin West representative, Roderic O’Gorman and a delegation from the Castleknock Residents Action Group (CRAG) met with the Minister for State for Planning, Ciaran Cuffe to discuss concerns about a large scale development in Castleknock Village.

“Last week I took a delegation from the Castleknock Residents Action Group (CRAG) to meet the Minister for State for Planning, Ciaran Cuffe. CRAG had requested this meeting in order to be able to discuss with Minister Cuffe their concerns about the large commercial and residential development in the centre of Castleknock Village behind the old Flower Shop. This development has met with massive resistance from residents of the village, but has been pushed strongly by Fingal County Council”, stated Roderic O’Gorman.

“Myself and the CRAG representative outlined to the Minister our concerns about how Fingal County Council drew up an Urban Centre Strategy for Castleknock, but never put the draft version out to public consultation and never permitted local councillors to officially vote on it. We also highlighted how the architects firm that drew up the UCS for the Council were also at the same time drawing up the planning application for the developer of the Flower Shop site”.

“While as a Minister in the Department of the Environment, Ciaran Cuffe cannot interfere with the grant of planning permission by a local authority or An Bord Pleanala, he did express his surprise at the manner in which this situation was handled and in particular, the way in which the views of the residents of Castleknock Village have been completely ignored. He asked myself and CRAG to supply him with more details of our concerns surrounding the process followed by Fingal County Council”.  

“Going forward, it is absolutely essential that all references to this flawed Urban Centre Strategy are deleted from the current draft of the Fingal County Development Plan, so that it does not get statutory approval through the back door. Both myself and CRAG will be pressuring local councillors to make this vital amendment”, concluded Roderic O’Gorman.

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Further Information

Roderic O’Gorman: 087 417 9777

Public Meeting on Metro West

Published on June 10, 2010 in Blanchardstown, Blog, Castleknock and Transport. 0 Comments Tags: , .

 

The RPA are holding a public meeting on the proposed Metro West.

Date: Tuesday, 15th June

Time: 7:00 – 9:00 PM

Location: Castleknock Hotel & Country Club

Press Release – Greens hold successful Royal Canal Clean Up

Published on May 20, 2010 in Blanchardstown, Castleknock, Environment and litter. 0 Comments Tags: , .

Roderic O'Gorman and the Dublin West Greens at the 2010 Annual Royal Canal Clean Up

17/05/10

The Dublin West Green Party held their second annual Royal Canal Clean Up on Saturday 17th May.

“We are delighted to have had a very successful second annual Royal Canal Clean Up. Our group met at Castleknock Train Station and worked along the canal bank towards the 12th Lock and then some of the way towards Coolmine Station”, stated Roderic O’Gorman.

“The level of litter was significantly less than last year, which was encouraging. We still gathered 10 bags of glass bottles, cans, plastic cartons and general waste”.

“There were one or two real black spots. In particular, there is an area off the bridge over the canal at Castleknock Station just beside the canal which is clearly being used regularly as a drinking haunt. There we found hundreds of bottles and cans. I will be contacting Fingal County Council to advise them of ways to block up this particular location”.

“I’d like to thank everyone who came out and also to Fingal County Council for picking up the litter we collected”, concluded Roderic O’Gorman.

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Dublin West Green Party annual Canal Bank Clean-Up

Published on May 11, 2010 in Blog, Castleknock, Community Issues, Coolmine and litter. 0 Comments Tags: , , .

 

The Dublin West Green Party will be holding our annual Canal Bank Clean-Up on Saturday, 15th May. We will be meeting at 2:30 PM at Castleknock Train Station and be cleaning up towards the 12th Lock and then down towards Coolmine Station.

After our Canal Bank Clean-Up was so successful last year, we have decided to make an annual event of it. The Royal Canal is a huge resource in Dublin 15, but unfortunately not everyone respects it. Last year we collected about 15 bags or rubbish, cans, glass and various other types of waste.

 I’d encourage anyone who is free on Saturday to join us, but please, bring your own implements and gloves!

Press Release – O’Gorman calls for new local objectives in draft Fingal Development Plan

Published on May 10, 2010 in Blanchardstown, Castleknock, Development Plan and Press Releases. 0 Comments Tags: , , .

 

10/05/10

 Green Party Dublin West representative, Roderic O’Gorman has called on a number of new local objectives for Blanchardstown and Castleknock to be included in the new Fingal Development Plan. He was speaking at a public meeting organised by the Dublin West Green Party.

“I’m calling on Fingal County Council to include two local area objectives within the new Development Plan, addressing important issues in Blanchardstown and Castleknock villages”, stated Roderic O’Gorman.

“There is a major need for a pedestrian crossing to be put in place at the junction of the Castleknock Road and Roselawn Road. For too long, pedestrians and commuters going to and from Castleknock Train Station have had to take their lives in their hands as they cross the road here. The new County Development Plan is an ideal opportunity for this issue to be finally addressed”.

“In my original submission, I called for a height restriction of no more than 3 stories to be put in place on any future buildings in Blanchardstown, Clonsilla and Castleknock. I was delighted that this was adopted for Blanchardstown, but the same needs to be achieved for Castleknock. This is particularly important as residents of the village are concerned that the decision to grant planning permission for a major development in the centre of village will act as a precedent to allow other multi-storey developments. There needs to be a height restriction on future development in Castleknock, written into the Development Plan”.

The public meeting in Diswellstown Community Centre heard from Gavin Daly, a planning consultant, on how the planning process works and how to make an effective submission. Damien Carbury, Chairperson of the Dublin 15 Community Council, also addressed the meeting on the key priorities for the Dublin 15 area.

“I organised this meeting in order to encourage public participation in the round of the Development Plan. If we want to see good planning decisions in Dublin 15, its essential we use the development plan process to achieve these”, concluded Roderic O’Gorman.

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O’Gorman welcomes announcement of school building projects for Dublin 15

Published on February 16, 2010 in Castleknock, Education and Press Releases. 0 Comments Tags: , , .

 

 

Green Party Dublin 15 representative, Roderic O’Gorman has welcomed the announcement by the Minister for Education that the go ahead has been given for Castleknock Community College and St Brigid’s NS, Castleknock to prepared tender documents for refurbishment and extension works.

 

“I’m very pleased that the Minister has given approval to Castleknock Community College and St Bridgets NS, Castleknock to prepared tender documents for refurbishment and extension work. It’s great news for the schools involved. Parents and teachers have lobbied incredibly hard for these improvements and have suffered disappointments along the way”.

 

“The fact that the Department of Education has now given permission for the schools to draw up tender documents indicates that these projects are well on their way”.

 

“The Department of Education has also announced that both Tyrrelstown Educate Together and Mulhuddart NS will be given permission to appoint design teams to begin the process of designing brand new schools at Tyrrestown”.

 

The news on the schools in Dublin 15 were among 52 building and refurbishment projects announced. It is part of the Government’s €579 school building project.

 

“In government, the Green Party has consistently pushed the need to invest in education, particularly during the recession, as a way of securing our long term prosperity. Today’s announcements in Dublin 15 and across the country will benefit more than 23,500 students in terms of new or improved school facilities”, concluded Roderic O’Gorman.

 

 

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Lessons must be learnt from Castleknock Planning Decision – O’Gorman

Published on February 6, 2010 in Blanchardstown, Castleknock, Development Plan, Planning and Press Releases. 0 Comments Tags: , , .

 

 

06/02/10

 

 

Green Party Dublin West representative, Roderic O’Gorman has demanded that villages in Dublin 15 get protection from inappropriate development and that this be written into the new Fingal County Development Plan. He was speaking after the decision of An Bord Pleanala to grant planning permission for a large development in Castleknock village.

 

“Like everyone else in the area, I am hugely disappointed to see the decision of An Bord Pleanala to grant planning permission for a large development in Castleknock village. Along with local residents, I objected to the development and made a submission to the appeal to the Board. In light of the decision, I’m calling on our local councillors to ensure that villages such as Blanchardstown and Clonsilla are given specific protection from high rise buildings and that this is written into the new Fingal County Development Plan.”, stated Roderic O’Gorman.

 

“What has happened in Castleknock should be a lesson to us all. Where there is undeveloped land close to the centre of a village, there needs to be specific local area objectives put into the new County Development, stating that buildings cannot be constructed over a certain height. Planning bodies like An Bord Pleanala will be bound by these and this will stop them granting permission for inappropriate developments”.

 

“I think our councillors let us down in the last Development Plan by not having the foresight to realise that open space, like the one in Castleknock, was clearly a magnet for big property developers, looking to squeeze as many buildings onto it as they could”.

 

“In Blanchardstown village, we already know there are proposals to allow high rise buildings of five or even six stories on sites like Superquinn and on the Bell pub. These were contained in a recent Draft Urban Strategy for the village. It is essential that our local councillors act to have local objectives inserted into the new Development Plan, stating that high rise will not be permitted here”.

 

“I’ll be keeping up pressure on our local representatives, to make sure that the same mistake that was made in Castleknock isn’t made again”, concluded Roderic O’Gorman.

 

 

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Decision on Castleknock development deeply disappointing – O’Gorman

Published on August 25, 2009 in Castleknock and Planning. 0 Comments Tags: , , .

23/08/09

 

 

Green Party Dublin West representative, Roderic O’Gorman, has called the decision by Fingal County Council to grant planning permission to a large development in the centre of Castleknock village deeply disappointing.

 

“I’m deeply disappointed that Fingal County Council has granted planning permission for the development on the Flower Shop site in Castleknock village. The scale of this development is grossly unsuitable and clashes with the village character of Castleknock. While the conditions placed on the development by Fingal County Council may result in some reduction in the size of the proposed buildings, nevertheless I do not believe that it is appropriate for the Council to grand this planning permission”, stated Roderic O’Gorman.

 

“During the Local Elections in June, most residents in the area made their feelings against the development very clear. I objected to the proposal as I believe that Fingal County Council should have refused planning permission at this stage and looked at the site in the context of the redrafting of the Fingal County Development Plan that is currently being undertaken”.

 

“Our sitting councillors need to be much more careful in the zonings that they place on parcels of land in village settings in the Dublin 15. Local Area Objectives can be used to ensure that heights of proposed developments are kept at a reasonable level. I hope that mistakes that have been made in Castleknock village will not be repeated in the next Development Plan”, concluded Roderic O’Gorman.

 

 

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Further Information

Roderic O’Gorman: 087 417 9777