Important Info from The Clontarf Residents' Association

AGM

You may already have seen on the website, Facebook and Twitter that our Annual General Meeting will be held on Thursday 12^th November at 8.00 p.m. in the Resource Centre, St. John’s Church, Clontarf Road and hope that you can attend. We value this opportunity to meet you and talk about our areas of concern.

We hope you can attend and we look forward to meeting you.

In the past many of the local representatives have attended the meeting to hear what we have to say and are willing to assist, if possible, in resolving any issues that arise.

CRIME

There seems to have been an increase in burglaries of late and a lot of bicycles have been stolen in the area.  Please ensure that your bicycles are securely stored and locked even if they are at the back of the house.  We have also had several reports of men knocking at doors saying that they are working on the water next door and need to check the pressure in this house.  If they are given access they head for the kitchen and distract the householder while the other makes his way upstairs to see what he can rob.  These seem to work in teams and there are a couple of these ‘teams’ around the area in recent months.  We strongly recommend that householders should not admit anyone that cannot properly identify themselves.

WHEELCHAIR ACCESS

We have recently asked local shopkeepers to display posters regarding wheelchair accessibility.  This is to remind drivers that there are a number of roads in Clontarf that are bus routes but are quite narrow.  Two of these roads are Seafield Avenue and Seapark Road and we have been asked to point out that if a car is parked on the footpath it is almost impossible for a wheelchair user to get past it. Another location is Mount Prospect Avenue, particularly beside the Rose Gardens and playing pitches in St. Anne’s. At times when matches and training takes place these paths can be entirely blocked by cars. We appreciate that the idea of parking on the footpath is because of the buses but please consider the danger to those wheelchair users who may have to go out on to the roadway to get past your car.

PROPOSED DEVELOPMENT AT ST. PAUL’S

Following rumours over many months, an application has just been lodged with Dublin City Council to develop the site sold by the Vincentian Fathers to a developer. The application is for 381 units some houses and some apartments.  We have not yet seen the plans as the Site Notice only went up yesterday but we will comment via the website, facebook and twitter as soon as we have had a chance to examine them.  

There is a lot of concern about the loss of the playing pitches and how or where they will be relocated. There is also great concern at the thought of a housing development in the Park at all.

A Facebook ‘I love St. Annes’, has been set up by a number of concerned residents.

FLOOD DEFENCE

Some Members of Clontarf Residents’ Association and Clontarf Business Association committees are also on the Joint Working Group with Dublin City Council working towards a new flood defence scheme to replace the one that was rejected.  Progress has been very slow because of staff shortages in DCC and the need to commission new reports on wave action, overtopping, predicted tide levels etc. The next meeting of the JWG is in early February when we are assured that we should have the results of these reports.  

In the meantime the yellow bags are to remain in place.  These bags have deteriorated over the past two years and are currently being emptied and replaced by fresh bags with the weeds being removed as part of the process.

AVIATION FUEL PIPELINE

Permission was granted (subject to 15 conditions) on the 15^th October for the laying of an aviation fuel pipeline from Dublin Port to the Airport.  This decision can be appealed to An Bord Pleanala up to Wednesday 11^th November.  The planning application no is 2552/15 and the decision and conditions are available on the DCC website (www.dublincity.ie).  If, having looked at the decision, anyone has any comments, please forward them to Clontarf.res.assoc@gmail.com not later than Friday 6^th November.

ANNUAL SUBSCRIPTIONS

Clontarf Residents’ Association is a non-profit community based organisation depending on the annual subscriptions of our members.  In former years we were lucky enough to have active members who acted as Road Representatives.  These Volunteers delivered Newsletters and collected Subscriptions.  This was a more personal way of operating but unfortunately nowadays people seem to have less time and we have had to move with the times - the once a year, hand delivered Newsletter, has become a fortnightly e-Newsletter keeping you up to date with happenings in Clontarf.  We have loveclontarf.ie that you can log on to whenever you want to check something out but with all that our active membership has dropped considerably.  We need new volunteers for the Committee which meets once a month for about one hour.  We also need new active members.  The Annual Subscription is €10 a year and it can easily be paid online.  Step 1, log on to loveclontarf.ie Step 2, Click on the Clontarf Residents’ Association tab and Step 3, Click on ‘Subscribe’ and fill in the form and press ‘Proceed to Payment’.  Our sincere thanks to those who have joined the fold by this method following a recent appeal.

Alternatively if you don’t want to do that you could put your subscription in an envelope with your name, address, and email address. And drop it in to 35 Castle Avenue and, assuming that you have given us your email address, we will send you an e-receipt.