Malahide Newsletter 2012

ALAN

FARRELL TD Working for you in Malahide

www.alanfarrell.ie

MALAHIDE NEWSLETTER

Farrell publishes ‘Weekend Voting’ Bill I have recently introduced a Bill to the Dáil to provide for the holdings of elections and referenda on Saturdays or Sundays.

Currently, election and referenda and the resulting counts take place on weekdays which results in a number of problems such as the interruption of our children’s education and the inability of people to return home to vote.

Over 1,162 primary schools and 67 secondary schools were used as polling stations in our most recent referendum. This resulted in the schools being closed to for the day, for example in Malahide, St. Oliver Plunkett’s and St. John’s National School, interrupting tuition for hundreds of pupils and forcing parents to make alternative childcare arrangements. This scenario is replicated nationawide. Extra school days are then added to the end of the year.

Order of Business – Alan Farrell TD introduces Bill to the House to legislate for weekend voting.

Weekday polls also directly impact the delivery of our local services. Many of those who man polling stations and count centres are local authority staff who are seconded from their work to perform electoral duties.

It is regretful that holding of polls during the week impacts on the work of these teachers and local authority staff and ultimately, it is the taxpayer who foots the bill for this. In addition, holding polls on a Saturday or Sunday would also facilitate more people to vote.

Many people from rural areas who are working or studying away from home cannot get to their polling station to vote during the week due to these commitments. Weekend polls would enable these people to get home to engage in the democratic process.

Minister Ring visits Malahide Cricket Club I was delighted to welcome Minister for Sport Michael Ring T.D. to Malahide Cricket Club, alongside Club President Alan Hughes, Chairman Kevin Murphy and Club One Day International Development Officer, Ian Talbot. I thought it was important to ask the Minister for Sport, Michael Ring T.D. personally to visit the club in the aftermath of the significant investment in the facility that he oversaw last year and to showcase the terrific facilities and the potential that the club has on the sporting landscape.

As a member of the club for 25 years, I was very pleased to introduce Minister Ring to the club who, with the benefit of funding, hard work and vision, has brought the facility to such a high standard that it is well on its way to becoming a premier international hub of Cricket in Ireland. Just last month we learned that the club will be hosting the English team next September. This event will have a significant benefit for the local economy in Malahide. I felt it was equally as important that the Minister recognise Malahide as an asset to attracting international sporting events, due to its landscape, historical features and vibrant hospitality.

“I would like to commend the club management team and the Minister for making the visit such a success and I am confident that it will serve to develop an even more improved relationship between the club and the Department.

Minister Ring is bowled over by Malahide Cricket Club; Minister for Sport Michael Ring and Alan Farrell T.D. join (left to right) ....

Chairman, Kevin Murphy; Minister Michael Ring, Club President, Alan Hughes; ODI International Development Officer, Ian Talbot; Alan Farrell TD & Councillor Anthony Lavin.

Alan Farrell TD - Working for you in Malahide

Malahide on track to become tourist hub of Dublin North

The project will have four major components: Deputy Alan Farrell, Minister Varadkar, Minister Reilly, Cllr Anthony Lavin and Cllr Tom O’Leary at the Casino site where €2 million development fund will restore the Old Casino Lodge and create dozens of jobs in the process.

The successful campaign to return the Fry Model Collection to Malahide as well as saving The Casino Lodge has meant that Malahide is becoming a genuine good news story as a tourist hub of Dublin North.

This, along with significant funding for Malahide Castle and the staged investment in progressing the estuary walkway, will bring the total of recent investment in Malahide tourism to €9 million in the past twelve months.

The Fry Model Collection campaign was an extraordinary success for Malahide, its residents, the council and senior staff within the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport, and for those of us who have been working with these various stakeholders quietly and consistently on this project over the past number of months.

I, along with my colleague Councillor Anthony Lavin, have been working very hard behind the scenes to ensure that Malahide would not lose this fantastic opportunity, made possible by the extraordinary donation from the late Micheál Gaffney.

As a resident of this town, I share a great pride in the natural heritage within the community and landscape of Malahide and I am heartened to see that in times of economic crisis Malahide has proved time and again that it is a town worth investing in.

The Casino Lodge and Fry Model Collection will add to the value of tourism coming

from Malahide Castle due to its proximity to the shops and restaurants in the village.

As a Government, Fine Gael and Labour have continued to target areas of investment that we believe will generate much needed revenue for the exchequer. Last year we already saw an increase in tourism across the country, and these two vital projects ensure that Dublin North and Malahide will be at the centre of this success.

Fry Model Collection will be the centrepiece of a new €2 million tourism development at the site of the old Casino Lodge in Malahide, and will create dozens of jobs in the process.

Casino Lodge has been vacant for some years since the sale of the site in 2002. The House is still in reasonable condition and will lend itself to full restoration along with a proposed extension which will house the Collection, perhaps even returning Salt and Pepper. The intention is to retain all the historic features as well as the thatch and to restore the lodge and its curtilage.

1. The construction of a new museum building to house the Fry Model Collection and other children’s and educational displays, a shop and visitor toilets; 2. The restoration, preservation and conservation of the historic Casino Lodge thatched building; 3. The professional conservation of the Fry models, the upgrading of the presentation, and particularly the interpretation of the Fry Collection and the layout; 4. The treatment of the site as a heritage, educational and recreational amenity for the community of Malahide.

I am aware of the significant part that Malahide residents played in bringing the Fry Model Collection home.

I am very much looking forward to seeing the realisation of this project, and the securing of a unique and worthwhile attraction that will be part of the history and future of Malahide.

I, along with my colleague Councillor Anthony Lavin, have worked very hard behind the scenes to ensure that Malahide would not lose this fantastic opportunity, made possible by the extraordinary donation from the late Micheál Gaffney.

Alan Farrell TD - Working for you in Malahide

Legacy of bad planning forces students to miss out on school places For a number of years, The Department of Education have consistently miscalculated the number of school places that will be required for the greater community from now until 2018.

Over the past number of years, as a councillor for the area, I have been assured by the Department of Education on numerous occasions that school sites were not required within Malahide as the local schools had sufficient capacity.

However, as many parents will already know, this does not add up to recent evidence on the ground where students are currently being turned away from primary schools in this catchment area due to over capacity. I have recently learned that, while parents received letters of refusal due to over demand in local schools, the Department of Education’s record shows that there is in fact spare capacity of school places in Malahide.

As a public representative, I understand that it is my job to protect education for the children of our town and to ensure that, to the best of our ability, the facts and figures in which budgets are prepared are based on what is happening on the ground.

Under the watch of previous governments, the forward planning unit of the Department of Education failed to properly identify the needs of our growing community up to the point where substandard prefabs were purchased despite having identified problems, in the case of St. Sylvester’s.

It is also the case that the planning process for St. Oliver Plunkett’s National School appears to me at least, to have taken an exorbitant amount of time, above and beyond what you would expect given the tremendous pace at which schools in Swords, such as Holywell was planned and constructed. We were told by our government representative, just weeks before the General Election, that a decision had been made to proceed with the rebuild and extension of this school. We were advised that a planning application was to be lodged in the coming weeks, whereas in reality, pre planning talks had not even commenced.

How this has gone unnoticed by government representatives during consultative meetings and representations that have taken place is a

‘Malahide Primary Schools under severe pressure as town continues to grow mystery. I can only draw on one conclusion and that is that the people in Malahide have been seriously let down.

Recent communication with the Department of Education has advised that;

‘Based on an analysis of Child Benefit data there is a projected increase of circa 445 primary pupils up to 2018, which equates to a requirement for 16 additional mainstream classrooms at primary level…. (in Malahide).

The Department has recently approved significant devolved funding to St. Andrew’s NS to bring the accommodation up to an 8 classroom school on the existing site.

St. Oliver’s N.S is at capacity and the schools major capital project is progressing through architectural planning.

A new 16 classroom school was completed for Gaelscoil an Dhuinninigh in April 2011.

There are two other primary schools serving Malahide. It is open to either of those schools to apply to the Department for additional accommodation to meet increasing needs as they arise.

The Department will continue to monitor enrolments in the Malahide area to ensure that there is sufficient school accommodation to meet any projected future demands.’

I have received numerous representations from parents who are now worried about options for their children who are of age to start school and will have to either fork out for another year of childcare or playschool and will also be facing the consequence of their child starting school later than planned.

This is a complete let down and I find it difficult to accept that this could have gone unnoticed by our former Government. It is incumbent upon public representatives to ensure that people of Malahide have the greatest chance of accessing a school place in their local town.

I have brought this miscalculation to the immediate attention of the Department of Education and I am now working to ensure that the correct statistics and requirements are known to and taken into account by the Department.

This legacy of misrepresentation will be difficult to correct due to the number of years it has continued and given that the planning process for school places has been based on incorrect estimates.

Our priority is to ensure that this is highlighted sufficiently, and to provide answers to parents in Malahide who now may have to find alternative solutions for their family’s education.

I will continue working with the Department of Education and Skills to ensure that progress is made sooner rather than later.

St. Oliver Plunkett National School Just prior to the General Election in February 2011 were informed that St. Oliver Plunkett’s School was ready for a rebuild, with a planning application to be made “in a matter of weeks”.

We now know that this was not the case, and that the school was never ready for a new school building and unfortunately this remains the position today. The planning application F12A/0162 was submitted on the 29th May 2012 and the closing date for observation was the 2nd July.

Alan Farrell TD at St. Oliver Plunkett National School

While the School Building Programme from 2012 – 2016 has been announced, I believe there is opportunity when the process is at an advanced stage, to attempt an inclusion on this list once the project is shovel ready. I am determined to ensure that the Department know of the pressingneed to build this school and will endeavour to keep residents informed on the progress.

Alan Farrell TD - Working for you in Malahide

Malahide Village Updates Malahide and Portmarnock Reunit

ed

Malahide Castle

at 20 further jobs have been created This ens.

Gard Malahide Castle and d month Shannon Heritage signe le Cast hide Mala an agreement with its and Gardens Ltd to expand the in base its operations outside of Shannon region.

This will bring the total number of jobs created by this development to 200. or Shannon Heritage will run the visit the centre, which is due to be open to public in September. The parkland and in public recreational facilities will rema ty Coun al Fing of rol under the cont Council.

I welcome this decision on the basis that r the phased opening will have a lesse will effect on the town of Malahide, and rd be more easily manageable having rega in to car parking and traffic management the area.

the Phase 1 will involve the opening of redeveloped Castle including the museum, new interpretation, the impaired mobility ss access lift to the 1st floor and acce for ned plan is This .

Lawn West to the September 2012. the Phase 2 will involve the opening of the ding inclu tyard Cour ped velo rede A AVOC the and shop visitor centre, retail d Walle the and shop and t uran resta take to due is This Botanical Gardens. place in October 2012.

In the meantime, there has been job considerable interest in the in ted crea be will that ities rtun oppo to Due café. and re the tourist cent the the proposed date of October for Head a Avoc re, cent opening of the the Office is accepting CVs however n begi not will ess recruitment proc you If er. summ the of end the until require more information you can visit www.avoca.ie.

Anti-Litter, Anti-Graffiti Campaign announced by Minister Hogan Fingal County Council has recently been allocated €55,000 by the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government to help tackle the problem of litter and graffiti in Dublin North.

1. Anti-Litter and Anti-Graffiti Awareness Scheme.

€55,000 has been allocated to Fingal under the Anti-Litter and AntiGraffiti Awareness Scheme to select projects that promote greater public awareness and education in relation to litter and graffiti.

Portmarnock will be reunited with Mala hide for the next general election in ‘Dublin Fingal’.

Earlier this year I wrote to the chairperson of the Boundary Commission seeking to reunite Swords and Portmarnock in the constituency of Dub lin North. I made this submission on the basis of a long established social connection which exists in relation to the rest of the North County.

Having represented Portmarnock for seven years on Fingal County Council, I have a grea t affinity with the town and its people.

Portmarnock has always had a strong association to Malahide and I feel it is appropriate that these two towns are reunited in the same constituency.

2. Tourist Season Anti-Litter Grant

€20,000 is being provided under the Tourist Season Anti-Litter Grant. This will help with the maintenance of visitor locations such as beaches, scenic areas and approach roads to access points like airports and ferry ports.

3. National Litter Enforcement Scheme

€750,000 is being made available nationally under the new Litter Enforcement Scheme, to help crack down on littering and illegal dumping.

Local authorities, community and voluntary groups all do excellent work to maintain the appearance of streets, roads and scenic areas; this funding from Minister Hogan will help to support them in this work.

CONSTITUENCY OFFICE NOW OPEN

GET IN TOUCH, GET INVOLVED

My Constituency office will be open full time for the full month of August, from 10am to 5.30pm, Monday to Friday.

Please feel free to call in or make an appointment.

New people can make a difference – politics in our country is changing. We need your help to continue that change because only together we can build a country that matches our ambitions for ourselves and our nation.

ALAN FARRELL TD SUBSCRIBE TO EMAIL UPDATES

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Dáil Éireann, Leinster House Kildare Street, Dublin 2.

Tel: 01 6184008 alan.farrell@oir.ie www.alanfarrell.ie www.twitter.com/alanfarrell

0612

Chairperson, Internal Committee for Public Expenditure and Reform

James Reilly TD Minister for Health Tel: 01 890 1300 james.reilly@oireachtas.ie

Cllr Anthony Lavin Malahide Ward Tel: 087 9931329 anthony.lavin@fingalcoco.ie

For more information see www.alanfarrell.ie

Alan Farrell TD - Working for you in Malahide