GOVERNMENT OVERTURNS A BAN ON FUTURE DATA CENTRES

Last Summer, South Dublin County Council became the first to ban data centres after a motion put forward by People Before Profit Cllr Madeleine Johansson was passed.

The ban on further data centres is an important victory for the environmental movement, they provide little in terms of jobs and have a huge cost and environmental impact.

However, the democratic mandate of the Council is now being challenged by corporate greed. Echelon DC Holdings Limited, a company which owns and develops data centres, has brought forward a High Court challenge to overturn the decision. The Minister for Local Government Peter Burke has also intervened to direct the council to remove the ban.

It is estimated over 10% of Ireland’s electricity use is consumed by data centres and is expected to increase to 30% by 2030. Eirgrid has warned that the demand on the national grid must be reduced or we will likely experience blackouts this winter.

The Irish Academy of Engineering has estimated that data centre expansion will require almost €9 billion in new energy infrastructure and add at least 13% to Ireland’s carbon emissions by 2030 making it impossible to reach our 2030 and 2050 climate reduction targets.

People Before Profit will continue to stand up against corporate greed and fight to ensure that people and the planet are put before profit.

The BusConnects Core Bus Corridor plan for the N4 was published for public consultation recently. The scheme is generally welcome as it will prioritise public transport and cycling and provide safer infrastructure for cyclists and pedestrians. I am aware that it was proposed to remove one of the bus stops near the Oval and I think this would be a mistake. Hopefully the plan will be revised to retain the bus stop.

A five-fold increase in funding is vital to ensure safe staffing levels and expand the service to meet the needs of children in the state.

Old Skate Park Plans Refused

The plans by a developer to build high rise apartments at the old skate park site on Kennelsfort Rd were refused by An Bord Pleanála. I made several submissions stating my concerns with the plans including the height and density.

I am not against housing on this site and would welcome a more appropriate and reasonable proposal.