REVIEW OF THE YEAR: JANUARY 2023

 

Council says no to Raheny ‘Senior Living’ scheme

Dublin City Council refused planning permission for a ‘Senior Living’ scheme on Sybil Hill Road in Raheny.

The planning application, which was lodged by Tetrarch Capital, sought permission for a 78-unit ‘Over-65s’ scheme on lands around Sybil Hill House which is a protected building dating from the 18th century.

The proposed residential scheme by Tetrarch would have consisted of three blocks, ranging in height from two to five storeys, to accommodate 78 Senior Living Residential Living apartments, comprising 55 one-bed units and 23 two-bed units.

No physical works were proposed for Sybil Hill House.

Injection centre approved for Merchant’s Quay

An Bord Pleanála approved an application for a supervised injecting facility for Merchant’s Quay in Dublin 8.

The approval came after a series of appeals and challenges to the centre which originally received planning permission by the planning board in 2019.

ABP’s decision was then challenged in the high court by the nearby St Audoen’s National School.

Mr Justice Garrett Simmons ruled in favour with the school, saying that ABP did not adequately consider the school’s concerns.

The case was then brought back to An Bord Pleanala which has again decided to grant permission for the injection centre.

Councillors presented with plans for lido

Dublin City Councillors were presented with plans for a heated outdoor swimming pool at George’s Dock.

The plans, drafted by George’s Dock Lido Committee, included a 50-metre Olympic sized swimming pool but not a “swift water” training

facility for emergency services.

The previous July, DCC announced plans for a public pool, or “lido”, with an emergency services training centre at the site.

This was instead of the controversial white-water rafting project which was shelved in 2021.

The local authority’s plan would cost an estimated €25 million with 60 percent used as a lido and 40 percent used a training centre for Dublin Fire Brigade.

 

‘Great Raheny character’ Captain Brendan Forde passes away aged 90

This month we had a feature on a great Raheny personality, Captain Brendan Forde, who passed away on Tuesday, December 20, at the age of 90.

Captain Forde, a merchant navy officer, was born in Arklow in 1932 before moving to Killester with his family at the age of nine. Historian and local Raheny man Peadar

Slattery paid tribute to Captain Forde who he described as a “larger than life character”.

“He was at sea all his life and was well-known byeveryone who ran Dublin Port.”

Slattery says that Captain Forde was “destined to be a seaman” from an early age.

“Brendan, avoiding sitting the Intermediate Certificate state examinations in 1947,spent that summer on the schooner Gaelic at £4 a

month, working between Dublin, Arklow, Liverpool and Milford in Donegal,” he said

 

Northside residents come out to welcome refugees

Residents of Fairview and East Wall took to the streets this month to welcome refugees to the area after anti immigration protests were held outside accommodation centres earlier in the month.

Organised by the Northside Welcomes Refugees campaign group, it was estimated that more than 200 people lined Fairview footbridge with banners welcoming refugees.

In a statement, the group said: “In Dublin’s Northside we pride ourselves on being welcoming and caring.

“We make friends quickly with newcomers and know that our community is strong and unified.

“However, there are some who want to divide us using fear about where we come from or the colour of our skin.

“They want to turn us on each other and distract us with their lies and hate.

“Why? Because they’ve got nothing else to offer.”

 

Government approves €2.5 billion redress scheme to fix apartments

Cabinet this month approved new legislation to establish a remediation scheme for residents in defective apartments.

The scheme will cost the Government up to €2.5 billion which will go towards fixing around 100,000 apartments built during the Celtic Tiger era – between 1991 and 2013.

Thousands of apartment owners in Dublin have been affected by recently found defects and many have been asked to foot the bill for the repair works.

This new legislation, which will cover the costs of the repairs, has received cross-party support.

The Government said a “whole building approach will be taken, ensuring common areas and shared spaces are also remediated where required to the relevant standard.”

DCC TO PULL OUT OF O’DEVANEY GARDENS DEAL?

It was reported this month that Dublin City Council may pull out of a deal with Bartra if the developer did not start work on the O’Devaney Gardens housing scheme by the start of February. Speaking at this month’s council meeting, DCC’s housing manager Coilín O’Reilly said the council may “need to revisit where we’re going with the whole O’Devaney project,” if construction has not begun by next month’s meeting.

The controversial deal with Bartra was signed off by councillors after a lengthy debate in November 2019.