Dublin 15 councillors have had their say on Fingal County Council’s three-year capital spending plan.
Fingal County Council has a Budget of €573 million for 2025, with €361 million of that going towards housing, €76.5 million being spent on economic, cultural and enterprise development and €72.9 million spent on planning and strategic infrastructure.
The three-year capital spending plan for Fingal County Council, which runs from 2026 to 2028, will see the council allocated a budget of €1.4 billion.
€1.1 billion of that funding comes directly from grants.
With 16 of the 40 seats on Fingal County Council falling within Dublin 15, both government and opposition councillors made the case for Dublin 15 to get its slice of the pie at this month’s council meeting.
The meeting was told that the council’s priority will be focused spending on the likes of libraries, heritage properties, swimming pools and general community spending.
Mayor of Fingal, Tom O’Leary, said, “having one of the fastest growing populations in the country means there is a lot of pressure on the Council to deliver housing and community infrastructure so record figures in terms of projects and money spent shows that Fingal is stepping up to the plate.”
The Fine Gael councillor said “the result is more housing, new community centres, new libraries, new transport networks and more open spaces. We are also upgrading existing infrastructure to ensure it is fit for purpose and climate resilient.”
Castleknock has the second largest electorate in all of Fingal County Council, just shy of 35,000 in last year’s local elections, and the area has been designated significant spending projects in the council’s spending plan.
A new pedestrian and cycling bridge at Granard Bridge on Castleknock Road will be linked up with the Dublin-Maynooth railway line and the Royal Canal project.
The bridge will cross the Dublin Maynooth railway and Royal Canal, parallel to the existing road bridges over the canal and railway, with access for pedestrians and cyclists only.
Per the council, the bridge will form an “integral” part of the walking and cycling route for Blanchardstown to Phoenix Park, which is a proposed route in the NTA’s Greater Dublin Area Cycle Network Plan.
Castleknock councillor Siobhain Shovlin said that the Royal Canal Greenway is one of the top topics she is asked about by constituents, and questioned how much funding would be allocated to the project as part of the capital spending programme.
The Fine Gael councillor said she has been asked “time and time again” about the status of the planning application; in late 2024, councillors were told that the planning application would be submitted by mid-2025, only for that deadline to slip.
Fellow Castleknock councillor John Walsh said there was “lots of good news” for the area, but said it was important that the Granard Bridge project was completed before work picks up on the DART+ West project, which will see Dublin 15 become a linchpin in Dublin’s rail services.
The Labour councillor questioned if funding was allocated for the Blanchardstown to Phoenix Park cycling route; he said there are concerns from Fingal Active Travel that the Granard Bridge project could be left “stranded” if it wasn’t linked up to existing cycling infrastructure within Dublin 15.
Sinn Féin councillor Angela Donnelly said that councillors weren’t given enough time to digest something as complex as a multi-year capital spending plan; the Ongar councillor said that councillors received the plans on October 6, had a briefing on October 8, a deadline to submit questions by October 9 and only received responses on October 3.
“I say this every year, but that’s really not good enough,” and said that the lighting budget, as a whole, is not significant enough.
Donnelly also questioned if the funding for CCTV cameras – €700,000 – was adequate.
Fianna Fáil councillor JK Onwumereh said that community hubs are “at the centre of community life,” and said it was “commendable” that the council is giving a spending bump to community hubs across Fingal.
Solidarity councillor John Burtchaell questioned the lack of information surrounding the landbank at Dunsink; last year, the council heard that there is the potential for up to 20,000 homes on the site and questioned why there were no provisions for the project in the capital spending plan.
Matthew McAleese, the council’s planning and infrastructure director, said that a local area plan is being drawn up for Dunsink and the council hopes to make progress on the project in the coming months.
McAleese said the council is continuing to acquire public land, but the bottom line for the council is seeking “value for the public purse.”
He said the recent funding bump for St. Catherine’s Park in Dublin 15 is an example of the council’s commitment to biodiversity.
In relation to the Royal Canal Greenway works, the council said “dialogue continues to be held with key stakeholders, the NTA and Waterways Ireland along the route of the greenway to ensure a coordinated, high-quality final design is achieved at interfaces between existing facilities and the proposed scheme.”
“The project is currently at the preliminary design stage and agreement on the revised design has been reached with all relevant stakeholders. Following completion of the preliminary design, all the required documents, including the Environmental Impact Assessment Report, will be prepared for a planning application to An Coimisiún Pleanála in Q4 2025.”
Chief Executive of Fingal County Council, AnnMarie Farrelly, said “the record levels of delivery in 2025 represent significant progress and investment in the County and we are now seeing on the ground the benefits of careful and strategic planning over the past few years.”
“We are aware, as we increase the number of private, affordable, social and cost rental homes across Fingal, we also need to provide the facilities and supports which will allow our new communities to grow in a sustainable way and integrate fully with those already living in the area.”