The monthly meeting of the Dalkey Community Council was held on Monday, 26 May.

TIDY TOWNS:

The plan to improve the signs on the approach roads to Dalkey is progressing. Floral street decorations will appear from early June. Dalkey's entry in the Tidy Towns Competition has been submitted.

DALKEY BUSINESS ASSOCIATION:

The Association will be contributing to the floral displays and their maintenance throughout the summer. The Association is also intending to contribute to the new signs on the approach roads to Dalkey. The Pooper Scoopers have been distributed about the town.

SPORT:

Dalkey's under 13 Community Games Tennis team was beaten by the eventual winners of the Dublin Games - Shankill. Well done to all. Swimming and Athletics will follow in June.

FUNCTIONS:

The Garden Outing (open to residents of Dalkey) will take place on Friday, 11 July to the Japanese Gardens, leaving at 10.30am and returning around 4.30-5pm. Anyone interested should drop his or her name, address and telephone number into the Community Council's post box in Our Lady's Hall.

NEIGHBOURHOOD WATCH:

There have been some burglaries and the Gardai have emphasised the need for vigilance in the summer especially when we are all tempted to leave our doors open if working in the garden.

PLANNING:

Sorrento Terrace:
A submission has been lodged with An Bord Pleanala

Redan:
A submission has been lodged with An Bord Pleanala.

Intersection of Castlepark/Barnhill Roads:
Application for planning permission for a development of 4 town houses and an apartment block of three with four storeys at the apex has been lodged with Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council. The Community Council has lodged an objection to this development.

An Bord Pleanala:
The Bord has increased its charges: appeal charge is now Euro200 and observations Euro50. It was noted from the Planning Lists supplied by Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council that in some instances addresses had been given to the County Council as Sandycove and Killiney when in fact they are Dalkey addresses. The meeting concluded.

Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council has a Recycling Facility at George's Place, Dun Laoghaire (opposite the Old Fire Station).
Here you can recycle at one time: glass, drink cans, paper (newspaper, junk mail, magazines, telephone books, cards), cardboard packaging and plastic containers (drink and milk bottles, shampoo bottles)
Opening hours: Monday to Thursday 8am to 4.30pm, Friday 8am to 3.30pm and Saturday 8am to 4pm (closed Sundays and public holidays).
Please do your part to help the environment, we all have a vested interest

SORTING OUT PACKAGING WASTE
Since March 1st businesses dealing in packaged products are required to separate their waste and have it recycled. This is the main implication for businesses under the Waste Management (Packaging) Regulations 2003. These new Regulations also contain other measures which are all designed to drive Ireland's progress towards meeting recycling targets as set by the European Union. Packaging waste such as cardboard, glass, and plastic sheeting can no longer be sent to landfill so we have to set up more sensible systems for dealing with it. Does your business recycle? Most shops, pubs, and restaurants in the Dalkey area are serviced by a private recycler, and by all reports have had success in reducing waste going to landfill and increased waste recovered. However, some businesses still send all their waste to landfill. If you do not separate your packaging waste at the moment, then you should get it sorted! Please see contact details below. Please note that Bottle Banks and Bring Centres are for public use only, and not for commercial waste. The Hyde Road Bottle Bank in particular has very high usage. Are your suppliers members of Repak? If not they are obliged to take back packaging waste from you. Check out the possibility of sending packaging waste back up the supply chain. Do you know where your waste is going? Be sure whoever collects your waste has permits and licences for doing so! Unfortunately, there are some bogus waste collectors out there offering service at a lower cost but it ends up damaging the environment and leaves you liable for clean-up costs and prosecution. Guidance on meeting the challenge - The Council's Green Business Officer provides information and guidance to businesses on how to reduce, reuse and recycle waste. An education programme on the Packaging Regulations includes Waste Info Sessions organised to address local business peoples concerns and difficulties with making changes to old practices. Contact details for private recyclers with appropriate permits and licences are available, along with general waste information for communities and householders, on the website (please see below) Dates and venues for the next round of Waste Info Sessions will be advertised in local papers. For further info please contact: Carla Ward, Green Business Officer, Environment Dept., Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council. Direct line 01 2054846, Email. cward@dlrcoco.ie Website: www.dlrcoco.ie/env

Q...I heard that there have been some changes to the Dental Benefit scheme. Will I still be able to get my teeth checked and cleaned for free?

A... Yes. Under a new agreement negotiated between the Irish Dental Association and the Department of Social and Family Affairs basic preventative dental treatment including examination, scaling and polishing are still free. Dental Benefit under the Department's Treatment Benefit Scheme is available to those who are insured and satisfy certain Pay Related Social Insurance (PRSI) contribution conditions. You are also eligible if you are the dependant spouse of an insured person or a dependant widow(er) whose spouse was qualified at time of death. If you satisfy the PRSI conditions when you reach age 60 you will remain qualified for life. Under the new agreement, which is effective from the 25th February 2003 there are still two sets of charges, one for those whose annual income is under €45,000 and the other for those whose income is above €45,000. For those whose income is above €45,000 the Department pays a contribution and the patient pays the balance (apart from the free treatment mentioned previously). The fees they will have to pay have increased by 10% under the new agreement. Those whose income is below €45,000 per annum will have to pay 10% more on all treatments apart from fillings. For instance, extraction of a tooth under local anaesthetic has increased from €10.67 to €11.75. Fillings will be charged at the dentist's normal private fee less 15% and also less the Department's contribution of €29.20. Dentists are obliged to display their charges for fillings. Medical Holders aged 16 or over are eligible for dental services from their Health Board. They are covered free-of-charge for emergency and routine treatment. The service may be provided through private dentists or dentists employed by the Health Board. Before availing of a particular treatment under the Health Board scheme you should check with your Health Board to see if the treatment is covered. Further details available from the

Citizens Information Centre
85-86 Patrick Street
Dun Laoghaire.
Telephone 284 4544

When the moon sits above the Island,
There is Dalkey.
The sea like glass looks silver and low-key
A blood red sky at early dawn,
Silhouettes the tower and church long gone.
As that morning light shapes the hills,
Life from the sea, and Island spills.
From Bray to Howth a breeze blows free,
To cool the air over Dalkey.
The sun now sets in the West,
Lights form the boats on Dalkey rest.
Shadows that end a day that's blessed,
The Island sleeps, by the sea caressed Night over Dalkey gently falls,
Till the dawning sun, To the Island calls.
Island big Island small,
Island there on the High Sea.
Island Here Island Near,
My beloved Island Dalkey.

M. Keogh

There were 115 planning applications this year compared to 122 last year .In addition, there were 54 additional applications deemed invalid. This arose as a result of new Planning Permission Regulations that came into effect on 11th March 2002. These new regulations are more detailed than previously and require all applicants to show adjacent properties, levels etc., and answer specific questions regarding their application. Despite the widespread notification to the public of these changes, hundreds of applications have been deemed invalid in the Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown County (DRCC) area since then, Dalkey being no different than other areas. There now seems to be a greater understanding of the new procedures, and the number of invalid applications is much fewer in recent months. There were 8 applications for retention, compared with 4 last year. However, 3 of these applications relate to one property, to which I will refer later. The other 5 cases were all granted permission. It is the policy of the Community Council to object to retention regarding recent applications as the planning process is quite defined and it is in exceptional cases only that should require an application for retention. Additional information was requested for 14 applications and additional information was received in 15 applications. This is less than 10%, compared to 20% last year, probably a reflection of the increased information each planning application has to now initially furnish. There have been 95 decisions, of which 73 have been granted and 14 refused. 3 have been withdrawn. The remainder is pending a decision. Twenty-three decisions were appealed to Bord Pleanala of which 13 were 3rd party appeals against permission granted, and 6 were 1st party appeals against refusal. There were also 4 first party appeals against conditions imposed. We initiated 3 appeals and lodged submissions in 6 cases. There were 26 decisions handed down by Bord Pleanala, of these 13 were granted permission. Only one of these had previously been refused permission by D.R.C.C. Twelve appeals were refused permission, of these 7 had been granted permission and 5 had been refused permission by D.R.C.C. One application, having been granted permission by D.R.C.C., was appealed and had additional conditions imposed with its grant of permission from the Bord. Of the 3 appeals we lodged, 2 were against the grant of permission for a development of apartments at the "Squareabout"; unfortunately we lost our appeal and the development will take place. We won our other appeal, which I will be referring to later. Of the 6 submissions we lodged against the granting of permission, 3 were granted permission but conditions were attached relating to the issues about which we had expressed concern. Two applications had previously been refused by D.R.C.C. and had been appealed by the owners; we lodged submissions to Bord Pleanala on conservation grounds. Both these applications were subsequently refused permission. We are still awaiting a decision from the Bord concerning the Tramyard. I must emphasize that the Planning Committee sees its role as one of monitoring planning applications that will have an impact on the community as a whole, and raising the concerns of the residents of Dalkey to the planning authorities. We do not object to every application submitted in the Dalkey area and are reluctant to become involved in what could be described as "disputes between neighbours". However, we do welcome all the enquiries you have about development in Dalkey. I will now refer briefly to some particular applications, which are of interest to the residents of Dalkey.
1 Sorrento Terrace - An observant member of our Planning Group noticed that there was intense activity by the contractors in the garden of this property in April 2002. At this time there was an appeal before Bord Pleanala in relation to the proposed works in the garden. When an appeal is before the Bord, no work is permissible before the Bord has reached a decision. We contacted the Enforcement Section of D.R.C.C's Planning Dept. with relevant information and photographs of the work. We also contacted An Taisce who had initiated the appeal, and they immediately objected to the work in progress to the Enforcement Section. Following this information, work was stopped in the garden. We were then contacted by An Taisce to attend a meeting with the contractors and a representative from the Parks Department on the site. Bord Pleanala later gave permission to the proposed works with conditions attached and reduced the size of the proposed decking. Later during the summer, other unapproved works were apparent comprising alterations to the roof structure and the installation of four roof hatches to facilitate access to the roof space. The installation of a glass roof over the light well at lower ground floor level at the front of the house and alterations to the front façade and the light well to incorporate the enclosed space into the house was also brought to our attention, all being unapproved work on a protected structure. We contacted the County Manager, the Planning Department, the Conservation Officer, the Enforcement Section and several County Councilors informing them of these extensive unapproved alterations. Eamon Gilmore, in particular, has been very helpful and is continuing to work with us on this matter. It should be remembered that this house is part of a protected terrace and is an important part of Dalkey's heritage, which should be retained for future generations. The developer has now applied for retention, to which I referred at the beginning of my report. We are very unhappy about this situation as the developer has submitted several applications to the planning department and met with them to discuss the on-going works. We believe that retention should not be allowed as the integrity of the terrace is being compromised; these unapproved alterations should be refused permission. We became aware that the garage, for which planning permission had eventually been given after a series of applications, has been constructed on part of the site where the owner ship is unclear. We knew that the County Council had purchased a parcel of land along Coliemore Rd from the previous owners in the 1967 with the future intention of widening the road at its junction with Sorrento Terrace. However, the County Council has not proceeded with its road widening plans in the following years and the land remained behind its original boundaries. We understand that the owner and the County Council are presently in discussion about the matter. The developer has since constructed an additional building consisting of a concrete base, a generator and three chiller units, and a plant enclosure structure adjacent to this garage, all without planning permission. These latest additions constitute his 3rd application for retention, which were all lodged on 31st January 2003. We will continue to monitor the situation on your behalf.
The Art Gallery on Vico Road - Many of you will remember that I reported about this Gallery last year in relation to the non-implementation of several of the conditions for planning permission; I had written to the County Council last February asking for clarification on the matter of landscaping and the bio-cycle unit. Eventually the County Council gained access and inspected the site and felt that the conditions had finally been implemented. We would query the landscaping aspect, but apparently, the County Council is satisfied. However, there was still the rather thorny issue of access by the public to the Gallery. You will remember that one of the conditions was that the public would have access on 60 days of the year to view the contents of the gallery. I received a letter dated 24th April from the Enforcement section of the Planning Dept. outlining the arrangements that had been submitted by the owners to them.
They were:- (a) An Administrator would be appointed to arrange access to the gallery, (b) The Administrator would select a series of days each month during which access would be provided, (c) Persons wishing to visit the Gallery will make an appointment with the Administrator, (d) On each of the days in question the Administrator will meet the group for the day and will bring the group on a guided tour of the Gallery and grounds. The Administrator will deliver a lecture explaining the background to the items on exhibition within the building and the grounds, (e) For insurance reasons, the numbers in each tour will be confined to 10 persons who will remain in the presence of the tour guide/administrator at all times, (f) The administrator will make arrangements that will enable him/her to contact him/her easily. In that regard, the Administrator will liaise with the Arts Officer of the County Council with a view to setting up a system whereby persons contacting the Arts Officer can be forwarded to the Administrator to arrange a suitable time to visit. I received a letter from the Enforcement Section on 7th October 2002 informing me of the appointment of Ms Penny Grey as the Administrator of the Gallery. I subsequently contacted her but she was unable to give any dates as they were still in the process of finding an art expert to accompany the tour. I contacted her before Christmas and again in the beginning of the New Year, when I was told that as the owners were away skiing, she was unable to give me any dates but it would probably be feasible in six weeks time. She contacted me four days later informing me that the date for the Community Council's visit was to be 16th January-there was no discussion as to its suitability for the Community Council (the next monthly meeting was at the beginning of February). I was able to assemble a group of six people from the Community Council to visit the Gallery that day. On the day of the visit, we were met at the gate by a be-suited gentleman who informed us that we had to sign an insurance disclaimer before we entered the gallery. We then entered the Gallery by a narrow back entrance, where Ms Gray and the Art expert greeted us. We were shown the contents of two rooms- 8 paintings and drawings, some furniture and a bronze sculpture. The tour lasted 30 minutes; we did not view any part of the grounds. Ms Gray agreed to arrange another date for the Community Council to see the Gallery. Despite numerous phone calls to her, she was unable to give me a firm date- "some time in June". This is a most unsatisfactory procedure to view a gallery, and does not facilitate access to the public. It has not yet been clarified what constitutes a "days" viewing-is the Gallery open from 10.00pm.until 5.00pm.for instance, or does it mean that one tour on each of the 60 days is sufficient? We will continue to seek answers for these and other questions on your behalf.

Castle St. Area - I will briefly mention some of the proposals for the Castle St. area; as I reported earlier we had appealed the development of the site behind 1,2,and 2a Castle St on the grounds of over-development of a garden site at the centre of a roundabout and the lack of parking provisions. However, our appeal was refused and the proposal for the construction of 6 apartments will proceed. Across the road at the same end of Castle St. another development has commenced- the demolition of 'System's Printing'. The developer had approached the Community Council earlier in the year when he showed us a new proposal for 16 apartments. We were unhappy about the scale, mass and height of the development and lodged an objection to the Planning Dept. This proposal was refused permission, but the previous planning approval for 13 apartments granted in 2000 still remains. As we are all aware, this development is now in the construction phase and causing some problems to motorists approaching Castle Street from Dalkey Avenue.
The developers of the Tramyard Site had their latest proposal refused by D.R.C.C. and subsequently appealed to Bord Pleanala. There was some confusion between the Bord and the Planning Dept. of the County Council resulting in a delay informing us of the appeal and leaving us with only 4 working days left to submit an appeal. When the Bord was contacted, they maintained that it was beyond their control to give us "extended" time to appeal. We managed to lodge an appeal, but without the benefit of seeing the developers grounds for appeal as they were not available at the Planning Dept. of the County Council. Again, an extremely unsatisfactory situation. The date for the Bord's decision is in early March 2003. There were several other proposed developments along Castle Street that caused us some concern and therefore we lodged our observations to the planning authorities. We believe it is of paramount importance to maintain the character of Castle Street and to allow only development sympathetic to this Conservation Area of our Heritage Town. We will continue to monitor any proposals around Dalkey on your behalf.
Violet Hill - We had serious concerns about a proposal for an underground garage and associated landscaping at this address on the Vico Rd on traffic safety grounds. We met with the Architect of this proposal, but while appreciating the owners concerns about access, we believed this was not a satisfactory solution especially for the traveling public. We therefore appealed to Bord Pleanala on the grounds of public safety. The Bord upheld our objections and refused permission. Submission for the Draft Development Plan - Our submission was drawn up in consultation with Dalkey Tidy Towns Committee, Dalkey Business Association and Dalkey Castle and Heritage Centre. Our main points were:- (a) The strengthening of the Conservation aspects of the Castle St. area, the coastal areas and the parks around Dalkey, (b) Monitoring of future developments in Dalkey, especially in the context of custom-built apartments, (c) An increased list of protected structures to reflect the unique heritage of Dalkey, (d) The preservation of sea views, (e) A pro-active approach to be taken by the County Council to promote and market the Heritage Centre, (f) The introduction of a Traffic Management and Parking Scheme to Dalkey. A joint Traffic Management Scheme, compiled in consultation with local community groups should be the basis of any scheme introduced, (g) A more pro-active policy between the local organisations, businesses and the County Council to be a major policy in the upgrading of facilities and the environment in the future. A Joint Traffic Management Committee was set up to draw up traffic and parking proposals; it consists of representatives from Dalkey Community Council, Dalkey Tidy Towns Committee, Dalkey Business Association and a representative from the Parish Council of the Church of the Assumption. After much discussion and compromise between the involved groups, a Traffic and Parking Plan emerged. A three-member group representing the organisations involved has met with the Traffic Dept. of the County Council this year on two occasions and discussed this plan and has been given a commitment for further consultation before the publication of the Parking Proposals for Dalkey. We will continue to keep you informed of our meetings. I should now like to thank the members of the Planning Committee; Pat Egan, Anne Purcell, Yvonne Fogarty and Nora Hart for their hours of work attending meetings and inspecting plans on your behalf. We will continue our work with the intention of protecting this very beautiful area for the enjoyment of all residents and visitors alike. Dr Susan McDonnell, Chairperson, Planning Committee

Out now is the Summer 2003 issue of History Ireland magazine featuring the following articles - 'Bloody Sunday 1920 - New Evidence', 'Longford muskateers: the Farrells of Annaly and the sieges of St. Ghislain and Tangier', 'The New York draft riots of 1863: An Irish civil war', 'Yeats, Henry and the western idyll'; 'Tom Crean ( 1877-1938) - an Irish hero', '50 Years of Burarus', 'The Donegal corridor and the Battle of the Atlantic', and 'Robert Lynd: essayist and Irishman' plus the regular features 'Events' , and 'Reviews'. Another excellent issue of this quarterly Irish history magazine.

James Scannell

DID YOU KNOW ABOUT……. The largest planet in space is Jupiter and is some 85,680 miles in diameter. It got its name from the Roman king of the gods and ruler of the universe. It consists of, predominately, hydrogen and helium and its core is believed to be hotter than the sun at 3,000°C.

DID YOU KNOW ABOUT……. The tallest tree in the world is the Coast Redwood. It can reach to heights of 400 feet and its trunk diameter could be anything up to 30 feet. It is an evergreen tree and native to the Pacific coast of North America. DID YOU KNOW ABOUT……. The largest diamond is the Cullinan Diamond at 3,106 carats (one carat is 200 mg in weight). It was mined on 26 January 1909 in Pretoria, South Africa.

DID YOU KNOW ABOUT……. The Pentagon in Arlington County, Virginia, USA is the largest government office at 34 acres. It was designed by George Bergstrom and constructed between 1941 and 1943. It is made-up of five concentric pentagons (five-sided buildings) with connecting corridors. Each pentagon has five floors in addition to a mezzanine floor and basement. It is the headquarters of the United States Defence department of the army, navy and air force.

This year's Garden Outing takes place on FRIDAY 11TH JULY and visits the magnificent Japanese Gardens in Kildare. Coach leaves Cuala Centre at 10.30 am returning at 5.00. Coach fare 6 euro - entrance/tour of the Gardens 7 euro, (5.50 for senior citizens). All welcome. As places are limited, please leave names at Our Lady's Hall.

In the May edition of the Dalkey Community Council newsletter, reference was made to the possibility of a playground in Dalkey. In this brief (under 'Any Other Business' on page 2, and also on your website), it was stated that "the cost of developing the new playground due to open in Cabinteely was Euro76,000". This grant which I secured as Minister for Children was an initial allocation; this was subsequently matched by funding from Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council, who were responsible for the development of the playground. The final cost of the playground, therefore, was in excess of Euro150,000. That particular playground is very big as it is in a public park, so a small amount of money can go a long way in a local area. The Government will shortly publish a play policy, so I will keep you informed of any updates. Keep up the good work, best wishes with the newsletter and website, and please feel free to contact me at any stage.

Le gach dea-ghuí, Mary Hanafin

Flower Painting in Pastel for adults, Tues, 8 July, 6.45pm. ·

Totem Pole art, Thurs, 10 July 3.30pm (Ages 6-12), max 12. ·

Music, dance, drama workshop, Tues, 15 July 3.30pm (ages 6-10), max 25. ·

Flower Painting in Ink for adults, Tues, 15 July, 6.45pm. ·

Local round for Annual Inter-Library Quiz, Wed, 16 July, 3pm (ages 8-12). ·

Hip-Hop Dancing, Tues, 22 July, 3.30pm (ages 6-12). ·

Sinbad the Sailor Puppet Show, Thurs, 24 July, 3.30pm (ages 3-10).

Contact the library for further details.

Dalkey DART Station: As part of the DART and Suburban Enhancement (DASH) project, works to be carried out at Dalkey DART Station are as follows: ·

In order to facilitate 8-carriage trains, both platforms will be extended by 54m to the east. · Provision of a new emergency exit onto Ardeevin Road. ·

The station will be upgraded to include improvements such as better lighting, station signage, seating, litterbins and railings. An improved station infrastructure will enable the safe accommodation of increased passenger flows. ·

The station will be fully accessible to mobility-impaired persons. The existing ramp will be upgraded and altered to give access to new ticketing facility in the existing shelter on the up-line. Also included will be a new vending point, gates, two new stiles and CCTV security cover. ·

Power supplies over the DART network will be upgraded to enable 8-carriage services to operate. ·

When Phase 1 of the DASH project is completed by approximately mid-2005, there will be a 30% increase in passenger capacity at Dalkey station. ·

Lengthening of DART services from six to eight carriages, will be facilitated by a related investment of Euro80 million in 40 new DART carriages. These will enter service in 2005, to coincide with the completion of DASH. ·

During the programme of works, beginning in July 2003, some inevitable disruption will result. This will involve services being suspended on sections of the DART route principally at weekends to avoid disruption to weekday commuters. Full details of these works and disruptions will be confirmed to commuters and residents in advance. ·

This Euro170 million DASH project represents the largest commuter investment since the DART service was launched almost 20 years ago.

Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin's airship flew for the first time Sun,