Coffey Coup.
Councillor brings E.U. Conference to Dun Laoghaire.

As President of Committee 3, Committee of the Regions, local County Councillor Betty Coffee has succeeded in her bid to have a major E.U I.T. Conference scheduled for Ireland. Speaking of the proposed conference Councillor Coffey said " we would hope Minister Mary O' Rourke will address the conference given the Minister's role in IT in the country and the opportunities for investment in this field a conference of this nature will stimulate in Ireland".

Other countries interested in hosting the conference were Italy, Spain and Sweden, however Councillor Coffey was adamant at a recent summit in Trieste Northern Italy that Ireland was the perfect location for such a conference. The President, in true diplomatic form, fielded off criticism from dissenting countries and in the end succeeded in satisfying the demands of the majority of participating members while at the same time achieving her objective. A date has yet to be decided but it is likely the conference will take place towards the end of the year or early in 2001 and in all probability will be based in Councillor Coffey's own area of Dun Laoghaire Rathdown.

The meeting in Trieste of Commission 3 (TransEuropean networks, Transport, Information Society) led by Councillor Coffey and attended by members of the C.O.R. was on Transport and Maritime Safety. "Transport is a typically regional issue" said Councillor Coffey. "Whether in terms of safety, the environment or the economy, transport policy has a deep impact at regional level. The Committee of the Regions acts as the voice of the regional and local entities within the E.U; its mandate is to emit opinions on draft legislation coming from the European Parliament, the Commission and the Council, if the bill is likely to affect the regions".

The Trieste meeting proved a vigorous and lively one with Irish local authorities, led by President Betty Coffey showing the way to improve the record of road and maritime safety in the European Union. Several aspects of maritime safety were included and discussed before the opinion was accepted and passed by the assembled members.

Looking at the development of the new marina at Trieste and the growth of residential developments around it, Councillor Coffey remarked on the similarities between Dun Laoghaire and the Italian port.

Road safety and Ireland were also at the forefront of the Trieste meeting with the inclusion of an opinion by Cllr Maurice Cummins, a member of the South East Regional Authority. Having been adopted by the Transport Commission, both the opinion of Maritime Safety and the opinion on Road Safety will now be presented to the Committee of The Regions at their next plenary session in September. Once adopted the opinions will then be addressed to the European Commission.

As President of Commission 3, Councillor Betty Coffey said these two opinions had particular significance for her home town of Dun Laoghaire. "Recent accidents like the sinking of the Erika off the coast of Brittany last year show the need for the regions to have a greater say in the drafting of effective legislation. It happened in Brittany last year, it could happen in any other region of the EU tomorrow" said the President.

A £157,000 present.

Olivia Mitchell said that "she was extremely annoyed" that a housing site sold by the Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council two years ago for £100 was now netting a profit of £157,000 for the recipient.

"In one case which has come to my attention a couple who received a site from the Council for £100, built their house for £68,000 and are now selling it for £225,000, a scant six months after they moved in". The Fine Gael Councillor then said " Apparently there is no ‘claw back’ to the County Council and the only requirement for such a sale is that they will not now, or in the future, reapply for Council housing. This is a public scandal and a waste of taxpayers money at a time when so many are on Council waiting lists and when so many young couples would be overjoyed to have the opportunity to build their own home".

"It is too late now to place conditions on sites which have already been sold but regulations must immediately be altered to ensure that the scheme operates as intended, which was providing the opportunity for housing to those who couldn't otherwise afford to provide for themselves. It was never the intention that this scheme should, after a few months occupation, be a source of windfalls to recipients" concluded Deputy Mitchell.

Fiona O'Malley to run in Dun Laoghaire

Dessie's daughter is the chosen one. At the recent P.D. selection convention in the Rochestown Lodge Hotel, one of our brightest young County Councillors, Fiona O'Malley narrowly beat Cllr Victor Boyhan to take the nomination. Fiona will contest the next General Election in the Dail constituency of Dun Laoghaire on behalf of the Progressive Democrats.

She was elected to Dun Laoghaire/Rathdown County Council at her first attempt at last year's local elections and is currently chairperson of the Council's Housing Special Policy Committee.

Speaking after her selection, Councillor O'Malley said she would leave no stone unturned in her efforts to win back the Dail seat once held by the Progressive Democrats in Dun Laoghaire.

"There is a seat for this Party in this constituency and I intend doing all I can to win it. Over the coming months, I will continue to campaign on the ground in Dun Laoghaire and to work with the people on the key issues such as housing, planning, transport and childcare," said Councillor O'Malley.

The leader of the Progressive Democrats, Mary Harney TD, said Fiona O'Malley had a successful career ahead of her in national politics. "It is imperative that the Party regains the seat it has held here on two previous occasions. Over the coming months, there will be a concerted effort by everyone in the Party to ensure that Fiona O'Malley is returned as a TD for Dun Laoghaire after the next election," she added.

The Tánaiste reaffirmed the fact that the Progressive Democrats will contest the next General Election as a separate, independent party with its own policy platform. "As a Party, we are constantly looking for new ways to solve longstanding problems and the next general election gives us an excellent opportunity to promote a new generation of politicians with the energy and vigour of Fiona O'Malley," she said.

"When the Progressive Democrats were founded, the key issues were the appalling state of the public finances, high taxation, chronic unemployment, and the seemingly intractable conflict in Northern Ireland. The Party has played its part in transforming the social, political and economic landscape since then," said Ms. Harney. "Today, nearly fifteen years on, a new set of issues have arisen. While today's issues may be different, I believe the core Progressive Democrat's principles of independent radical thinking and the promotion of competition and enterprise will make it possible to manage this new found prosperity," she said.

Unsuccessful candidate, Councillor Victor Boyhan, wished Cllr O'Malley well and said he would work with her and the Party organisation locally to secure a seat for the Party.

Sandyford Village Millennium Festival.

Sunday July 23rd is a day to put in your diary. The Sandyford Millennium Festival will be a day of fun, laughter, and entertainment and it's all for a good cause, for Sr Stanislaus Kennedy.

The Garda Band will play and the fun gets under way around midday. Clowns, facepainting, tugowar, sports, side shows, novelty dog show, midget car racing, hot air balloons and much more will be the order of the day. There will also be stalls selling some local crafts and goods and light lunches, tea and coffee will be available. One stall to watch out for in particular is one offering some exceptional ceramics for sale. All these pieces are hand made and carry the logo of a very talented young Ballinteer girl, Sinead Wall. Sinead, who has worked extensively in Portugal, Germany, the UK and Ireland is one of Ireland's most promising young talents and people attending the Sandyford festival will get the opportunity of purchasing some of her work at special prices offering huge savings on similar items in our top stores. For this particular day Sinead has designed and made a selection of utilitarian waremugs, flower pots, vases etc and will also take orders for larger items or commissions on the day. This is your chance to purchase some of Sinead's work so make sure you pay her a visit.

The main street in Sandyford will be blocked off for the festival and hopefully the weather will be kind. The Sandyford Village Millennium Festival is a day for everyone, no matter what your age and families in particular will have a great time... so go on and have a day of fun, laughter and bargain hunting.

Council Officially Hands Over Theatre.

It's always nice to go out of office on a high note and that's exactly what Councillor Larry Butler did recently. His final function as Cathaoirleach, before he passed the reins to Councillor Mary Elliott, was the handing over of the long awaited Theatre in the Pavilion Centre.

The 350 seater Theatre is a modern luxurious stateoftheart building which will no doubt be used by people of the Dun Laoghaire Rathdown area along with visitors to the region. The appointment of Karen Louise Hebden, a native of Kent in the U.K brings the opening of the theatre that little bit closer. Ms Hebden was educated in the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and the University of NewcastleuponTyne. She began her career in the West Yorkshire Playhouse in 1992 and since then has had vast experience in the Royal National Theatre, the Royal Court Theatre and other equally prestigious theatres.

Local dignitaries, celebrities and County Councillors were the first to sit in the new Pavilion theatre on Marine Road. Speaking at a reception afterwards in the County Hall, Councillor Butler said " The opening of the Theatre in the near future will add to the development of the arts in the County and will complement the Council's Arts programme".

Councillor Butler went on to tell the assembled guests "this is an exciting time for our county with many developments taking place. The theatre which is part of the overall Pavilion residential and retail development will bring new life and atmosphere to Dun Laoghaire. This development, combined with the comprehensive upgrading of the town centre, will provide a more shopping friendly district for residents and tourists alike. The £4million plan which was unveiled recently will involve a new traffic management scheme for the centre of Dun Laoghaire, Pay & Display, on street parking, landscaping and upgrading of the streetscape"

The Councillor then went on to regale the history of the Pavilion site from its original usage quoting Peter Peterson's description as "a galleried structure with four viewing turrets" and it "contained a number of tea rooms, reading rooms and smoking rooms. it was used for concerts, dances and a variety of entertainment's and its festive architecture lent a lighter note to the town". Built in 1903 the original Pavilion was burnt down in 1915 and was replaced by a building Peterson described as "ugly". It was used for some time as a cinema but had been lying derelict for some years prior to the current development.

"It was an objective of Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council that when developed, the Pavilion site would contain a civic building which was devoted to culture and art for the benefit of our citizens" The Theatre is a purpose built arts venue and will service a catchment population of approximately 500,000 and will be a major asset in the development of the tourist potential of our County. The Theatre is an excellent quality flexible space that can be used for a wide range of quality productions both amateur and professional" said Councillor Butler.

He then went on to say thanks to "Eddie Sweeney and the Pavilion Leisure Complex Ltd and their contractorsRohcon, along with the architects, engineers and planners. In conclusion Councillor Butler extended a welcome to Theatre Director Karen Hebden wishing her "every success in the provision of a quality artistic product to the people of our county".

SDLL Photographer ‘booted out’.

County Councillors were invited down to the old Dun Laoghaire Baths to see for themselves the extent of damage a recent fire, allegedly the work of drug addicts using the building, has caused. When SDLL photographer, Stephen Sheridan turned up to photograph the building he was unceremoniously kicked out..but not before he got the photographs above. A man describing himself as the County Engineer said to Stephen " I am forbidding you to publish these photographs". Sorry, but photographers don't publish anything, they take photographs. However our photographer was not the only one asked to leave, a representative of An Taisce was similarly evicted according to Councillor Victor Boyhan.

The demolition of Dun Laoghaire Baths has been approved because as Councillor Olivia Mitchell put it " it does not make sense to get expert advice and then disregard it. The engineers say this building is now in such a dangerous state that it must be demolished immediately". The original facade will be kept however.

"The building has no architectural value" said Councillor Mitchell however there is a strong nostalgic attachment to it by the people of the area".

Our photographer reported that the four floors of the building are indeed in a serious condition. On putting his foot on one of the steps leading from one floor to another the step crumbled away beneath him. Those gaining illegal access to the building he said, appear to enter through the top floor, which, given the overall seriously decrepit state of the building is extremely dangerous. "On looking at the state of the building it's only a matter of time before someone is seriously hurt and in my opinion the Council are right to approve its demolition" said Stephen.

The future of the site has as yet not been determined but local County Councillor Victor Boyhan (himself a member of An Taisce) is adamant that he will oppose any residential development plans instead insisting the site must be developed for amenity use. "The worrying factor" Councillor Boyhan told SDLL " is that this building has been in a state of serious disrepair for some time and obviously if drug addicts have been using it, the Council has not fulfilled its obligation to secure it in the first place. This leads one to wonder how many other buildings in our care are in danger of a similar fate and are not properly secure".

Put a bell on your bike.

Cyclists share the footpaths on the main thoroughfares of Berlin, Stockholm, Copenhagen and other European cities so why not Dun Laoghaire is the question posed by Councillor Niamh Bhreathnach.

In particular the County Councillor was referring to the 2.5 km of cycle lane, which, combined with a pedestrian walkway is to open along ‘the metals’ beside the DART line from Dalkey to Dun Laoghaire. It will cross the very busy roads of Albert road, Eden road and Summerhill road. Toucan crossings are being specifically designed to facilitate the different sorts of traffic, two wheeled and two footed that is expected to use the upgraded metals.

"This is good news all round" said Councillor Bhreathnach "but it must be time to introduce the need for bells on our bikes. Where pedestrian and cyclists will share the facility even the Council is expecting ‘minor cyclist/pedestrian conflicts’. The cycle lanes already in operation in this area are on in areas with little pedestrian traffic. The footpaths on the Stillorgan road see relatively few pedestrians. But with major crossings involved, safety must become a priority"

The Labour Deputy then went on to say that "The increase in the number of commuters using bicycles is to be welcomed but their cycling environment must pose no threat to pedestrians. Let this local authority lead the way, lead the demand for regulations that will see the bell on the bicycle ringing, ringing.