April 2011 Monthly Meeting, Chamber, Duleek Civic Offices, 9.40 Wednesday 20 April 2011
Cllr. Sirena Campbell presided
Other Councillors Present:
Jimmy Cudden, Anne Dillon-Gallagher, Wayne Harding, & Seamus O’Neill
Apologies: Cllr. Eoin Holmes
Officials Present:
Fiona Lawless, Director of Services, Slane Area; Jim Colwell Area Engineer; Frances Hughes, A.S.O.; Paul Monahan, Area Administrator
Others Present:
Paul Monahan advised the Members / Officials of the provisions of Part 15 of the L.G. Act 2001 and the code of conduct for Members, Officials and non-elected Council committee Members regarding declarable interests of themselves and of any connected person. Each individual has a responsibility to comply and the Ethics Officer has a duty to ensure compliance with these statutory requirements.
1.0 Confirmation of Minutes of the following Meeting:
1.1 March 2011 monthly meeting held Wednesday 23 March 2011
On the proposal of Cllr. Dillon-Gallagher seconded by Cllr. Cudden the Members confirmed the minutes of the March meeting held Wednesday 23 March 2011.
2.0 Matters arising from the Minutes
Nothing raised
3.0 Matters raised with the permission of the Cathaoirleach
The Members raised the following issues:
- Proposals on remedial works to unfinished estates not taken in charge and vacated by the developer. A report will be prepared on the matter.
- Public lights on Hill of Slane faulty.
- Use of funds allocated to celebrate 250th anniversary of Slane as a Georgian village. Fiona Lawless advised there was €7.5k available and suggested this money could be used to fund a planting scheme and signage. She requested that Slane Tidy Towns contact Bernadine Carry, Pride of Place to agree a suitable programme of works for this budget.
- Potholes at Sheepgrange, Donore; Rathbran; Eastham Road on Bettystown side of bridge; and hard shoulder at Apple Garage, Julianstown. Jim Colwell said he tried to discuss the hard shoulder issue with the owners of the garage but did not have any success.
- Welcomed the tree planting carried out on Main Street, Duleek
- Flooding at Carnes and Ladywell, Duleek. Jim Colwell will look at but could not guarantee that work would be carried out.
- Vandalism of small trees in Duleek village recently and the Council’s role in licensing carnivals. Paul Monahan advised that the Council had a very limited role in funfairs, its only brief being to accept notification of these events and to ensure that each piece of equipment had a valid safety certificate.
- Availability of Good Shepherd cemetery for parking when there are funerals in the adjoining parish cemetery. Paul Monahan advised that if the Council received adequate notice then the car cark at the Good Shepherd graveyard would be made available.
- Entrance to Ryan Park, Duleek via the Kavanagh development on Main Street, Duleek
- Dublin Belfast Maracycle event stopping in Duleek on 25 June 2011 exact route not yet known. Fiona Lawless said that the Council must be notified well in advance of these types of events to have enough time to check routes and carry out ant pothole repairs. There were so many of these cycle events happening now that there is a case for the same route to be used for all events.
- Provision of speed ramps in Abbeylands, Duleek. Jim Colwell advised there were no funds for this work.
- Provision of directional signs in Woodside, Bettystown. Fiona Lawless advised that Residents Associations should provide these.
- Provision of a cul de sac sign at Beacon View, Mornington.
- Grit on streets in Duleek provided during the spell of bad weather needs to be swept up and removed.
- Large fissure in the road outside the Post Office in Duleek.
- Provision of a footpath at the bridge on the Navan Road, Duleek to tie in with the existing footpath and that if necessary a CPO should be prepared on the land needed to provide the footpath. Jim Colwell agreed that a footpath was needed at this location and the Council would consider a CPO on the land.
- Grass cutting on the Mound at the eastern approach to Duleek. Jim Colwell said he hoped to appoint a contractor shortly to carry out these works but he had to ensure that all H. & S. requirements are met. H. & S. impacts heavily on all Council works in respect of time and expense, and he had to comply with all statutory obligations.
- Cllr. Cudden indicated that he observed H. & S. infringements by a contractor repairing a watermain on the L-1610 School Road, Duleek recently and requested a report on this matter. Jim Colwell said that as Area Engineer he had to ensure that the Council observed all H. & S. regulations and this combined with his limited manpower meant he had to plan works in a systematic fashion to get the best value for money. He could not move resources from one job to another without incurring huge disruption and additional expense to the Council. Currently the Roadworks Programme took priority and when it was finished he would concentrated on other issues.
- Queried the starting date for work on Meades Road. Jim Colwell said it would start within the next 3/4 weeks.
- Cllrs. Dillon-Gallagher and Harding received a phone call in relation to a meeting on Bru na Boinne rather than a written invitation. They requested clarification on the number and composition of committees in relation to Bru na Boinne and their role in this matter. Fiona Lawless agreed this was unsatisfactory and would report back.
- Cllr. Dillon-Gallagher proposed that the cowplot at Lobinstown, which the Members recommended be sold and the proceeds ringfenced for improvement works to Lobinstown, should be done through an auctioneer. The Members agreed to this. Paul Monahan will get quotations on the proposal and update the Members at the May meeting. Fiona Lawless said a report on cowplots in Meath was being prepared and would in due course be presented to the Full Council.
- Provision of double yellow lines on the road in the vicinity of Alverno House, Laytown as indiscriminate parking was preventing people accessing their properties. Jim Colwell advised he would look at this later in the year. In addition, he would investigate the possibility of repairing and extending the existing car park in Laytown. Paul Monahan advised that the Gardai could take action where motorists are blocking entrances, obstructing the roadway, or parking on footpaths.
- Crook Road entrance to dunes at Mornington. This is in the main privately owned land but the Council would investigate the matter and see what could be done.
- Update on Alverno, Laytown remedial works scheme. Fiona Lawless advised that the Council’s Capital allocation had gone from €36m in 2010 to €6m this year and this would have a very significant impact on Capital works this year. She will arrange an update on Alverno for the next meeting.
4.0 Report on the 2011 Roadworks Programme
The Members received, noted a report on the above, and raised the following queries:
- Allocation of Council Estates budget. Jim Colwell said that this budget would be used in pothole repairs later in the year. He proposed to move the funding from the L-1610-9/24 Gaulstown Road, Duleek to the L-1600-28 McGruders Cross to Rossnaree and L-16002-1 Fennor to Rossnaree as the School Road needed an overlay not just surface dressing and he proposed to do this next year. The Members agreed to this. He advised there would be road closures on the Mullaghfin Road in June/July and after that in Duleek to facilitate the laying of a watermain.
- Presentation by Stamullen Action Group at the April meeting. Fiona Lawless said this is an active local group and the Council would like to help them in enhancing the village and environs. The Council will report at a future meeting on proposals for Stamullen.
- Ardcath to Stamullen Road badly potholed.
5.0 Report on Matters raised at the March 2011 meeting
The Members received, noted a report on the above, and raised the following queries:
- Pothole repairs on various roads. Jim Colwell clarified roads done to date.
- Parking issue at St. Marys, Donore. Paul Monahan will provide update at the May meeting.
- Lack of directional signage and tourism signs for Slane on the M1. Paul Monahan will write to the NRA on this.
- Date for proposed works by Louth County Council on the N51. Jim Colwell said he had spoken to Louth Co .Co. on this and there was no start date yet for these works. He would update the Members in due course.
- Provision of signage advertising the Boyne Valley route on the M1. Jim Colwell said that all signs were upgraded on the M1 in the last 2 years.
6.0 Report on Planning Enforcement
The Members received and noted a report on this issue.
7.0 Disposal of lands at the following locations:
7.1 Courthouse, Duleek.
Paul Monahan circulated a report and map on this matter.
On the proposal of Cllr. Cudden seconded by Cllr. O’Neill, the Members recommended the disposal of lands as outlined in the circulated documents to the Full Council.
7.2 Wheatfield, Slane
Paul Monahan circulated a report and map on this matter.
On the proposal of Cllr. Harding seconded by Cllr. Dillon-Gallagher, the Members recommended the disposal of lands as outlined in the circulated documents to the Full Council
8.0 Correspondence / Items raised
8.1 Update on Slane Area projects
Paul Monahan circulated a report, which was given to Deputy Gerry Adams during a recent briefing with the Louth TD. Fiona Lawless said that Meath County Council had an arrangement in place to brief the Louth TDs as part of the Louth constituency includes a large portion of East Meath.
8.2 Casual Trading
Paul Monahan advised that the Environment S.P.C. was considering a review of the Meath County Council Casual Trading Bye-Laws 1997 and welcomed submissions on the matter, which would inform the review. Currently the only Casual Trading location in the Slane Area is Laytown Bettystown beach, which has 6 no. pitches. He proposed increasing this to 8 as there has been a steady increase in applications and the beach could sustain 2 more traders. The Members agreed to this. In addition, he circulated a map showing a proposed location for one or at most two trading pitches to the rear of the Courthouse, Duleek. At the suggestion of Cllr. Cudden and with the Members agreement, the Chairman adjourned the meeting at 11.40 so that the Members and Officials could view the proposed location.
The meeting reconvened at 12.00. The Members argued that the original location was not viable and suggested an area at the front of the Courthouse. Jim Colwell advised that in its present state he would not recommend a casual trading pitch at this location on traffic safety grounds. However, he advised that he intended to bring a Part 8 proposal on the Village Green before the Members shortly and it may be possible to introduce casual trading at the Courthouse following this. In the meantime, the recommendation to increase the number of spaces on the beach from 6 to 8 would be forwarded to Environment.
9.0 To discuss Matters in accordance with the recommendations of the Protocol Committee
Nothing raised.
There being no further business the meeting ended at 12.15
Minutes April 2011 meeting 200411 Page 1 of 5
Meath County Council, Duleek One Stop Shop, Main Street, Duleek, County Meath