Derry City and Strabane District Council Report of Community Information Event Held In

Derry City and Strabane District Council
Report of Community Information Event held in Killeter Community Centre on Wednesday 4th Jan2015 at 7pm.

IN ATTENDANCE

MARGARET DOLAN

M.KEARNEY

BEARNARD MOSS

PATRICK J O DONNELL

ROBERT LOGUE

G.MONTGOMERY

BILLY MC GRATH

GORDON SPEAR

CLLR D HUSSEY

GERARD BYRNE

CLLR K MC GUIRE

EAMON DOLAN

CHARLIE MOSS

CHESTER ROULSTON

JAY MOSS

WILLIE JOHN DOLAN

HELEN MC LAUGHLIN

TERESA MC MENAMIN

ALEX FALLS

MARGARET HUMPHREY

PATSY CONNOLLY

PATRICK LOGUE

Section 1.Record of comments and questions from those in attendance following presentations and during discussions:

1Table Discussion. Focusing on what you have heard about Community Planning: what are you looking forward to about it?

Improved working with statutory partners EG; GP referrals, PSNI relationships.
Investment for improved services EG; Broadband and phone coverage. Schools and businesses affected.
Concerns over development of windfarms being addressed.
Concerns in decline of school numbers resulting in closures being addressed.
Urban and rural equality IE; Rural bus routes and extended number of roads being salted and treatment available.
More flexibility of planning in rural communities.
Quicker decision making and delivery of results.

2Questions for feedback.

Planning ; Planning needs to recognise the needs of rural people as under DOE rural communities have been depopulated due to draconian planning policy,
Mobile and Broadband ; Mobile and broadband is essential in rural areas for business, schoolchildren and the farming community.
As there are a larger percentage of elected members from Derry, how will that affect us? Will they be sympathetic to the needs of rural areas coming from an urban one?
More collaboration between health boards EG; GP referrals to improve health by use of health and fitness facilities. Without a GP referral affordability to use the services is an issue and Strabane is too far to go IE 22 miles round trip.
How will the Council communicate better with those in rural areas?

2.1.Further questions regarding Planning.

Will it be easier to get planning from the new Council?
Where planning has been turned down, will it be looked at again?
Are you trying to merge into same system as ROI regarding planning including appeals?
If we don’t get planning there won’t be a primary school.
Young people have moved out of Aghyaran as they are not given planning permission to build.
. Education Issues.

If there is no industryto sustain the community then there will be no school.
CCMS needs to be involved in the community planning process.
What is going to be done about children with special needs?
There has always been help from SDC regarding Knockavoe.
In Derry they have amenities on their doorstep. Here so many children did not get to school as roads where not salted.

2.3.Relationship with Donegal Council

. Do you liase with DCC? Now over shadowed by wind turbines in Donegal.

. We should be made aware of meetings between DCSDC Cllrs and Donegal Cllrs as we need security and transparency.

. Not aware of cross border links between PSNI and Garda.

2.4. Further Questions

. Who does the Local Community lobby to get their points across?

. It is abig task to get through to certain sections of the community and for them to get involved, asection of the community that is not here tonight.

. Will people come out to meet the community? The onus is completely on the Cllrs.

. What is the time scale for issues to be taken on board?

. How can Derry people empathise with us? 12 Cllrs from SDC and 28 from DCC.

. Will there be an increase in rates?

. Some people distract due to joining with Derry as Omagh was deemed the natural town.

. Noted that it is sad that the PSNI is not going to be in Castlederg on a Tuesday and Friday anymore.