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DCRA Meeting Minutes - May 9, 2000

Go directly here for Oliver Brookes statement.

Councillors present : Mary Bergin ,FG, Dunboyne, Colm Tormey, FF , Ashbourne, Oliver Brooks, FF, Dunshauglin, Nick Killian , FF, Ratoath, John Fanning, FG, Ashbourne.

The meeting had a large attendance representative of the various residents’ Associations in the Dunboyne area.

Mr. Jim McGrath , Chairman, opened the meeting by welcoming everybody. He told the meeting that the DCRA represented 16 Residents’ Associations of 1345 houses with a population in excess of 5000 people which represents 80% of the population of Dunboyne.

The chairman referred to 2 documents produced by DCRA as inputs to the Meath County Council Development Plan:

1. Towards a Dunboyne Development Plan 2000
2. Tree Survey.

The chairman made reference to the statement of the Minister for the Environment, Mr. Noel Dempsey T.D, with regard to the Strategic Planning Guidelines for the Greater Dublin Area –

"I intend immediately to formally request each authority to ensure that their plans are fully in line with the strategy".

Items discussed:

1. The chairman outlined the work underway in the village centre.
2. Dunboyne Ring Road. The councillors confirmed that the construction of the Dunboyne Ring Road would be contemporaneous with the construction of the Dunshaughlin By-pass. The National Roads Authority would be funding the Dunboyne Ring Road as far as Newtown Bridge on the Summerhill Road. The County Council is negotiating for the funding for the remainder of the Ring Road to the Maynooth road. The Councillors indicated that the date for the commencement of the Dunboyne Ring Road is 2001. The Dunshaughlin By-pass would be a dual carriageway, the Dunboyne Ring Road would be a single carriageway.
3. Heavy Traffic through Dunboyne. As mentioned at previous meetings, the level of HGVs(Heavy Goods vehicles) through Dunboyne was emphasised as a major concern for people who live in the Dunboyne area. The classification/grading of the road was questioned. The councillors stated that there was no way the grading of the road could be changed. It was pointed out to the councillors that this was not the case, based on good authority. A number of examples of such re-grading were given. Councillor Mary Bergin gave an undertaking to further investigate the situation and to report back.

Meath County Council Draft Development Plan 2000. Specific Development Objectives - Discussion.

Ref. DB1 - ( Dunboyne Village Centre) - Accepted

DB2 – Inappropriate use of buildings – Accepted

DB3 - Ring Road for Dunboyne – Accepted

DB4 - Traffic Management through the village - Accepted

DB5 - Future of the Water Tower - The view was expressed that the tower potentially served a purpose as it had recently been used when the main supply was turned off temporarily.

DB6 - Preservation of the permanent way of the old Railway line for possible future rapid transit services.

There was a thorough discussion on the implications of a railway line through Dunboyne and the consequent housing development that might follow. Councillor Killian said that there was an indication from a report commissioned by C.I.E. that Dunboyne should have a rail link. The report should be available in about 4 weeks time. It was pointed out at the meeting that a C.I.E report had no particular weight.

Views and comments :

1. A dart-like service would be essential.
2. A train coming from Navan would be full long before it reached Dunboyne and that it would be farcical to allow development on the basis of there being a railway going through Dunboyne.
3. The cost of a railway would be enormous and it is likely to take from 10 to 20 years before it would become a reality.
4. It is accepted that if development comes before the railway, people will have already chosen to go by car and people will not use public transport.
5. The possibility of a railway should not be used as a justification for building houses in a Green Belt.
6. No new railway lines have been laid down in the State since the late 1890s.

Councillor Bergin said that Dunboyne has lost an extra bus because of non-use. She was reminded that this was precisely the problem when bringing housing development before the proper infrastructure was in place.

The meeting then addressed the issue of the retention of the Green Belt from the railway line to Clonee.

It was decided to take items DB6 and DB16 ( Retention of the Green Belt from the railway line to Clonee). This topic gave rise to intense discussion and substantial disagreement between DCRA and the councillors.

The councillors were asked if there was any situation in which they would refuse to protect the green belt i.e. all the land east of the railway to Clonee.

Individual responses to re-zoning of land east of railway bridge.

Councillor Nick Killian said he had learned since he became a councillor that local families would need houses. He was approached by someone with a view to zoning part of the land east of the railway. When pressed, councillor Killian said that Sean Boylan had approached him about it and he (Councillor Killian) had replied that he was favourably disposed to rezoning at least part of Sean Boylan’s land. He also said that the councillors would be looking at zoning proposals before October and that we were in a vacuum at the moment as not all zoning submissions were in.

Councillor Oliver Brooks said it was the planners who put the zoning east of the railway into the plan .

A question from the floor enquired if any of the councillors had proposed the re-zoning of Sean Boylan’s land. All emphatically denied that any such proposal was made by them. The questioner provided a second opportunity for the councillors to address the question – to which the councillors again responded that no such proposal had been made by them. At that point an official minute of a meeting of the Dunshaughlin Area, held in Dunshaughlin Library on the 28^th February 2000, was read out. The minute read as follows : "Councillor O. Brooks proposed the zoning of Sean Boylan’s land for residential. Following a discussion on the future development of Dunboyne, it was agreed to identify lands east of the railway line for mixed use development and that this line should extend to the River Tolka. The future development of these lands would be subject to consultation with C.I.E. and Fingal County Council." When challenged, Councillor Brooks was somewhat ambiguous in his responses. (The minutes from the particular meeting in Dunshaughlin do not indicate any dissension from any of the other councillors present that night .

At that meeting in Dunshaughlin were : Councillors J. Fanning, B. Fitzgerald, C. Tormey, O.Brookes, M.Bergin, N.Killian.

Also present were the following officials: D McLoughlin, Area Manager, J Fahy Senior Engineer, N.McDonnell, Assistant Planner, D. Foley, Administrative Officer, Planning.

Councillor Tormey. When questioned as to how they could justify such a re-zoning, Councillor Tormey said he would support the zoning of Sean Boylan’s land because Sean had done such a lot for Meath in the last 18 years. When asked about the Green Belt his response was there would be a Green Belt.

Councillor Bergin. said that she was not quite sure of what constituted the Green Belt at the time she had given the commitment 12 months ago. As Dunboyne extended 5 to 6 miles outwards, she would have to take all views on board. She also questioned where the Green Belt came from vis-à-vis previous zoning decisions. This point was clarified straightaway for her by reference to available documentation. It was her contention that if previous zonings had not taken place, many of the people present at the meeting would not be living in Dunboyne. The meeting objected strongly to the tone and implication of that remark.

She would take back all the views expressed at the meeting to the Planners.

Councillor Fanning.

He said that Dunboyne would have to take its share of the pain of meeting housing needs.

Conclusion of rezoning discussion.

None of the councillors were prepared to give an undertaking to preserve the Green Belt . It was pointed out that at a meeting in Dunboyne Community Centre on the 20/5/1999, prior to the local elections, all candidates present on that night had given an unequivocal undertaking that they would preserve the Green Belt ( from the Railway line to Clonee).

Approaches to councillors

The councillors were asked if they had been approached by developers.

Councillor Brooks said he was shown a plan by Connaughton.

Councillor Mary Bergin said she was approached by a number of builders but had given no commitment to any of them.

Councillor Tormey said he had given no commitment to any builder.

Dunboyne Castle. Councillor Brooks said that there is currently no new submission regarding Dunboyne Castle.

The formal meeting with the Councillors then concluded.

Update: 28 April, 2000

Just under £300,000 is now available for work to begin in the centre of the village.

• There will be a new layout
• Ooverhead telephone and electrical wiring will be ducted underground
• New street lighting will be intalled
• Street furniture will be added
• Trees planted
• Footpaths will be reconstructed
• Paved crossings will be laid out
• Traffic lights will be installed.

Work has been put out to tender and should begin shortly.