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For the third successive year the Meath Greens are organising an environmental awareness day or "Eco Day, which is the title for the event this year," which will be held in Dunboyne.It is an attempt to promote the environment in a positive way by looking at some of the measures we all can engage in to help reduce our dependency culture.It is also an opportunity for us to appreciate that we share the environment with other creatures and that the policies currently being pursued are impacting adversely on and indeed are destroying many species of wildlife and their natural habitat.It should be remembered that Meath is the most car reliant county in the Country, and that we must face up to a very uncertain future in terms of energy resources, by planning now and by embracing clean alternatives both at national and local level.

Dunboyne was chosen this year because of the serious environmental difficulties it continues to experience.The traffic nightmare continues apace with the subsequent Safety implications for pedestrians, and indeed all road users.

As part of Eco Day we are asking people who might like to attend the event, to leave the car at home.So for four hours on the 12th of Sept. we are advocating that people from Dunboyne lead the way in this imitative by walking or cycling to the event.If you must use the car we ask that you park on the outskirts of town and walk the rest of the way.The venue is the old National school., on Main St which is also wheelchair accessible..If people are visiting from outside Dunboyne, again we ask that you park the car on the outskirts of the town and walk.We sincerely hope that this imitative will be the incentive that people in the area in particular will seize upon in order to show to all that Dunboyne can be a vibrant and people orientated town, safe for pedestrians and where cars and trucks do not hold sway.

We will have demonstrations on how to grow Organic vegetables, cooking Organic produce, and composting. Of interest for children will be the attendance of people from "The Seal Sanctuary" and the " Bat Group". who will give a talk and demonstration on their particular spheres of interest, and lots more, so lots of fun to be had.

The hope is that Dunboyne can be car-free for four hours on the 12th of September next. A small step , but one in the right direction.Your support is needed in order to make the day a success.
Date.12th.Sep.04.[Sun]
Venue.Old National School, Main St.Dunboyne.
Time.1-5.p.m.

Sec.Antóin Ó Lochraigh.
Meath Greens. Fón.086-3944589

In 2003 Dunboyne Community spent more than 8,000 Euro to be involved in the democratic process of planning by way of making observations on and lodging objections in respect of planning applications. In respect of Thorntons recent application for a Materials Recovery Facility for Dunboyne our community has paid participation/planning fees of 4,780 Euro to exercise its rightful democratic role. During 2003 Meath County Council received 19,710 Euro in submissions & observations fees.

Dunboyne Combined Residents Association (DCRA) wrote to Mr. Martin Cullen, T.D., Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government asking that the practice of demanding participation/planning fees be ended. (To view Letter)DCRA drew the Minister's attention to critical aspects of the EU Commission's Reasoned Opinion delivered on 21.01.03, which invited Ireland to take the necessary measures to comply by abolishing participation fees. The Department made a response to European Commission asserting that the imposition of a 20Euro participation fee was not in conflict with the provisions of the relevant EU Directive. Minister Cullen, according to his reply to DCRA, "…has no plans to amend the relevant Regulations…".

The case against Ireland for imposing a 'participation fee' in the planning process is now to proceed to the European Court of Justice.

The case alleges that Ireland has failed to make adequate provision to foster and encourage public participation in the environmental impact assessment process and in fact has actively discouraged such public participation by requiring the payment of a fee, which is contrary to the scheme and purpose of the relevant EU Directive.

The Friends of the Irish Environment earlier this year launched a legal challenge in the Irish Courts on this issue.

Meath County Council has rejected Thorntons Waste Ltd an application to increase the waste processing tonnage from 5,000 to 50,000 at his Dunboyne Facility.

There were 239 observations/objections submitted to Meath County Council at a cost of 20Euro each making a total cost to our community of 4,780Euro. It has been reported that Thorntons will make an appeal to An Bord Pleanala. Dunboyne Combined Residents Association(DCRA), all affiliated Residents Associations and residents need to be vigilant and be prepared to continue to oppose this application as damaging to the commercial life of the village, the environment and the quality of life of residents of Dunboyne.

DCRA thanks to all who worked to have this application rejected and is determined to continue its campaign of opposition.

ALMOST overwhelming opposition locally has greeted the decision of An Bord Pleanala to give the green light to Menolly Homes for a huge new residential and commercial development at Dunboyne Castle that will eventually see the construction of 564 new houses on 45 acres, in addition to a 121-bedroom hotel. Controversially, as has happened in other cases in Meath in the recent past, the board's decision flew in the face of a recommendation by the board's own planning inspector to give the project the thumbs down.
The Dunboyne Castle development is controversial on a number of fronts and goes to the very heart of the development debate in Meath. However, it is contentious not least because Dunboyne has suffered greatly in the past from serious flooding as a result of the Tolka and Castle Rivers bursting their banks after heavy rainfall. Flood alleviation works have been carried out in the area since the last major flood two years ago but there are concerns that large-scale new developments could negate the remedial effects which have been carried out on the rivers to date.
While the Dunboyne Combined Residents' Association (DCRA) supports the development of the hotel and amenity centre, local residents affected by the flooding in 1986, 2000 and 2002 are as concerned now as ever that further significant development in the area will only add to the risk of their homes being flooded again, the Bord Pleanala oral hearing into the development project heard earlier this year. They feel no further major development should take place in Dunboyne - at the very least until the flood alleviation works are complete.
A major part of the problem in Dunboyne is that the housing estates affected by the floodwaters were built on the natural floodplain of the local river. Tens of thousands of tons of concrete have now been poured onto this natural floodplain, so the surrounding land is no longer able to absorb high water levels when the river is in flood, and flooding of homes can occur as a result. Future development in the form of thousands of tons of more concrete can only exacerbate the situation.
In the UK, flooding experts are now turning back to nature to manage floods after decades of trying to combat rising waters with concrete and steel. It is also increasingly expensive to built defences as floods are exacerbated by development on floodplains. However, Britain's Environment Agency is now seeking out parks and fields near rivers and estuaries to use as floodplains, as nature intended, to both store millions of litres of water as times of severe rainfall, and thus protecting shops and businesses.
Development over preservation is also at the centre of the debate about what is happening in Dunboyne. Indeed, the Dunboyne Castle saga is in itself a microcosm, or miniature representation, of what has been happening in Meath generally over the last decade and more as pressure to construct even more houses in formerly rural green areas intensify. The DCRA believes that, in addition to the threat posed by the potential for increased flooding, this development will also increase traffic congestion in an already congested region and lead to a deterioration in the quality of life for local residents, all arguments that could be applied to a number of areas of Co. Meath.
Getting the balance right in a rapidly expanding county like Meath is not easy, but one thing planners and developers and all others involved in this area must do is create self-sustaining towns that can stand on their own two feet to support their residents - and that means providing the economic and social infrastructure in tandem with all the houses, rather than turning once small urban centres like Dunboyne into pure commuter towns where a sense of a vibrant community spirit can be lacking. It also means more emphasis on amenities like parks and playgrounds for children which developers should be forced to provide or at least make a significant contribution to.
South Meath, in particular, has been losing its natural environment to urban sprawl. Now another potentially great natural amenity area in Dunboyne Castle is about to go under the JCB's bucket to make room for hundreds of new homes, putting ever more pressure on the area's services. Sadly, it appears open spaces and facilities for local communities can only ever come second to the multiples of millions of euro that stand to be made from the rezoning of land and construction of massive new housing estates.

1. Phillip Green, Inspectorate, who chaired the two day oral hearing on this planning application, concluded: "The proposed development would, therefore, be contrary to the proper planning and sustainable development of the area."

2. The decision of An Bord Pleanala was not unanimous. They voted 6 for and 3 against.

3. The residents of Dunboyne have on the basis of these two points, been fully justified in making their appeal to An Bord Pleanala.

4. Condition number 5 requires that Phase One of the development requires the conversion and extension of Dunboyne Castle as a hotel and leisure complex. DCRA never opposed this development and are pleased that it has been given priority in this phased development.

5. Phase Two of the development refers to the "...provision of playing fields laid out and made available..." DCRA strongly argued that this provision be assured.

6. DCRA regrets that An Gaelschoil has not been specifically mentioned as a condition. It needs to be clarified whether is comes under "child care facilities" to be provided.

7. DCRA is pleased that there is an opportunity to further discuss the entry/exit on to the Rooske Road.

8. It is too early to provide a critical appraisal of An Bord Pleanala's decision and its rejection of the Inspector's recommendation.

9. DCRA is disappointed with the decision of An Bord Pleanala. DCRA is pleased with a number of conditions proposed.

10. This planning appeal, like many other planning appeals made by DCRA, bring about conditions that improve developments in Dunboyne area.

Amatsu, the five-thousand-year old Japanese therapy, comes to Dunboyne Library on 23 June at 11am.

Qualified local Amatsu practitioner, Carol Douglas will be talking about the history and principles of Amatsu massage and giving a hands-on demonstration.

Lest anybody be under the illusion that the Thornton facility at Kilbreena, Dunboyne, does not represent any real cause for concern, it might be of interest to hear what was said on LM/FM Wednesday 26th May 2004.
In the course of a discussion between various Ashbourne-based candidates, one of the outgoing County Councillors seeking re-election, John Fanning, in the context of waste management, made the following statement:
"I want that civic amenity to be defined and designed by the County council, not by a developer involved in waste management under any.. / a private waste management person because we see what's happening in Dunboyne- a facility which was granted a license for 5,000 tons per annum, the operator is now in for a license for 50,000 tons - and they are taking the type of waste there - not civic amenity-type waste, - not domestic waste -it's building rubble and that sort of thing - it's a transfer station" Mr. Fanning finished with the statement that " that's not what we want in Ashbourne!!".

Maria Murphy of Dunboyne, Independent candidate for next month's Local Elections, was alert and active with this issue on behalf of the Dunboyne residents from the beginning.

1. The Integrated Area Action Plan for lands East & of the old Railway is available for public consultation. A copy is on display in the (new) Dunboyne Library and the Internet

2. The Strategic Planning Guidelines for the Greater Dublin Area are being reviewed. The name is now changed to Regional Planning Guidelines and a draft of this document in now available on www.rpg.ie

3. The Final Report on the Tolka & Castle River flooding entitled "River Tolka Flooding Study" is available in the library in Dunboyne.

Residents, Residents Associations and community organization are invited to make submissions on the above. DCRA will be making a submission on each of the above. Should you wish to have your ideas included in the DCRA submission please email us by clicking on the margin of this page. Please email us by 01.03.04.

Membership is open to anyone living or working in the county. An application form must be filled out and accompanied by some form of identification, which gives your current address. Photo I.D. is also required.
Children under 15 years will require a guarantor.
There is no fee to join the library. However, fines are charged on overdue books. Fines are charged on overdue items at a rate of 30c per item, per week or part of a week.
Reminders will be posted to you should your books become overdue.
Adult members may borrow up to 4 items while Junior members may borrow up to 2 items.
The loan period is 2 weeks. You may renew your books by phone, or in person at the library. It is not possible to renew books that have been requested by another reader, once the normal 2-week loan period has elapsed.
Items out on loan to other library members can be reserved at the library desk.
Any items that are lost or damaged while on loan must be paid for or replaced.

· Access to over 350,000 books and audio-visual materials for adults and children
· Reference Collection. Books in this collection may only be used on the library premises.
· Local Studies Collection. Contact Meath County Library at 046 9021134 for further assistance.
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· Exhibition Space for Lectures, Art Exhibitions etc..
· Daily and Weekly Newspapers for reading in the library
· Selection of Magazines for borrowing
· Free Internet and e-mail Access for Adults and Children. Due to demand, use of the Internet is restricted to 30 minutes per day per user. All users must sign an Internet Agreement Form at the library desk prior to using the facilities for the first time. All users must sign the log-in sheet at the desk before using the Internet at each visit.
· Teenscene- Young Adult Section for 12-16 year olds.
· Comfortable Seating
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· Printing Facilities. Black and White A4 pages cost 10c.
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· OPAC (Online Public Access Catalogue). The library catalogues of our computerised branches may be searched by author, title, keyword or subject.
· Class/Group Visits always welcome.
· Requests. You can request items that are out on loan to other library users. You will be contacted when they become available.
· Special Requests. Items that are not available in the library may be purchased or borrowed from other libraries, either locally, nationally or abroad. A fee is charged for items borrowed from libraries outside of Meath.
· Study Area. We cannot guarantee a quiet environment due to the active busy nature of the modern library.

Your library card is valid in any of the libraries in Meath County Library Service.
Always remember that the staff of the library service is there to help. If you cannot find something or just want some help or advice on where to look for what you need, please ask us. We will do our best to assist you.

Dunboyne Community Services Facility,
Rooske Road,
Dunboyne,
Co. Meath
Phone: 01 8251248

A branch of Comhaltas Ceoltoiri Eireann has been formed in Dunboyne. Approximately 70 children attend music classes in the Primary School every Tuesday evening under the guidance of Catriona and Siobhan.

For info. Contact Chairperson Pearse Warfield( 087/2922261), Secretary Teresa Dunne (8252298) or Carol-Anne Milner(8252221)

To: Dunboyne Combined Residents Association
From: Electricity Supply Board
Date: 15.01.04

On behalf of ESB I apologise for the power failures over the past 6 months and the resulting inconvenience caused. The service interruptions were caused by a diverse array of events including lightning, damage caused by 3rd parties, timber fouling overhead lines, damaged insulators and underground cables.

While every effort is made to provide a reliable service, ESB, in common with other utilities cannot guarantee a continuous service, this is largely due to the exposed nature of the overhead network vulnerable to elements beyond our control. That said, I fully accept that the frequency of supply interruptions has been unusually high recently.

The entire network surrounding Dunboyne/Leixlip has been patrolled, and all defects identified are being repaired at present including a large amount of timber interfering with overhead lines.

We are also in the process of building a new line from our Transmission Station near IBM in Mulhuddart which will feed the rural areas around Dunboyne and allow us to transfer the main parts of Dunboyne onto a more secure line from Maynooth. Work has been ongoing on this line since October 03 and will be completed by the end Feb 2004.

I am confident that this will greatly improve supply continuity and look forward to providing a much enhanced quality supply in the future.
Yours faithfully
Gearoid Quinn - Operations Manager

The ESB expends a lot of energy and expense projecting the public image of a provider of a quality service according to their Customer Charter. It is not a cost effective exercise when their performance fails to measure up. A third world performance shatters confidence in this essential public service.

There have been repeated power outages in the Dunboyne area. It is about time that the presumably technical problems causing these outages are addressed and dealt with. Has the ESB any idea what the breaking of their contract with our residents means socially and commercially. Disruption to heating, cooking, lighting on the domestic front causes distress not to mention the financial loss. There are also health related issues.

The residents of Dunboyne expect an apology from the ESB and it should address four points:

· Provide transparent information about the cause of the disruption to the service and why it happened.
· Secondly, to tell our residents what critical steps will be undertaken by the ESB to ensure that we do not continue to experience these, now regular, power failures into the future.
· To compensate residents for this disruption - this should be evidenced in their next ESB bill.
· When power failures occur to ensure that when people contact the ESB they get
some indication of when power will be restored.

At the most important time of the year the ESB failed to provide this absolutely essential service. The ESB has a monopoly in the market so the residents of Dunboyne have no choice but to put up with this dismal and unacceptable service.

Ciaran Mangan, County Librarian has informed DCRA that the new library in Dunboyne will open on the 12th of January 2004. It will open 43 hours per week. Three new staff members in addition to the existing part time staff member will work in the new library.

The library can now open with professional staff for the first time and provide better and longer opening hours to the public. It will be managed by a qualified professional librarian, Tom French.

The delays in the recruitment of staff to complete the staff structure for the whole county has delayed the move.

DCRA welcomes the location of the library in the newly built premises. It is hoped that it will become truly a "centre of attraction" for residents of all ages.

Recently a pre-feasibility study on the Dublin to Navan Rail Line was presented to Meath County Council. It reported that to have a feasibility study done on the line would cost €1 million. A feasibility study of a spur line from Clonsila to Dunboyne was estimated at €300,000.

The estimated cost of reopening the line to Navan was put at €408 million. The report recommends that initially a study of the Clonsila to Dunboyne line be undertaken and that a Steering Group should be set up.

Meath County Council are currently seeking to establish a steering committee to progress the issue of the required feasibility studies and their funding. It is expected that tenders for the studies will be advertised in due course once their brief(s) have been determined..

Fingal County Council gave permission to build 1,900 houses near Blanchardstown but An Bord Pleanala has ruled that the plan fails to provide for a new spur rail line between Clonsila and Dunboyne.

The plan also failed because it did not lay down "timely delivery" of "fundamentals" such as bus transport, roads,schools,community facilities and open spaces.

A heavy pall of fear lies layered on people with knowledge of secretive and corrupt behaviour in planning. They are fearful of the implications of legislation and libel laws that seem to favour and abet corruption. They do not understand why they should be expected to take the initiative to expose the corrupt. They do not understand why the guilty are not prosecuted. The people affected by corruption in planning and indeed all taxpayers will get some hope and assurance from recent events.

The culture of silence protected George Redmond for years. This first successful prosecution of corruption in planning is of historical and significant importance. The Garda investigation into property deals involving Navan Urban District Council, Meath County Council and a company co-owned by a brother of the Minister for Education, Mr. Dempsey is a second example of how such matters should be dealt with.

There are many rumours locally of planning corruption. To-date the culture of silence has protected those who may be guilty. Perhaps the "fearful" may be encouraged to share their information with others who may be able to do something about what they know or maybe which they have experienced.

The question asked in our recent Poll was: Do you object or agree with the development of 564 housing units in Dunboyne Castle grounds?

By 29.10.03, 578 people had voted voted. 97% objected to the development and 3% agreed to the development.

On 30.10.03 the Poll was sabotaged and large numbers of votes were lodged, over a very brief time, in favour of the development. The Poll had to be closed. The matter is being investigated.

1. Rooske Road: For the week from 28th October to 4th November Rooske Road bridge will be closed except for pedestrian traffic. Work on the laying of a box-culvert will be carried out.

2. Clonee: The construction of a wall between the Clonee By-pass and McDonnell's Pub is near completion. Work on the culvert under the road near the Mill House has been constructed.

3. Between Dunboyne & Clonee: The Office of Public Works is building embankments to contain river flooding, to protect properties and the road from future flooding.

4. Old Railway Culvert between Larchfield and Sean Boyland's: The bridge has been underpinned and the culvert doubled in capacity.

5. The Castle River channel from Green's Sawmills to the bridge on the Maynooth Road is to be deepened and widened.

Approval has been granted by Meath County Council for the development of Dunboyne Castle Demesne. We have kept you informed of all details in respect of this development from the time that the County Councillors of the Dunshaughlin Electoral Area went against the majority of residents in Dunboyne and rezoned the Dunboyne Castle Demesne for development.

We thank all thirty-six organisations and individuals that registered objections to this development. DCRA has now decided to appeal to An Bord Pleanala and has appointed a Consultant to present our case.

1. Before the last election Brian Fitzgerald had stated his priorities in his election leaflet.
Among them was : "To ensure that Dunboyne Castle and its lands remain zoned as 'special zoning and not changed to residential' ".
Councillor Fitzgerald's memory subsequently proved to be very short indeed. When it came to voting to rezone Dunboyne Castle and lands, despite his commitment, he enthusiastically voted to zone the land for residential, precisely the opposite to what he advocated in his pre-election literature!
We have to conclude that, in the intervening time, he had obviously undergone a conversion of Pauline dimensions and is now a devoted apostle for the development of the Castle grounds - precisely the opposite to his pre-election promises.
2. It is acknowledged that work is proceeding on the Castle river and everybody in the Dunboyne area hopes it will be very effective. Nobody in Dunboyne, whether they were flooded or not, wants to see anybody suffer the trauma that our neighbours suffered in 2000 and 2002. Notwithstanding this, it is highly irresponsible for any county councillor to support any development with potentially high flood risk, without being able to stand over the effectiveness or otherwise of the current work being carried out for flood prevention.
3. Brian Fitzgerald confirmed that Dunboyne is historically prone to flooding with remarks such as "Dunboyne was always being flooded, year in year out". Yet, without a hint of embarrassment or consideration, he advocates even more development in a flood plain that has the potential to make what is already a very serious situation even worse.
4. Councillor Farrelly's remarks about making decisions and waiting until the next rainfall is trite, patronising and insulting to say the least. It shows how little concern or understanding he has for the situation in Dunboyne.
5. What should be understood is that this particular housing development is not based on any identifiable local need. What is proposed is purely for the normal commercial profit of a particular company , Menolly Homes. This company was reported in the Sunday Tribune Business supplement (05 October 2003) as having made a pre-tax profit of 27 million euros up to September 2002 - which represented an increase of 170% on the previous year. Obviously, for our local representatives, the continuation of such profit making for private companies has a much higher priority than the future safety of residents of the Dunboyne area.
Maybe such decisions are easier to make when you are not from the area, as is the case of Messrs. Fitzgerald and Farrelly.

1. A draft version of the Final Report on Flooding in the Tolka and Castle Rivers is with Local Authorites for consultation.
2. When this document is returned to the Dublin City Steering Group dealing with flooding a final report will be agreed. After this, further work on the report will follow on costings, contracts, etc.
3. No final date is set for when the public can have sight of this report.
4. Work being carried out as required by the Interim Report on flooding:
· OPW is currently carrying out work on embankments (bunding) at Loughsallagh.
· Work on a flood protection wall at Clonee has started.
· Work on a culvert at Mill House, Clonee will also begin shortly.
· Work on enlarging the culvert at Sean Boylan/Larchfield boundary is being carried out.
· Work on the cleaning, widening and deepening the Castle River channels will follow.
· Trees close to the Castle River bank must be removed. A promise of replanting has been given.
· It is expected that work will be completed by November.

5. To view DCRA's two submissions to Meath County Council on Flooding Go To and click on "flooding".
6. To view Meath County Council Flood Alleviation Measures based on the Interim Report

When the Government is asked for more money for any number of causes, for example, health and education, the expression 'value for money' is inevitably part of the response. Value for money is regularly invoked when justifying increases or cutbacks in State spending.

In this context, we should therefore examine one of those areas of Government expenditure that absorb significant amounts of tax-payers' hard-earned money. We pose the question - is the population getting value for the money it pays for the councillors' role in our system of local government?

An article quoted the figure of 285 councillors in this country made more than €40,000 in one year for what is only part-time work. Local politicians in rural areas cost the taxpayers more than €25,000,000 in 2002.

The Farmers Journal makes the point that the power of councillors has been circumscribed - the real power lies with the Minister for the Environment, Local Government and Heritage and the County Manager. The article in the FJ poses the question as to whether the system of local government should now be radically reviewed.

The Irish Farmers Journal of the 30 July 2003 carries an article entitled "What your County Councillors got in 2002"and gives a national listing. The Dunshaughlin Electoral Area is listed as follows:

· Oliver Brooks (FF) €39,693
· Conor Tormey.(FF) €36,439
· Nick Killian (FF) €34,488
· Mary Bergin (FG) €34,416
· Brian Fitzgerald (Ind) €34,167

·Earn approximately €12,500 per annum.
· On top of this they also received back pay of €15,000.
· In addition Councillors get another €4,500 in the form of a yearly allowance.
· All Councillors are entitled to a conference budget in many cases worth well over €5,000.
· A Councillor can become a Chairperson of one of up to five Policy Committees, which is worth €5,000 per year.
· Chairmanship of the County Council can earn the occupant up to €28,000 in a full year.
· Membership of a Regional Authority is worth several thousand Euro and in several cases Councillors received up to €8,000.
· Councillors have the opportunity to be on several other boards and this can bring in a further several thousand Euro.
· Membership of a Health Board can be the most lucrative nomination they can get, in some cases more than €20,000 has been received.
· Members of VEC boards also receive payment.

In 2002 the amount allocated to County Councillors to attend conferences was €73,644.92 making an average allocation per Councillor of €2,539.48.

Expenditure recorded on 16.12.02 for Dunshaughlin Electoral Area Councillors was:
Mary Bergin - €597.47
Oliver Brooks - €2,965.43
John Fanning - €3,066.53
Brian Fitzgerald - €0.00
Nick Killian - €2,533.12
Conor Tormey - €6,763.33
Total: €15,925.88

In addition to the above, eight Meath County Councillors attended St. Patrick's Day Festival last year in the USA at a cost of €13,780.16.

Each County Councillor selects and signs-up to attend a conference or an event. Prior approval is not required. A report from the conference is not required to be lodged with the County Council. Receipts of expenditure for attendance are not required. Is there not here a question of audit control and of accountability?

The Minister for the Environment has said that he will consider introducing legislation to ensure that no building development will allowed on flood plains. Minister Cullen said he was concerned at the zoning of land in flood risk areas. He promises to introduce legislation to force planning authorities to comply with planning guidelines in respect of developments in flood plains and areas at risk from flooding.

The recently published Environmental Protection Agency report strongly recommends that in future flooding risk must be included in planning decisions. Indeed it says that developments should not take place on sites at high risk from flooding. Lands adjacent to rivers should not be reclaimed for development.

Junior Minister Parlon has paid a second visit to Dunboyne recently. He expressed his "concern" for recent flooding. The work being carried out now on the Castle River will help "to alleviate" flooding in Dunboyne. DCRA has made known to his Department and Meath County Council that the remedial work being undertaken on the Castle River will not solve the problem of flooding in Dunboyne.

A final report on flooding in Dunboyne and Clonee from consultants is now being considered by Meath County Council. It is expected that major structural works will be required to ensure that Dunboyne becomes flood free. DCRA hopes that these works will begin by January 2004.

There have been a number of house breakin's in Dunboyne recently. Entry was gained through rear windows and rooms were ransacked while residents were asleep.

Madam - Frank McDonald's interview with the Minister for the Environment, Martin Cullen (May 6th) was both fascinating and disturbing. There are instances of contradictions, incorrect observations, evasiveness, unwillingness to act Ministerially, excuses for inaction and an invitation for local authorities, developers and the market to proceed with little restraint.

Because he has required that the Strategic Planning Guidelines for the Greater Dublin Area be rewritten, they are now discredited and cannot be a basis of appeal. They were the anchor and instrument of Government policy to which communities, local authorities and developers could refer and are now incorporated in the Planning Act 2000). They were produced with wide consultation and major public expense.

The Minister disagrees with the evidence, given under oath, in the High Court Judicial Review (McEvoy v Meath County Council). He is "going to develop planning guidelines and get housing out there " which amounts to a threat to further liberate housing development from policy constraints.

Minister Cullen, when questioned about planning issues, uses two routes for escape. The first is to say that planning is "not an absolute science" and neither is it an "exact science". So the conclusion must be that all planning policy is open to interpretation to suit the circumstances. The second route for escape is his fixation about acting as a dictator. This is his excuse for not acting as a Minister to drive policy and strategy decisively and effectively.

As Minister for the Environment, he has vested powers to ensure the implementation of policy but he is failing to exercise these powers. His choice. The Minister while refusing to act within the framework of current political realities promises to create new policy and to enforce them. It is very difficult to muster the trust that is called for here. In the light of this interview it is asking too much.

That there is no proper control of public policy in the field of planning and development is acknowledged. This interview is depressing in that it gives no hope for this to happen.

The Minister approves the creation of public awareness but there in no reference to the critical need, as per the Planning Act 2000, to consult communities and engage them in true partnership.

Asked what he would do when all his new policies are in place if local authorities and developers do not comply, he said: "Well then, I'll have to act - and I will act". But why wait? Act now.

The Minister said that in respect of waste issues he took decisive action because "some local authorities were not prepared to bite the bullet." They were not prepared to bite the bullet on planning issues either but he has not used his powers to action a decisive response.

The Minister and his Department are in danger of joining other Government departments such as Education, Health and Finance on the road to obfuscation and ineffectiveness.

Judy Osborne, Tony McEvoy and Jim McGrath
Kildare Meath Wicklow planning Alliance

It was reported in the Meath Chronicle on 19.04.03 that Councillor Nick Killian, Fianna Fail, described residents of Dunboyne who attended a meeting to which he was invited as "baying like wolves".
The meeting in question was held on 11.09.00 which was attended by 700 residents. Dunboyne Combined Residents Association (DCRA) holds a verbatim record of this meeting. The purpose of the meeting was to consider the proposed development of lands east of the old railway line in the village. All residents in attendance, except five, voted against the development. The Dunshaughlin Area Councillors - Killian (FF), Brooks (FF), Fitzgersald (Independent), Tormey (FF) and Fanning (FG) subsequently voted in favour of the development.
The residents of Dunboyne are insulted by Councillor Killian's remarks. They consider the use of the County Council Chamber by any Councillor to cast slurs on the electorate to be unacceptable and indefensible.
The residents of Dunboyne still await an explanation as to why their elected representatives voted in favour of development east of the railway line in Dunboyne and, more especially, why they also went against the majority of residents in Dunboyne and voted for the rezoning of the Dunboyne Castle Demesne. They were voted in to represent us. They didn't.
The next local elections will be held in May 2004.

The Minister of State with responsibility for the OPW, Mr. Tom Parlon, believes the development of two housing estates "on the banks of the Castle river" had been a factor in the flooding of homes in Dunboyne in
south Meath last November.

"There is no question about it, if you develop close to a river you will interfere with the flood plain." Mr. Parlon said.

Within the next 18 months the Office of Public Works will have completed maps of all the flood plains in the country. These flood hazard maps will be available to all planners in local authorities and developers.

Remedial work on the Castle and Tolka Rivers has started and will continue, the Minister promised.

At its meeting on 24.02.03 DCRA Committee called on the Minister for the Environment & Local Government to scrap fees of Euro 20 being charged to residents in this county for objecting to planning applications submitted to the County Council. The European Commission has ruled that this required fee for residents to have their voice heard is contrary to EU law.

This news from Brussels is good news for DCRA. Recently 37 letters of objection were submitted to Meath County Council against the siting of a waste recycling site in Dunboyne village at a total cost to residents of 740 Euro. These charges should now be refunded.

Local consultation is an essential aspect of planning and the charging of fees is a deterrent for interested residents.

DCRA wrote to the Minister prior to the EU decision. It will now be writing again to ask that immediate steps be taken to abolish these fees.

· MEATH PLAN UNDERMINES PROSPECTS OF BALANCED REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT, INCLUDING RURAL REGENERATION AND DEVELOPMENT OF "GATEWAYS" WITH CRITICAL MASS TO RIVAL DUBLIN.

· LITIGANTS THREATEN MANDAMUS ORDER AGAINST MINISTER AND POSSIBLE SUPREME COURT APPEAL UNLESS MINISTER MOVES TO OVERTURN "LOBBYING AND LANDOWNER- DRIVEN" COUNTY MEATH DEVELOPMENT PLAN.

1. The national spatial strategy and its talk of balanced regional development is meaningless while government refuses to make local authorities comply, in particular to curtail over-development of Greater Dublin.

2. Minister Martin Cullen cannot claim to be serious about development of rural Ireland while he refuses to intervene to stop Dublin sprawling in breach of government policy. This sprawl should be diverted to rural towns, villages and especially Gateways. If they are serious about rural regeneration rural politicians must call the Minister to account.

Minister must intervene to avoid mandamus application and possible Supreme Court appeal.

1. Tony McEvoy, Councillor for County Kildare and member of Mid-East Regional Authority and Michael Smith, Chairman of An Taisce today threatened to seek orders of mandamus compelling Martin Cullen, Minister for the Environment, to require Meath County Council to review its Development Plan for compliance with the SPGs for the Greater Dublin Area by exercising his powers under Section 27 of the Planning and Development Act 2000. This allows him to order Meath County Council to comply with the SPGs for the Greater Dublin Area by curtailing over-development in breach of government policy. They also said they were taking legal advice as to whether to appeal Quirke J¹s High Court judgment upholding the Meath Co Plan if Martin Cullen failed to give them written undertakings to order this review.

2. Quirke J accepted in a recent High Court judgement, McEvoy and Smith v Meath County Council, that "...the evidence adduced strongly suggests that in a number of respects the Meath Plan does not comply with the Guidelines and indeed that in some of its provisions it has substantially departed from the Guidelines' policies and objectives." [p27] and that "Minutes of the meetings of the various electoral areas record that the Guidelines were rarely if ever discussed or referred to. At those meetings a very large number of applications for residential zoning of land were considered and many were decided. Mr. Finlay, on behalf of the Applicants, openly suggested that most land zoning decisions made at these meetings appear to have been influenced more by pressure and lobbying exerted by interested parties (such as local landowners) than by regional or other planning considerations. Close analysis of the minutes of the meetings fortifies that suggestion (which was not contradicted either in evidence or otherwise on behalf of the Respondent). Furthermore no individual land zoning application, amongst a very large number considered at more than 50 meetings, appears to have been determined (or even considered( in the context or against the background of the Guidelines." (p. 15)

3. He noted that "…the nature and extent of the consideration given by the elected members of the respondent to the guidelines in the zoning of land for residential purposes gives rise to concern (and indeed unease)." The Meath Manager had admitted that Meath was attempting to divert to Meath development funding that would otherwise have gone to Objective One regions elsewhere.

4. The Minister cannot stand idly by while government policy on curtailing the sprawl of Dublin is flouted. Greater Dublin is hoovering up development that should be channelled into high-quality rural regeneration.
Demands

Mr McEvoy and Mr Smith demand that the Minister intervene to require Meath County Council:

1. To reduce the population targets and zonings in Meath that would result in the population of Meath rising from its current level of 133,000 (Census 2002) not to the SPGs target of a population of 140,000 by 2006 but to 196,000 (being an increase 1000% greater than envisaged) with zoning for an extraordinary 245,000; and

2. To concentrate development that is currently being dispersed over 33 towns and villages and the open countryside into the one designated growth centre in Meath, at Navan.

Tony McEvoy and Michael Smith noted that the High Court found that rezonings were not pursuant to the public interest. In these circumstances they called for the Flood Tribunal to investigate these improper decisions. The judge noted that "...local interests appear to have overcome the concept of local needs." [p27].

The flouting of the SPGs by Meath County Council (and Wicklow and Kildare County Councils) indicates that Regional Planning Guidelines, which is precisely what these SPGS are under the 2000 Act, can be ignored without sanction.

Since the much-vaunted spatial strategy will have precisely this status we believe it too will be ignored without sanction by local authorities across the country. Gateway centres, hubs, spatial strategy on housing in the countryside and the prospects of balanced regional development are all meaningless aspirations in the absence of prescription with teeth.

Meath County Council is facing a bill for an estimated €500,000 costs after defeating a High Court challenge to its county develoment plan.

Mr Justice Quirke ruled the case was a bona-fide public interest one and the council should pay half the challengers' costs and legal expenses. He held that the challengers had acted out of a valid public interest in the environment and in the interests of communities affected by planning considerations.

Although they lost their action, the challengers - An Taisce chairman Mr Michael Smith and Cllr Tony McEvoy of Kildare County Council - had established a large number of factual issues, including that "the nature and extent" of the consideration given by the elected members of Meath County Council to guidelines for the zoning of lands for residential purposes "give rise to concern (and indeed unease)".

In September last, the judge dismissed the challenge to the making and adoption of Meath County Development Plan. The issue of who should pay the costs of the 12-day hearing was deferred.

Now, the High Court has ruled the council should pay 50 per cent of the applicants' costs and legal expenses as well as 100 per cent of the costs of the daily transcript of the hearing.

Legal sources estimate that the total bill for the council of its own costs and the parts of the applicants' costs which it has been directed to pay will be some €500,000.

In their proceedings, Mr Smith and Mr McEvoy claimed that the Meath County Development Plan did not comply with the strategic planning guidelines for the Greater Dublin Area, published in March 1999. That claim was rejected.

In his ruling on costs, Mr Justice Quirke said neither of the applicants was seeking to protect some private interest of his own and he was satisfied they had acted solely to further a valid public interest in the environment, particularly the interests of those communities affected by the planning considerations applicable to the greater Dublin area.

The proceedings had raised public law issues which were of general importance where the applicants had no private interest in the outcome and were therefore involved in a "public interest challenge."

In exercising his discretion in the case, the judge held he was entitled to take into account some findings of fact which he had made in his judgment. It was appropriate that he should do so as he had concluded the proceedings comprised a bona-fide public interest challenge.

The judge said that an analyis of the minutes of Meath County Council meetings between October 1999 and March 2001 disclosed that no land zoning application, among a very large number considered at more than 50 meetings, was determined or even considered in the context or against the background of the strategic planning guidelines.

Deputy John Bruton has called for a revision of the Meath County Development Plan in light of the flooding in the south of the county. This plan approved in March 2001 he says should now be radically and comprehensively revised in light of the new knowledge we have on flood risk in the wake of what happened in November.

DCRA is convinced that Meath County Council is obliged ethically, morally and legally to carry out such a review and until such time as this is completed no further developments should take place and no further planning approvals should be given.

Dear Madam
I refer to the article entitled "Building is not blamed for floods in Meath", Irish Times 04.12.02. Meath County Council, its Manager and Councillors are all now singing from the same hymnbook. Don't blame us, we are blameless, blame the weather or as one County Council worker put it "blame the Americans".
The Meath County Council Manager is wrong. Bad planning and development did contribute significantly to the flooding in Dunboyne. This is incontrovertible. Meath County Council have been taken to the High Court and have been severely criticised for the irrationality of their County Development Plan. Is Meath county Council now challenging residents to take them to court again on this issue?
Cllr Brian Fitzgerald does not want to be demonised. This phrase is his cliché and is becoming boring. He then goes on to blame the Meath County Council Planners, and developers. He ignores the fact that residents in Dunboyne informed the County Council that they were giving planning permission to build on a flood plain and that in the event of flooding the Council should be held responsible.
We understand that the County Council needs to be defensive but this does not justify being economical with the truth.

The overall percentage of local authority decisions appealed to an Bord Pleanala during 2001 remained at 7% of total appeals. The rate of reversal of local authority decisions by the Bord was 29%. The Bord voiced concern on the quality of environmental impact studies submitted in respect of private developments. To view full report.

The judgement of Mr. Justice Quirke was delivered on 2nd September 2002 in respect of the judicial review of the Meath County Development Plan. The final and concluding judgement is to be made shortly.

Even though the judgement delivered was in favour of Meath County Council, confined within the legal parameters of the case, there are nevertheless many matters addressed within the body of the judge's presentation that are of critical import.

DCRA has been given to understand that the judgement will be appealed to the Supreme Court in due course.

Thornton Waste Disposal have submitted a planning application to Meath County Council to site a waste disposal facility on approximately 4.5 acres of agricultural land in the village of Dunboyne.

At a meeting of DCRA held on 23rd September it was unanimously agreed that an objection to the above planning application be lodged on the grounds stated below. Each Residents Association, other organisations in Dunboyne and individual residents are asked to submit an objection. According to an anti-democratic Government regulation, which is now being challenged in the European Court, a payment of 20 Euro must accompany each objection submitted. Submissions must be received by Meath County Council by Wednesday, 2nd October.

1. There is insufficient information in the application in relation to the environmental and traffic impacts on Dunboyne village/community;

2. There is insufficient information in the application in relation to the amount of waste that will be handled each day at the proposed plant;

3. There is insufficient information in the application in relation to the operating times of the proposed plant;

4. There is insufficient information in the application in relation to the number of commercial and domestic vehicles that will be visiting the plant each day;

5. Very large articulated trucks will be carrying waste into the plant and also taking "recycled" material out of the site. This will significantly contribute to the severe traffic congestion already being encountered in Dunboyne village;

6. This development appears to be a large commercial operation in very close proximity to residential areas, schools (Junior and Senior Primary, St. Peter's Secondary and Gaelscoil), business community and the village;

7. It would appear from the maps that there is no provision made for parking trucks and queuing to gain access to the site;

8. There are overhead power lines close to the proposed site. No information is available from the planning application as to how these will be safeguarded;

9. This is not a "public civic amenity" - it appears to be a commercial operation. There is not sufficient information in the planning application in relation to this;

10. The current agricultural zoning at this site does not permit the proposed type of activity;

11. There will be a high level of noise. The drawings indicate that a corrugated shed will enclose the operation. This will not provide noise insulation to the surrounding residential, office and school environments;

12. There is a discrepancy between the application form and the site notice in relation to the waste permit. The Planning Application Form indicates that the development does not require a waste permit. However, the Site Notice clearly states "the proposed development requires a waste permit".

13. There is insufficient in the application in relation to how the proposed plant would segregate and handle hazardous material e.g. asbestos that could be included as part of builders' skip waste.

14. The proposed plant will cause both air pollution and dust pollution. This will seriously affect the health of the residents, office workers and school-going children in the surrounding area;

15. The nature of the waste being handled will certainly result in the presence of pest and vermin. Again this will seriously affect the health of the residents, office workers and school-going children in the surrounding area; and

16. The proposed site is directly in the flight path for Dublin Airport. There could potentially be a problem with birds attracted to the proposed site impeding aircraft paths.

17. This proposed operation is in close proximity to Lutterell Hall with no physical barrier between them.

Please note that DCRA has in membership twenty-one Residents Associations representing approximately eighty per cent of the village population. We trust that you will consider these serious objections in your appraisal of this planning application (DA/20269).

The judgement of Mr Justice Quirke was delivered on 2nd September 2002 in respect of the judicial review of the Meath Development Plan. He made it clear that he was speaking from a draft document.

At this time DCRA does not wish to comment on the judgement. This it will do in due course. Even though the judgement delivered was in favour of Meath County Council, confined within the legal parameters of the case, there are nevertheless many matters addressed within the body of the judge's presentation that are of critical import. At this time we wish merely to give three direct quotes from the judge's presentation.

Quote One
"The evidence adduced at the hearing of these proceedings strongly suggests that in a number of respects the Meath Plan does not comply with the Guidelines and indeed that in some of its provisions it has substantially departed from the Guidelines' policies and objectives. ... Nonetheless, elected members at Electoral Area meetings have decided to zone large amounts of land for residential purposes in dozens of small towns in a manner which appears to be quite inconsistent with the recommendations of the Guidelines. In many instances "local interests" appear to have overcome the concept of "local needs".

Quote Two
"Whilst I am conscious of the fact that to a material extent, the Guidelines were intended to be implemented by such zoning decisions I take the view that the Guidelines are themselves flawed to an extent in that they are and remain incomplete in failing to identify and define the type of consideration which they expect planning authorities to give to them."

Quote Three
"The Applicants seek, in these proceedings to impugn the Meath Plan on the grounds of irrationality. On the evidence there are a number of inconsistencies and errors within the plan which are difficult to reconcile with reason. For instance, the plan envisages the zoning of sufficient land to accommodate a future population far greater than the plan's own estimates (which are themselves inconsistent with one another) of future population."

A Census of Population was taken on the night of Sunday 28th April 2002. The Report contains Provisional results which are subject to revision and they should not be regarded as having statutory force.

Population of Ireland - 1996: 3,626,087; 2002: 3,917,336. The increase: 291,249, an 8 percent increase in six years.

Population of County Meath - 1996: 109,732; 2002: 133,936. The increase: 24,204, an increase of 22.1 percent

Population of Dunboyne - 1996: 5,471; 2002: 7,755. The Increase: 2,284, an increase of 41.7 percent.

DCRA will study the implications of this dramatic increase of population in Dunboyne especially in the light of the massive further expansion resulting from excessive rezoning of lands by County Councillors in Dunboyne carried out against the wishes of the majority of its residents.

DCRA made two substantive submissions to MCC in June and December 2000, during the consultation period, towards the drawing up of the County Meath Development Plan. These submissions were were based on the Strategic Planning Guidelines for the Greater Dublin Area of which Meath is geographically a part. DCRA asked MCC "to have regard to" these Strategic Guidelines.

The challenge in the High Court is the validity of the MCC Development Plan, adopted in March 2001, on the grounds that the County Council had failed "to have regard" for the SPGs. The SPGs is Government Policy for the area. SPGs were given statutory force because of their inclusion in the Planning Act 200.

The projected population for County Meath put forward by MCC to underpin the rezoning of lands and developments in the county is being questioned.

SPGs provide a coherent planning framework for services, infrastructure and development in the Greater Dublin Area, an area that includes County Meath. SPGs say that furture growth should be concentrated in Navan but MCC Development Plan disperses growth throughout the county. A case is being put that population increases projected as per the County Development Plan for towns and villages across the county are significantly in excess of what is required to meet "local needs" as required by the SPGs.

The High court case is not being taken by DCRA but obviously other people believe that MCC has breached the SPGs and they are testing this. If the outcome is positive DCRA's efforts to protect Dunboyne residents' environment will be vindicated and there will be implications for other Local Authorities in the region.

The High Court hearing began on Tuesday, 16.07.02, and will conclude with a very brief session on 14.08.02.

The recently published Rowntree Report on Ireland raises some fundamental questions for all people living on this island. For example:-

To view the Conclusions in full of this report Click here. To view the full report click here

Meath County Council at its recent Quarterly meeting announced that it had received a grant of Euro 267,000 from Dublin Transportation Office (DTO) towards the completion of work in the village centre of Dunboyne. This amounts to 50% of the cost of the project. We look forward now to seeing the remainder of the work carried out shortly.

DCRA responds to Meath County Council on the proposed development of Dunboyne Castle and Lands. To view Click Here

Letter from Kildare Meath Wicklow Planning Alliance and An Taisce to the Editor of the Irish Times. 1st April 2002

I refer you to a report by Frank McDonald [IT 20 March] in which he states that 'by common consent' Noel Dempsey has been the best Minister for the Environment since the post was created. This will come as news to the beleaguered residents of Meath, Wicklow and Kildare. Here we continue to face large-scale and probably illegal rezonings in breach of the Strategic Planning Guidelines for the Greater Dublin Area (SPGS) which will result in a population in these Counties of up to a hundred thousand more than the already-inflated population target of 1.76m people for the Greater Dublin Area. This will put intolerable stress on our roads and other infrastructure, undermining the quality of life for us all.

Section 27 (1) of the 2000 Planning and Development Act provides clearly that the Minister 'may, by order, determine that planning authorities shall comply with the SPGs'. Mr Dempsey has the power to overturn rezonings that breach the SPGs but he has chosen not to intervene despite occasional - purely verbal - rumblings.

In a seven-page letter to Meath County Council in December 2000 the Department of the Environment noted "apparent conflict" between the Meath County Development Plan and the SPGs. This letter drew attention to only a tiny fraction of the breaches including some in Dunboyne and Clonee. Yet when the County Council refused to overturn these rezonings the Department approved their Plan with no further complaint.

Similarly in Wicklow a letter from the Department drawing attention to just some of the breaches of the SPGs, including the population projections for Kilcoole and Newtownmountkennedy, has effectively been side-stepped and the Minister is showing no inclination to intervene any further.

In the case of County Kildare a number of town plans that would massively expand the population, such as the Cellbridge Plan, had been held up by Mr.Dempsey on the grounds that they breeched the County Development Plan and on transport issues related to the SPGs. However Dempsey's Department later tipped off the Council on how they could make ad-hoc technical changes to the Development Plan in order to get over their problems.

The Minister has still not produced a national spatial strategy and he is refusing to exercise express powers to stop over-development of Greater Dublin. In these circumstances Mr Dempsey must take responsibility for the national failure to achieve balanced regional development. END

More than thirty voluntary organisations presented information about their respective organisations at this exhibition organised by DCRA and held in the Community Centre on Saturday 9th March. During the afternoon a number of performing exhibitions were staged. This exhibition provided the double opportunity of the many different organisations meeting each other and also the opportunity for residents to see what was on offer and if they would like to get involved.

This exhibition provided the opportunity for DCRA to produce the first copy of a Directory of Voluntary Organisations in Dunboyne. This directory needs further work to expand the number of entries. To view this directory please click here.

This was the first exhibition of its kind in Dunboyne. It was a positive contribution, and indeed a compliment, to all who are actively engaged in community organisations in Dunboyne. DCRA intends to organise future such exhibitions.

The European Commission has upheld the complaint by Friends of the Irish Environment against the proposed planning fee for major projects. The Commission, in a letter to the environmental group, stated that they "had recently notified a Letter of Formal Notice to Ireland stating a belief that the imposition of fees in respect of the submissions by the public of opinions on development consent procedures the subject of assessment under Directive 85/337/EEC (Impact Assessment) is contrary to the Directive."

A spokesman for FIE stated: "The imposition of a fee to comment on any planning application is clearly a violation of the Arhaus Agreement on citizen's rights of participation in decision making. Now the Commission is stating that these fees also infringe the EIA Directive." "Ireland's record now includes 25 current infringement proceedings for breaches of European environmental law. 17 have been notified under Article 228 Letters of Formal Notice, 4 have reached the Reasoned Opinion stage, and 4 are currently before the European Court of Justice", the spokesman concluded.

The environmental group, formed in 1997 to ensure the implementation of European environmental law in Ireland, brought the complaint to the Commission on behalf of more than 65 community groups around Ireland. The groups are also seeking the removal of the requirement to comment at local authority level to qualify to take a planning appeal.

DCRA has constantly been keeping in touch with Dublin Bus, providing information and lobbying for additional busses to be laid on and at times convenient for residents travel needs. We are pleased to announce a much improved timetable. Click Here

In our submission to Meath County Council, "Survey of Trees with Special Amenity Value", dated February 2000, DCRA put forward a strategic statement of intent on the preservation and development of trees in Dunboyne. Dunboyne enjoys a heritage of a unique sylvan environment, which obligates all to work for its preservation. We are now very concerned to discover that some 360 mature trees growing in the grounds of the Dunboyne Castle Demesne have been fixed with metal numbered tags. We are given to believe that this is or will be in connection with the submission of a planning application.

We note that Dunboyne Development Plan 1997 Section 3.3 entitled 'Amenities and Open Spaces' paragraph (ii) states it is the Planning Authority's policy: "…to ensure that trees and groups of trees within the Development Plan envelope are protected because of their special amenity value and to prepare Tree Preservation Orders where the Planning Authority considers it appropriate." We see from the accompanying maps that this provision includes most of the trees in Dunboyne Castle Estate.

We also note that Meath County Development Plan 2001 in Volume 2 paragraph 13.2.4 states: "It will also be an objective of the planning authority to protect the character and landscape setting of Dunboyne Castle as an amenity area for possible tourist uses." Moreover, "…to preserve the deciduous trees in the village centre and Dunboyne Castle Demesne." is given as a specific objective in paragraph DB14.

In the first instance, please let us know the significance of the tagging on the trees in the Dunboyne Castle Demesne. Secondly, we would like you to confirm our assumption that all the trees concerned are in fact subject to Preservation Orders.

Meanwhile, we wish to formally lodge an objection to the felling or other interference with any of the trees that were the subject of our above mentioned survey.

We further wish to draw to your attention that in June 1995 thirteen trees growing along the Rooske Road boundary of the Dunboyne Castle Demesne were felled in spite of intense opposition by the residents of the area. Moreover, we understand that this action was in breach of the Forestry Act, 1946 as the trees had not been certified by a Local Authority as dangerous to road traffic and were felled without the license otherwise required. Because we failed to prevent the trees from being felled with precipitous haste, there was no opportunity of having a independent inspection performed by a competent arboriculturist whom we believe would have found that the felling of these trees was quite unjustified.

I write on behalf of our twenty Residents Associations and their residents to lodge a complaint concerning the state of the Railway Bridge on Station Road, Dunboyne.

For several years we have asked the County Council to carry out work on this bridge. There are three main reasons for this.

· The first reason is the concern for the safety of non-vehicular traffic over the bridge especially for pedestrians. Indeed it is so dangerous to walk or cycle this bridge, that residents just do not dare to use it.

· There is absolutely no protection for vehicles involved in an accident with a drop of thirty feet in places and the barrier is in a totally reckless state and so there is a serious danger to public safety.

· The third reason is that the side barriers are badly damaged in several places and this makes this entrance to the village very unsightly. A criticism to this effect has been raised on a number of occasions in Tidy Towns reports.With the village renewal project now nearing completion we hope that you will ensure this bridge project is funded and completed prior to this year's Tidy Towns Competition.

Plans and suggestions have been put forward for the construction of a pedestrian pathway beside the bridge and the construction of more crash-resistant type barriers. We were given to understand that money, recently estimated at approximately €63,290, would be made available for this work. We now regard the work on this bridge as a high priority, in terms of safety, for all who use it and ask that the County Council arrange for this to happen in 2002.

No provisions have been made under the National Development Plan for a rail link to Navan nor to Dunboyne from Clonsilla. Without this transport facility no development should take place on lands between Dunboyne and Clonee East of the disused rail line.

Traffic - 'Unliveable' (15.02.02)

A Report commissioned by Fingal County Council makes a clear statement that traffic congestion and gridlock will make Dublin 15 unliveable by 2006. Journies in and out of greater Blanchardstown will rise from 24,200 for 2001 to 49,900 by 2006 an increase of more than 100%.By 2008 83,755 journies will be made every day. Dunboyne could suffer traffic lockin. And Meath County Council wants to built more and yet more housing in our area!

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"Mr Lawlor provided the Flood Tribunal last year with a list of 50 people from whom he had received money. The list included details about the reason for each payment and the sum involved.

... Counsel said that the meat company Kepak had paid Mr Lawlor £80,000 in political contributions in the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s....lawyers for Kepak had stated that they were not aware of any relationship between the company and Mr Lawlor.

...Kepak last night said there was "no basis whatsoever" for Mr Lawlor's assertion. The company had checked its records and there was no record of any payments to the TD, a spokesman said." (Irish Times 08.02.02)