Today’s meeting commenced at 6.30pm and ran until 9.15pm after two extensions were agreed by the members. It was a lengthy meeting but covered a number of important issues which deserved the time to consider.
Below is a brief report on some of the issued discussed.
Expression of sympathy
As Cathaoirleach, on behalf of the Bray Municipal District Councillors and staff I extend our sympathies to Lord Mayor Christian Schuchardt, to the chair of Wurzburg German Irish Association, Matties Fleckenstein and to all the people of Wurzburg following the recent tragic incident.
The relationship between Bray & Wurzburg spans over 25 years. Our thoughts are with all the community during this difficult time.
Housing – A report on two Part 8 (Public Consultations) proposals were presented for consideration by the Councillors.
A ‘Part 8’ is the shortened name given to Section 179 of the Planning & Development Act, 2000 as amended; Part 8 of the Planning & Development Regulations, 2001 as amended. It is a process by which plans are advertised, submissions gathered from the public, report developed by the local authority and the plans put to the Councillors to consider.
These reports were in respect of the proposed developments of.
18 apartments at the Kilbride Road site at the junction of Killarney Road and Ballywaltrim Road, Bray, County Wicklow.
3 apartments at the junction of Upper Dargle Road and Sutton Road, Bray, County Wicklow.
A lengthy report was issued to all Councillors in advance and was presented at the meetings. Councillors were provided with an opportunity to consider the report, question details of the proposals and discuss the plans with the architect. Both developments are proposed for social housing and will be developed and managed by Respond Housing, an established Approved Housing Body. Tenants will be allocated these homes from the local authorities housing list.
These two items took considerable time to work through, there were a lot of questions and views expressed by different Councillors following queries raised by the public.
My own views on both proposals were as follows.
Whenever considering Part 8’s relating to housing I have to the forefront of my mind the many families I interact with daily who are struggling to pay rent on their homes, are without a home at all and are currently in emergency accommodation. The impact of this on the lives of individuals, families and children can in no way be underestimated.
If we are serious about addressing housing, then tough decisions must be taken.
Disruption and inconvenience are caused during any construction process regardless of the size or style of any development, and to support a proposal I need to be assured that this will be kept to a minimum.
Regarding both these sites there are significant issues with dumping and anti-social behaviour at each location.
I considered the design of both locations, visited the sites in advance at different times of the day. Viewed other developments in the area to see if the design was in keeping.
In both cases submission had been made by the local community. Concerns were raised regarding overshadowing, design, lack of privacy and parking. The Architect spoke through each issue and the steps taken to address these.
I voted in favour of both proposals. I do not in any way dismiss the issues raised by the local community but did believe that measures had been taken to address these concerns. My overriding view for supporting these proposals is that I believe they are designed in accordance with proper planning and support sustainable communities, they address a huge need in our community, and they will be managed by Respond Housing who have a proven track record of not only producing good quality housing but also are committed to ongoing maintenance and engagement with both the community without there developments but the wider community in the area.
The proposed development at the Kilbride Road site at the junction of Killarney Road and Ballywaltrim Road, Bray, County Wicklow passed with 5 votes in favour and 3 vote against.
The proposed development at the junction of Upper Dargle Road and Sutton Road, Bray, County Wicklow passed with 7 votes in favour and 1 votes against.
Housing Report
Thanks was given to the staff of Bray MD Housing Department for their work on completing the scheme at Kilbride Grove and all new tenants were wished the best of luck in their new homes.
Clarity was sought on Part V Housing that is yet to be constructed and which was part of the contribution connected with the new apartments at the seafront. The Council are currently engaging with the developer after some delays in planning issues and will report back on the matter.
Proposed lighting at the Peoples Park, Lower Dargle Rd., Bray
Proposed lighting in the People’s Park was raised at the June Bray MD meeting with some members of the community expressing an objection to it being installed due to concerns regarding antisocial behaviour and the impact on the environment.
It was agreed that the District Engineer will meet on site with a representation from the community to discuss the matter. Due to Covid Restrictions it will be necessary to limit the numbers in attendance. As such it is proposed to liaise with Dargle Area Residents Association (DARA) to seek nominations for this meeting. Following these meeting, if there is not agreement to the installation of lighting, a wider consultation process will be considered.
An update on strategic infrastructure projects at Bray Central & the Bray Harbour Improvement Scheme were not discussed due to time constraints.