Santry Whitehall Forum Newsletter October 2021

Santry Whitehall Forum Newsletter October 2021

Dear resident, we are updating you on what’s  happening in the area and in particular our meeting with Minister Darragh O’Brien and Paul McAuliffe T.D. on replacement legislation on Strategic Housing Development, a proposed event on 31st October – A Funeral for Santry – marking the end of Santry as we know it and a new beginning together with details of our AGM and panel discussion with local representatives on 11 November.  

MEETING WITH MINISTER FOR HOUSING DARRAGH O’BRIEN

At our meeting with the Minister we put forward a number of suggestions raised by the community – below is a transcript of the summary of those suggestions and replies made by Paul McAuliffe T.D.

Follow up to Paul McAuliffe TD following meeting with Minister Darragh O’Brien – replies in bold

We had noted at the meeting that we wished to get some formal response to our discussion and requests so that we could inform the community through a newsletter on 29th September

The Minister has asked me to thank you for making time to meet him and discuss the proposed new legislation. In relation to points 1 and 2, I have already raised the proposed amendments with his advisors, and I look forward to hearing feedback and progress in due course. In the meantime, I intend to submit the amendments to the pre-legislative scrutiny report and at committee stage. At that point the Minister will respond to the amendments and either accept them or propose alternatives. I will keep you updated on that process.

In summary the issues broadly raised were

  • To amend the proposed legislation to facilitate community participation in the revised planning process and that this should be by
    a functioning and active community representative body active in the area. A draft of this has already been forwarded by Frank Keoghan on behalf of the Forum.
  1. To further amend legislation to allow for consultation between the developer and the relevant community representative body. As a pre submission exercise we see that this provides the developer with a preview of issues that might be raised in possible subsequent submissions/ observations etc and an opportunity to address such issues in advance and nullify them.
  2. That active consideration be given to reserving an area of land between the Omni Shopping centre, along and adjacent to Santry Avenue – the major portion of which is in state ownership –  for the development of a new Santry Village. We would see this as a suitable area in which the following amenities could reasonably be provided for and help alleviate the absence of any coherent plan arising from built and proposed SHD developments. The amenities sought would include but are not limited to
  • School – Primary and Secondary
  • Remote working hub
  • Youth Centre / Scout Den / Study Hall as a supplement to CRC
  • An enterprise centre – for the development of new local businesses
  • Museum / Heritage centre – specifically themed around athletics and the story of the Morton Stadium
  • Library
  • Men’s shed

 

  • Adequate space to relocate local business should Santry Hall be developed

 

I have asked our local councillors to request an Local Area Plan for Santry under the forthcoming Dublin Ci

ty Council Development Plan. An LAP would then allow the following amenities to be plotted out. I will also lodge the above requests to the Development Plan when

 it is released for public consultation.

  1. Pedestrian works to make movement in and around Santry Avenue at Buckley’s, the entrance to Omni and at the Comet safe and easy to navigate.

This has been lodged with the Traffic Section in DCC.

  1. Completion of public realm works that have been postponed due to the proposed Bus Connects plan which currently has no start or completion date.

I have asked the City Council for an update on these works.

  1. Consideration to be given to implementing a feeder bus network into Santry from surrounding housing estates with a view to reducing car traffic and increasing use being made of public transport and to feed into a cross – city bus service originating on the Northern periphery of Santry.

I have written to the NTA and asked that this route is considered.

  1. That the Housing Committee would invite us as group to attend as the proposed legislation makes it’s way throu
  2. gh the legislative process.

If you email me with this request I will forward it to the Chair and ask that an invitation is extended.

A FUNERAL AND A VISION FOR  SANTRY !  2PM SATURDAY 30TH OCTOBER 2021

It is planned to hold a ‘Funeral for Santry’ as street theatre on Saturday October 30th to highlight the destruction of Santry through over-development. The ‘funeral’ will comprise four people dressed in black carrying a coffin draped with black cloth bearing slogans in white such as: ‘Santry for developers or community?’ etc.

These will be preceded by a piper playing the Funeral March and will proceed at funeral pace from the green space at the flyover to St. Pappin’s Church at Santry Villas, where an ‘oration’ will be delivered outlining some alternatives for a community based vision for the area. A number of wreaths will also be carried – with appropriate slogans.

Residents are requested to walk behind the wreath – bearers; to wear black if possible and to carry a black umbrella. Alternatively, we would ask residents line the street to show their support.

The procession will commence at 2:00 pm and is not expected to take longer than 30 minutes to make the journey from the flyover to the church.

Currently, the An Bord Pleanala decision on the Buckley’s site is expected before November 7th and the City Council has again under consideration, the re-zoning the Shanowen lands, nine times the size of the latter site.

We urge you to come out and demonstrate your opposition to developer – led construction. Through our collective effort, we can attempt to secure sustainable community – led development as an alternative.

AGM We are proposing to have the AGM in Santry Community Resource Centre at 7:30pm on Thursday  11 November 2021 and are using this newsletter to provide notice. If you have any motions that you wish to go before the AGM please forward to us by email before 31st October. We would also encourage residents to stand for election as an officer or committee member

At 8pm, after the AGM, we will hold a panel discussion with local elected representatives, Roisin Shorthall, Paul Mcauliff and Dessie Ellis, on the subject of future development in the area under the working title Development in Santry – Developer or Community Led.

    

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