Phibsborough & District Update

Drainage
Recent heavy rain means that residents have rightly been concerned about the need to have all shores and gullies in the area cleaned. I brought their concerns to the attention of the City Council. So far, these are streets that have had their drainage work checked:
· Innisfallen Parade – cleaned on August 26th, all 16 gullies cleaned
· Valentia Parade – cleaned on September 3rd, all six gullies cleaned
· Killarney Parade – cleaned on September 3rd, all six gullies cleaned
· Glengarriff Parade – gullies to be checked and if necessary cleaned this week
· St. Ignatius Road – cleaned September 3rd, all 15 gullies and shores cleaned
· St. Ignatius Avenue – cleaned September 3rd, all four gullies cleaned
Over the coming weeks, I will be following up with the City Council to ensure that as many gullies and shores are cleaned before we enter the winter months. If you have problems with blocked gullies near your home, please contact me and I will follow up with the Council to make sure it is cleaned. A number of residents on St. Ignatius Road contacted me about having the road re-surfaced as it is cracked in many parts. Regrettably, despite my initial representations the Roads Maintenance DepartmentoHo do not accept there is need to re-surface the road. I intend to continue raising this with officials and I will provide a further update at a later stage.

Anti-Social Behaviour
Some residents told me about anti-social behaviour in Broadstone Park and Blessington Street Park. This included underage and public drinking. Local Community Gardai will be increasing their presence in Broadstone Park. Anti-social behaviour in Blessington Street Park has been a major concern to residents on Primrose Street and Upper Wellington Street. Following contact with the Community Policing Unit in Mountjoy, I have been made aware that the Gardai have been provided with keys to the Park and they believe this will help solve the problem. Dublin City Council and local Gardai are currently investigating whether it is possible to increase Garda powers of arrest under City Council bye-laws for public parks and spaces. These measures should provide an improvement to the anti-social behaviour in our community. Over the course of the next year, I will be campaigning on the need for greater use of CCTV to help Gardai catch gangs who congregate in public areas and intimidate local people.

Permit Parking Scheme
A number of residents on St. Ignatius Road spoke to me about the recent ballot on the extension of Permit Parking on the street and to find out details about it. The City Council told me that a majority of residents voted to reject the introduction of permit parking on the street. This body will not consider another request for permit parking on St. Ignatius Road until August 2009 at the earliest.

Illegal Dumping
There have been instances of illegal dumping on a number of streets in the area and I have brought this to the attention of the City Council’s Waste Management Services. Particular problems were highlighted at the grotto in St. Benedict’s Gardens as well as Glengarriff Parade and St. Ignatius Road. I have been informed that the Local Area Office are investigating the matter and will be taking appropriate action to rectify this matter. If there are ongoing problems please let me know. I would also highly recommend that you contact the Litter Hot Line at 1800 248 348 where Dublin City Council will respond promptly. Waste Management Services have also responded to my representations for the provision of more litter bins along the Canal at the back of St. Ignatius Road. More litter bins can be arranged to be placed there and as soon as I get more details, I will be sure to provide you with that information.