Shangan Newsflash - March 2004
Shangan Newsflash March 2004
Produced by Shangan Neighbourhood Forum
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The Gap – No Room for Indecision
After Local Councillors voted 5:2 in favour of keeping right of way open the issue has been sent back by the Full Dublin City Council to the North West Area Committee for further discussions.
Following a huge campaign started by Shangan Forum, Shangan Residents Association and Whiteacre Residents Association and backed by all the forums in Ballymun the 7 Councillors for the Ballymun area voted 5:2 in favour to keep the right of way between Shangan and Oldtown open.
We want to thank all the residents who telephoned text or emailed their local councillor to tell them your views and opinions. It is only by doing this the people of Ballymun can have their voice heard by those we have elected. We also want to thank those Councillors who demonstrated integrity and leadership in difficult circumstances.
We believe that the numerous calls received assisted the councillors to assess the strength of feeling within the Ballymun community and enable them to make a decision that reflected the view of the majority of people within their constituency.
How the Voting Went
Eamon O’Brien (Lab, Ballymun/ Whitehall representative) – Voted to keep it open
Conor Sludds (FF, Finglas representative) – Voted to keep it open
Dessie Ellis (SF, Finglas representative) – Voted to keep it open
Mary Murphy (Lab, Finglas representative) – Voted to keep it open
Tony Taaffe (FF, Finglas representative) – Voted to keep it open
Sheila Gallogly (FF, Ballymun/ Whitehall representative) – Voted to Close
Deirdre Heney (FF, Ballymun/ Whitehall representative) – Voted to Close
By voting to close the right of way these councillors have chosen to exclude you from using local services and amenities. It seems ironic that the people of Ballymun are getting better representation from Finglas Councillors rather than the 2 out of 3 elected to represent Ballymun!
The decision went to the full Dublin City Council which is made up of 52 Councillors from all over Dublin City on the 1st March. What normally happens is that the minutes of the North West Area Committee are adopted, but Councillor Shiela Gallogly asked for the minutes to be amended and a vote to be taken for the installation of a gate. Councillor Tony Taaffe, as Chair of the North West Area Committee was unaware of this motion and asked that the matter be sent back for further discussion.
We must ensure that the vote taken on the 20th February stands and that the Council look at the ideas presented by the residents of how to improve the area around the right of way to make it impossible for the perpetrators of anti-social behaviour to hide behind the walls.
Councillors Abuse Constituents
Recently it has come to our attention from local residents that one out of the 2 Councillors who voted to close the GAP were abusive to constituents over the telephone when they were trying to give their views regarding the GAP. It is ironic that this same Councillor named by residents has campaigned against anti social behaviour. Shangan Forum is currently preparing a letter of complaint which will be sent to the local Fianna Fail constituency office. If you experienced any sort of verbal abuse by Councillors you were in contact with the forum want to know.
Local government elections are due in June 2004 and it is important that people register to vote in order to have a say in who will represent you in the future. Welfare Rights have been running voter registration campaigns for the past few years and will be doing the same this year with voter drives taking place in the Shopping Centre and the forum offices, they will also be visiting local community groups. BNC will be providing support during the campaign. For more information on voter registration please contact Welfare Rights on 883 2140 or 883 2137.
The community have a responsibility to work together to tackle the problem of Anti-Social behaviour along with Dublin City Council and the Gardai. Locking people in at night is not a solution.
Photo
Residents at the Right of Way between Shangan and Old town
Josie Birch, Marie Cooper, Liz Johnston, Molly Moran, Carol Foran, Madeline McLoughlin and Mary Fitzpatrick.
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Shangan Neighbourhood Forum Updates
Regeneration Liaison Affairs Sub-Committee
The last meeting of the Regeneration Affairs sub committee was held on Wednesday 25th February. Some of the issues raised are detailed below.
• Maintenance complaints for BRL
If you have maintenance complaints you should log them with Joanne in BRL on 675 5631, rather than going directly to the builder. This way BRL can record the complaints and ensure that the builder completes the remaining work on snag lists.
• Shangan Park
Talks with the current contractor are still ongoing and BRL are hoping to resolve this issue and re start works on the park as soon as possible. The forum has raised residents concerns regarding the site safety and security and BRL have said they have 24 hour security on the site but they will look at the safety and security again. If you see any incidents on the site please let us or BRL know.
• White “Stuff” on new red brickwork
Residents were concerned about white deposits on the red brickwork of their new houses. The forum raised this with BRL who explained that it was called “Efflorescence” and is normal in new houses.
As brickwork dries out some water soluble salts may form as a white deposit upon the surface. Efflorescence can be unsightly but it is not harmful and will ultimately disappear over a period of time by the natural action of the wind and rain. Some walls will get it more than others due to their level of exposure, e.g. chimneys are one of the places it can be seen.
Neighbourhood Management Sub Committee
The last meeting of this committee took place on Tuesday 9th March and some of the issues raised are detailed below.
The forum are very concerned regarding the levels of anti-social behaviour in the Shangan area and have raised their concerns with both DCC and the Gardai who were both at a meeting recently where gangs outside got out of control and the meeting had to be stopped due to fears for participants safety.
It is vital that residents report all incidents of serious anti-social behaviour to the Gardai and City Council.
1. Take a note of the incident you witness including the date, time and people involved (if you can identify them).
2. Report it to the Gardai on 6664400.
3. Report it to DCC on 675 5698 / 675 5702 during working hours or 679 6186 after hours.
4. Take a note of the full name of the person you report it to.
5. If you feel nothing has been done contact the forum, who will endeavour to follow it up.
If you have any queries regarding Neighbourhood Management please contact the forum.
Contacting the Forum:
As the forum office is currently awaiting repairs it cannot be opened due to Health & Safety reasons. Please direct all enquires for the forum to :
Christine Healy,
Project Officer, Ballymun Neighbourhood Council
Axis Centre, Tel: 883 2172. Email: Christine.healy@axis-ballymun.ie
This page was updated on 10th March, 2004