Sir, – Why does Fintan O’Toole (News Agenda, November 14th) ignore Finglas, Harmonstown, Coolock, Kilmore, Edenmore, Kilbarrack, Donaghmede, Darndale with his claim that “From the 1940s onwards, local authority housing estates were developed farther and farther from the coast”? Some of these almost coastal residential areas have had modernised transport services since the 1980s, when the Dart started operations. This is in marked contrast with the persistence of a public transport void that persists in north Dublin between the Dart and Maynooth lines.
Despite many promises, our inner suburban areas have been overlooked by the feuding public-sector baronies of CIÉ companies, the Railway Procurement Agency, National Roads Authority, local authorities, Dublin Airport Authority, government departments and the newly created National Transport Authority. These prefer grand gestures (eg Metro North). The quiet competence needed to recast Dublin city’s public transport to enhance competitiveness and social cohesion is still missing. – Yours, etc,
Sir, – I read with interest the article by Olivia Kelly about the Georgian heritage of the north city. The buildings once occupied by Coláiste Mhuire, including the one around the corner in Granby Row, were occupied by Sir John MacNeill in the 1840s when he was consulting engineer for most of the early Irish railways, including the Dublin-Drogheda railway and Great Southern Railway. He had a large library in his home near Dundalk and the suggestion of a new city library would be appropriate. – Yours, etc,
Sir, – Your series, Reinventing Dublin (Weekend Review, November 10th) makes welcome and worthwhile reading. There is no single entity that can uphold this initiative; it must be our collective responsibility.
To be successful, Dublin City Council (DCC), businesses, the voluntary and community sector and citizens must debate and implement innovative ideas in partnership.
A practical example of this is our own collaborative efforts with DCC to renovate derelict council properties around the city centre. The initiative provides a “hand up” to the future homeowners, who are selected from the council housing list. They contribute physically to the renovation themselves through “sweat equity”, and financially by paying of a small mortgage on their new home.
While the valuable work of volunteers keeps the cost of the renovation low, it also enables citizens to be personally involved in transforming their city. Volunteers learn about the challenges faced by the family and surrounding community during their experience. This fosters greater understanding between people and builds a better future for all.
Frank McDonald is right: “Dublin remains a vibrant city” and our citizens have an undeniable “indomitable spirit”. This is our most valuable asset as we work together to reinvent our city. Everyone has something to contribute and something to gain from engaging in the process.
I look forward to continuing to engage in partnership with families, organisations and communities to reinvent a capital for all. – Yours, etc,
Sir, – Olivia Kelly’s article (November 14th) points to one of the big problems that Dublin has: the derelict and often forbidding appearance of parts of many of the city’s streets. The council’s website states that an annual 3 per cent of value can be levied on derelict buildings/sites, yet only 36 of the hundreds of such derelict buildings are on the register.
Outside of business hours, Dublin, more than any other European capital city I know, is heavily shuttered. In 2001, the council produced a Shopfront Design Guide. These guidelines are supposed to be adhered to when shopfronts are altered in the city, but are often ignored and no action is taken. If you walk through the centre of, say, Manchester or Glasgow at night, you can look through shop windows. In much of Dublin, Henry Street for example, you can’t. And, even in the daytime, many streets present a mix of shuttered and derelict premises.
Is Dublin so unsafe that large parts of the centre need to become like a fortress at night and at weekends? I don’t think so, but it looks like that.
With a much reduced level of planning applications in recent times, it should be possible to improve enforcement of planning laws and the laws in relation to derelict properties in the city, and make for a more attractive urban environment at all times. – Yours, etc,