Report Paul Murphy
Councillors of the Ratoath Municipal District were given an update on progress towards the provision of a civic centre, amenity park and age friendly housing when they met for their monthly meeting in Dunshaughlin. A council official told the meeting that the council was inching towards the Part 8 consultation process. Reports on that process are being prepared and public publication of the plans is also necessary.
Denise Curtis, associate director of Van Dijk architects had met with councillors a number of weeks ago and she said that her mission was to take on board comments councillors had made about the project. There had been feedback about parts of the development. It was intended to provide 12-14 houses, a public park, car parking and a library/civic building. It was intended to have the age friendly houses at the back of the site. A car park would be “tucked in” behind the proposed civic building. The civic building would be right at the front creates a civic space so it provides a “pause” on the main street where people can sit down and use the amenity.
She said that the idea was to create as low as possible car movements on the site. The library service had had an input into the deliberations and it was its view that from an operational point of view a two-storey building was much more preferable than a three-storey unit. Asked by the Cathaoirleach Cllr Brian Fitzgerald if there were any comments on the proposed design.
Sinn Fein Cllr Fionnan Blake said he had seen another development recently and an “amenity” such as a bowling green had been included. A second point was his concern that there might be antisocial behaviour around the site. There had been a problem with lack of lighting in Dunshaughlin and he questioned if there would be sufficient public lighting in the Ratoath development.
Independent Cllr Yvonne Everard said she was not a “fan” of the housing being placed at the back of the site – older people should be “first and foremost”. The placing of those units might provide more of an opportunity for antisocial behaviour. .She wondered whether that part of the site was going to be a “gated community” with access only to the residents. In relation to the car parking there, there would be only one car parking space per house with no provision for visitors.
Fine Gael Cllr Gerry O’Connor said that he was glad to see that the architectural firm had taken on board some of the suggestions councillors had made at a previous meeting. In relation to the park, he said he had grown up in Dublin near the statue of the Unnamed Soldier in Phibsboro. There was a linear park nearby which got “great use”. “You see people in the Summer walking with their prams, sitting down on the seats, talking and communicating, children playing in small little green areas. I like the linear park, I grew up with it it was a great amenity for the area”. He was concerned that there should be more ca parking spaces at the age-friendly site because the people might have grandchildren who would come to visit. “To me the design looks achievable. It’s a linear site, it’s very long. I like the idea of having an amenity at the front”.
Dunboyne Parking Issue
Fine Gael Cllr Maria Murphy referred to a disabled parking space in Dunboyne which had been removed as part of the works for Lidl. It had been moved slightly up towards the chemist’s but they only put a chalk marking on the road and people could not see that and abled drivers were still parking on it. So there needed to be more highlighting of the Ratoath space.
