As a Fingal Council candidate deeply committed to addressing the pressing housing needs of Fingal, I advocate for a pragmatic approach to deliver safe, sustainable homes and communities. While progress is being made with approximately 12,000 homes in the pipeline, urgency is paramount in moving from conception to delivery.

I firmly support the Green Party's policy for public housing on public land, particularly the Cost Rental model (aka the Vienna Model) – this means constructing affordable rental properties on public land, and only charging the cost of construction (removing the profit motive and lowering rents), which ensures affordability and stability for our residents. We must avail of every opportunity to develop social and public housing on publicly owned land.

Additionally, I will work to crackdown on illegal full-time AirBnBs, reclaiming vital housing stock for the people of Dublin. As a party, we have also supported the introduction of a scheme to repurpose space above shops for residential use, a measure that could invigorate commercial districts while easing our housing shortage – we are making this a reality through the existing Croí Cónaithe Scheme.

Embracing the Cost Rental model and reinforcing investment in the Housing First programme, will help our most vulnerable receive the support they need. In addition, I will work to allocate additional resources to our council teams tasked with identifying and reclaiming vacant or derelict properties.

I will work towards a housing strategy that meets the needs of all. 

In terms of housing, the big solution is building public affordable houses on public land. Finding out where we can built is the key in that and ensuring that the housing budget is spent down to the last cent. There are Local Authorities across the country not spending their housing budgets in a housing crisis we've not seen the likes of before. We cannot be re-active in terms of housing. We must be proactive to acknowledge the needs of our growing population. Our developments need to be smarter, realistic and more achievable. They also need to be built and offered at cost price. A recent Blanchardstown development was seeing a 4-bedroom home being sold off at approximately €400,000. In no realistic terms is this affordable to families. Being proactive in our approach to housing is the correct measure. A failure in housing policy spanning decades is the result of reactive policy.

In terms of providing more homes in Fingal aside from new builds. There are 5,000 vacant homes across Dublin, while we are in the middle of a housing crisis. This extends also to derelict and hyper commercial airbnb-esque style housing. These need to be heavily cracked down, regulated and be let into the market, same with vacant land with dormant planning permission. This needs to be taken away when it is left idle. There are also 120,000 students across Dublin. Many of these students are competing against families for private accommodation. Fingal County Council needs to push for student built purpose accommodation in the area. Students simply do not have the incomes to compete against families in the private market. This competition is being capitalised on by landlords which is putting pressure on our supply of rental properties driving up the cost of rentals. Finally, there is a huge, unchecked market in 'Diggs' accommodation. Where the agreement is defined under 'License Agreements' as opposed to 'Rental Agreements'. There are virtually no rights afforded to those living in owner-occupied accommodation. Aligning their rights with rental rights will create a security net for those renting, often single-parent families, elderly, students and people with disabilities. They need to be protected. Communities instead are being double and triple taxed in terms of management fees, which needs to stop. These points also illustrate the need to be in constant consultation with local communities to highlight their needs that need to be met.

Creating the points above will relieve a huge pressure on our housing market, ultimately lowering the demand and competition for housing, this will ultimately lower the cost of rents, and put money back into the pockets of our communities. Home is where the heart is, not where the head hurts.Vacant taxation currently sits at 0.3%, which doesn't go far enough to encourage development, Instead it is creating a huge allowance to drive up rental pressure points ultimately leaving our communities paying the difference. Hitting the pockets of those who hoard land is what needs to happen, and if necessary, serving CPO's on ideal public housing lands. 

Our Alternative Budget 2024 sets out Sinn Féins stall that would provide for a significant ramping up in the delivery of housing including 21,000 social and affordable homes to rent and purchase.

From my past experience on the council I would engage with our planning & Housing department to ear mark and open up public residentially zoned lands. We need a massive increase to build social and affordable homes for families to make a massive dent in our over populated housing list across Fingal. 

This would include but have a big focus on adapted homes for people with disabilities and wheelchair bound. 

Solving the housing crisis is my No.1 priority. We need to ensure that Fingal Council builds more affordable housing on public land, that local authorities have more power to solve dereliction and that homes are built on land where planning permission is granted. There are 231 inactive sites across Fingal where planning permission has been granted and no work has commenced, with a total of 13,963 homes which have never been built despite planning approval. We have more than enough zoned land and active planning permissions to get us out of the housing crisis, but the Government is not serious about tackling land hoarding or building enough affordable housing on public land.

I am campaigning for:

• A statutory ‘use it or lose it’ requirement to ensure that building of homes starts or permission is withdrawn after three years so that nobody is allowed to sit on active planning permissions.
• Greater powers and resources for Fingal Council to build social and affordable housing on public land, without referring to the Department of Housing which has consistently mismanaged and exacerbated the housing crisis.
• Greater power for the Council to take over derelict homes and bring them back into use.
• A greater mix of housing in new developments such as Kellystown, including apartments, family homes and appropriate homes for older people to downsize and live in their own area. This should also incorporate a greater mix of tenure, with a greater proportion of social housing, affordable purchase and cost rental accommodation in new developments.
• Protecting the rights of local residents and communities to participate in the planning process, which are threatened by the current Planning and Development Bill before the Oireachtas.

Ensuring good-quality standards for housing, especially regarding warmth and energy efficiency, is essential to creating healthy and sustainable communities. As a Fingal County Council candidate, I am committed to elevating these standards across the board. In social housing, this means supporting a significant increase in maintenance budgets, enabling swift resolution of issues like upgrading to double-glazed windows, enhancing insulation, and combating mould problems.

Furthermore, I support a rounded approach to improving housing conditions, recognising the importance of broader civic amenities. Investing in parks and playgrounds not only enhances quality of life but also promotes community cohesion. Particularly in densely populated areas lacking private gardens, these shared green spaces are invaluable for families, as highlighted during the COVID-19 pandemic.

My vision for Fingal encompasses not only the enhancement of individual dwellings but also the creation of thriving, inclusive neighbourhoods where every resident can enjoy a safe, comfortable home life. In particular I will be looking for this to be part of the plan to develop the Dunsink landbank which will form part of the work of the Council in the next five years.

While the question specifically asks about making sure that adequate amenities and services be added to new developments, I feel that it is important as a Councillor to also look at any gaps in amenities and services in older developments and working to address these. For example, as a Councillor I have been working on the delivery of a playground for Laurel Lodge as there was a lack of play facilities locally and one is due to be delivered later this year. Another example is the Clonsilla Framework Plan which will be looking at the development of Clonsilla village over the next 20-30 years and provides an opportunity to highlight the lack of amenities and services – such as civic space – and put in place plans to address these going forward. This framework plan will be brought before Councillors for approval and allows us to ensure that the needs of residents in Clonsilla will be met going forward.

All amenities and services should be accessible and inclusive. I have secured Fingal County Council’s first ever dedicated Access/Disability Officer, who is working on the Councils first Access Strategy. This strategy should contain actions to improve access in the public realm, amenities and services in existing estates, villages and towns, as well as setting out what needs to be done in new developments to ensure that the public realm, amenities and services are accessible.

Local communities should be the primary informant of what needs to happen in terms of amenities and services in their local areas. Communities understand what they need and it is the responsibility of councillors to follow those plans through. I believe that we should be ambitious in our approach to providing more amenities and support services in local areas. In terms of our public parks for example, they are a place of social gatherings, celebrations and community outreach. Our current parks are not up to standard as this cannot be achieved in the middle of a dark and dangerous empty field.

We need to look to the likes of installs in public toilets, safe drinking water facilities, animal friendly zones, playgrounds, sports recreational facilities, increased bins to reduce on litter build up, gazebos, reaching out to our incredibly talented artistic community to develop public art installs, increased seating, increased exercise machines to get our communities out and active, increased lighting and drainage, increase patrols in the area and installs of cameras to deter vandalism. By creating spaces our communities can be proud of and take ownership, communities protect these places, take pride in them and use them as social spaces.

In terms of community centres, there are many within development across Fingal, and it is imperative that we push for these to be developed, and for the ones in existence promoting further development and expansion. Many community centres offer creche support for families in the community. This service should be continuously expanded upon to support all families navigating the balancing act between caring for a family and being a working professional. I will also be pushing for an increase in resourcing for local community centres to engage the community more through consultation events so that everyone has equal access in having a say in their resourcing, this will increase traffic in our community centres which means creating jobs, putting more governance structures in place to ensuring more opportunities for the people in our community to further themselves as well as take part in their centres. This will in turn provide more resourcing for the community centres to provide essential services such as elderly residents outreach and inclusion programmes, support services for people with disabilities and act as activity hubs for our young people.

With regards to libraries, I work my day job with young people. I would like to conduct a feasibility into extending library hours where possible after consultations with Union and staff representatives and aligning within budgetary guidelines so to provide an additional layer of support for students, particularly those in part-time/evening education and second-level students, particularly those in exam years who need the extra time and space to study. This has a run on effects for families in the home where not everyone has a quiet space in their house, something we learned very quickly over the pandemic.

The above should be audited through accessibility also, where each member of our community can feel like they all belong in these spaces. Finally, a community notice board overhaul from the Fingal County Council website should be overhauled to become more accessible and user friendly. Where communities should be empowered to take ownership of their local groups and get involved, be it residents'associations, tidy towns committees or otherwise. It is imperative that it is accessible, easy to find information.

Starting with our Development plan which sets out our vision for infrastructure / development & amenities I would engage locally with communities with a focus to have local public meetings to hear their voices on with a vision locally to be inserted into our local area plans and development plans to make sure proper amenities are developed in line with housing / roads and other infrastructure for families to enjoy. 

Including - Parks and recreational playing areas, multi-use astro and sports grounds, cycle & walking tracks, cafes, seating and sensory areas.

We need to create sustainable communities supported by strong infrastructure. All too often, developer-led planning leads to the development of large-scale housing estates, with no amenities, inadequate infrastructure and low quality of life. Housing has to be delivered in conjunction with essential infrastructure, such as school places, early childhood education and public transport. We have bitter experience of Dublin 15 of the consequences for individuals and families when this doesn’t happen.

As area chairperson for the Dublin area committee in 2020-21, I was instrumental in adopting commitments to essential infrastructure within the new Local Area Plan for Kellystown, the most recent area plan adopted for new housing development in Dublin 15. I secured agreement for the inclusion of objectives committing to new primary and post-primary schools and a new community centre in tandem with development in Kellystown. I have also secured a commitment that a new master plan will be brought forward this year to protect and conserve the Old School House, Clonsilla.

I am a consistent advocate for community led planning and campaigned for the removal of Strategic Housing Development and Co-living statutory regulations which allowed for fast-track applications to An Bord Pleanála, deliberately intended to bypass professional planners, councillors and residents. The new Planning and Development Bill also contains dangerous and ill thought out proposals to restrict the ability of residents’ associations and community groups to challenge bad planning decisions and make it harder for voluntary groups to participate in the planning process. This is not simply undemocratic but very damaging to effective, community led planning of new housing estates.

While I acknowledge the importance of Dublin Airport both as a strategic and economic transport hub, the introduction of the north runway has had a detrimental impact on those living close to the airport and under the flight paths. It's clear they are not following the flight paths that were outlined in the 2007 planning application for the north runway and that they are impacting communities. Infringements of planning regulations by any industry are not acceptable. 

Given the existing transport infrastructure, I don't believe that a major expansion of the airport should be considered soon. Residents are already suffering from severe noise pollution and traffic congestion and any expansion would only make this worse. Any expansion should only be considered once better transport links like the Metro are complete and some way found to reduce the noise impact on residents. In the meantime, we should look at developing our regional airports and move away from our Dublin-centric model.

In terms of Dublin Airport's current operation, we should be extremely grateful to the workers in the airport who provide a quality service ensuring that our Céad Míle Fáilte, that Ireland is so famous for is the first and last thing you see when coming or going anywhere. In terms of Development for the Airport. We are simply behind the times. We have the only Capital Airport in EUROPE without a rail line and that is simply unacceptable. It is the main airport in the country and not having a rail-line is mind-boggling. 

We also need to take to task the idea that resident's opinions do not matter. People who live in the area need to be consulted on any new developments that are planned and the DAA need to abide by the same rules as anyone else when it comes to planning permission. Housing is difficult enough to achieve in this country, many families are losing sleep over the current state of our housing situation. The last thing they need to lose sleep over is travel paths of planes. No development can happen without taking into consideration, and serious consideration of what the residents are saying. 

In terms of sustainability, we also need to operate in a much cleaner, greener solution to our travel and operations within our airspace and air-travel. It must accommodate our green initiatives and sustainability targets. There are much more important issues to fix than further expanding our main airport. Creating transport infrastructure to effectively get to and from the airport is much more important than expanding currently. The only way to get to the airport effectively in the likes of my area in Castleknock, is getting a taxi or getting a lift, when there are multiple rain stations within walking distance. 

I campaigned many years ago with our local Deputy Louise O'Reilly TD against the noise pollution that the second runway was going to bring and effect local residents. 

We also campaigned hard against late night flights which the DAA wanted to bring in. 

I have huge support for St. Margaret's The Ward Residents and Forum and the Fingal Organised Residents United Movement, they have been to the forefront with public meetings and discussions with the community.

The anger at the daa who have ignored planning conditions, flouted the law and turned peoples lives upside down.

But people are furious with government parties who they say are ‘in collusion’ with the daa and are not representing residents affected by noise. 

I do support the local jobs it has brought but it needs to be more engaged locally for people who live, work and enjoy family life beside the airport.

I would be against a new private 3rd terminal as I feel the money should be better spent at connection the metro north from the airport to the city and surrounding areas.

Dublin Airport performs an indispensable function for our regional economy and is a key employer in Fingal. But some of the recent plans and actions of the Dublin Airport Authority are unacceptable, not least in seeking to allow more night flights and challenging existing planning conditions to mitigate noise pollution. The DAA has not been a good neighbour to local communities badly affected by aircraft noise, which has well known physical and mental health impacts. The proposed increase in hours and the removal of the 65 cap for night flights would severely compromise the residential amenity of residents living in the flight path of aircraft, especially in St Margaret’s the Ward and Hollystown.

I supported the enforcement action taken by Fingal Council to protect residents in Hollystown, St Margaret’s the Ward and Coolquay from noise pollution and along with my colleague Cllr Mary McCamley wrote to the Council executive, urging the Chief Executive to challenge the stay on the enforcement action granted to the DAA.

The Greens nationally have made public transport a priority and funded major projects everywhere, while cutting fares by 20% for adults and 60% for young people. Public transport use grew by 25% last year alone, which shows the value of investment.

Councillors don’t control this directly, but what we do have some say over is the allocation of road space. We need to dedicate more road space to bus lanes - it isn’t right that a bus with 60 people is stuck in traffic behind a car with just one person. We need to elect councillors who will stand up to extreme pressure from the motoring lobby. We need to work productively with the NTA and other bodies who are leading on the delivery to ensure the projects are of maximum benefit to the community. Where there are issues, I will work closely with communities to highlight local concerns and push for improvements in safety for people walking and cycling, greening for the area and traffic calming.

We need to see public transport improvements delivered quickly so that we can benefit from more frequent, reliable services. The TFL App should only contain details of bus services that are actually running so that people are not standing waiting for a bus service which suddenly disappears as is happening constantly with the no. 37 and 38 buses at the moment. I want to see the delivery of the N8 orbital route which will go from Blanchardstown Shopping Centre to the Airport prioritised as residents in Dublin 15 have to rely on private cars and taxis at the moment to get to the airport. This service would be transformative to the area. I have been working with the NTA on both these issues.

I would strongly support the council using cameras to detect red light breakers and illegal bus lane users, to make public transport flow more smoothly. This sort of work would also work best with improved provision of disabled parking spaces and commercial loading bays.

Improved accessibility of our buses and trains is also key, so that public transport can be an option for everyone, especially older people, people with disabilities, and those travelling with children in buggies. It is particularly important to have winter maintenance plans in place so that we can prioritise the movement of public transport during extreme weather events rather than focusing on the movement of private cars. 

As mentioned previously with regards to cycling and footpath infrastructure. We also need to look at why our traffic congestion is so poor. We have a huge cohort of our commuters who believe the car is the handiest option, and in most cases with our current infrastructure, they're correct, but that puts a huge cost in their pockets due to unreliability and infrequency of public transport as well as the sheer lack of amenities accessing our transport. 

I'm very passionate about accessibility so one of the things I want to focus on is pushing for an accessibility audit of our local train stations. Sometimes I cannot use the stairs when using the train, or sometimes I walk with a cane due to an ongoing back injury I have. Not having a lift-system in days I can't manage the stairs means I have to walk through the park, onto the road, up onto a narrow path which pushes either myself or other pedestrians into oncoming traffic and down to the other side if I need to access the other side of the platform. Lift access is the essential link between waiting 5 minutes or upwards of an hour for another train at times. Also, where lifts are in operation, they are often locked behind a service point. Accessibility requirements are not always visible and in 2024 it's about time we break those barriers down. This also affects parents with young children/babies/prams and our elderly also. 

Other than that we need to push for the Dart West line to occur and occur quickly. Blanchardstown alone has a population of 100,000 people roughly in the area and not having adequate rail services simply is not good enough. We need to push for these developments. Similar with rumblings of potentially expanding the Luas. If we take TU Dublin for example, the Luas extends to 2/3 primary sites in the county's first TU. When I was local campus President for Blanchardstown, the transportation links to the college were so unmanageable the college had to engage in private hires to fix the gap. 

Otherwise we need to look at bus frequency and reliability as well as shelters, cameras and real time information at every one of our bus stops. It's bad enough waiting for busses that never show up, it's worse again waiting in the middle of winter when there's fierce winds and rain making the wait more miserable again. We need to look to European cities such as Berlin, Amsterdam, Paris for the likes of how they can manage their public transport so well and learn from them. Increase in routes need to happen also, to provide inter-connectivity within our community. 

Finally, while the welcoming of fare reductions were of paramount, we need to continuously push to make transport affordable for people. It cannot be cheaper to drive to Limerick or Cork from Dublin when the alternatives are much more expensive and considerably longer. 

One that comes to mind straight away is connecting bus routes from Blanchardstown to the airport, looking at our rural communities to connect busses to service the shops and many services we have available in Fingal. 

We need to look strategically at apartment complex’s and see can we have a vision of Carless apartments, this would only work where you have close access to Rail and bus stations.

This one is straightforward – more buses, more of the time. The bus service in some parts of Dublin 15 is worse now than it was five or ten years ago. Secondly, electrification of the Maynooth line while meeting community concerns about the environment, traffic congestion and visual impact of new bridges.

We need much greater investment in buses and better community input into decisions on public transport. The local redesign of services for Bus Connects is problematic and has contributed to a deterioration in service on the 37 and 39 routes. Other elements of Bus Connects which are more positive, such as a Core Bus Corridor from Blanchardstown to the city centre, have not yet been implemented. There are far too many ‘ghost buses’, where buses fail to turn up as advertised and this is particularly bad on the 37 and 39 bus routes.

DART+West is a very positive strategic project, but has been delayed many times and is still around six years from operation at best. Also some of the initial plans for the DART+West were badly flawed, involving the destruction of Ashtown stables, massive concrete bridges and promotion of traffic gridlock in Dublin 15 – many of these concerns have not been resolved yet. We should be able to achieve electrification of the rail line while protecting the local environment and respecting local concerns about traffic congestion, visual impact of the bridges and protecting a valuable community resource such as Ashtown stables.

I would support a single Dublin regional transport authority which reports to the four Dublin councils, the current system of decision-making by state agencies has no accountability to local representatives and not enough input from local communities. I have submitted motions to our Area Committee calling on Dublin Bus and the NTA to explain the high incidence of ‘ghost buses’ and to address the serious failures in service for communities in Dublin 15.

I will prioritise investing in making roads safer with lower speed limits, with a move to 30km/h zones as a default in towns, to protect motorists, pedestrians, cyclists, and reduce crashes. I will push for infrastructural improvements to tackle speeding and ensure that roads are designed to prioritise road safety, particularly that of children and other vulnerable road users..

Fingal County Council generally do not install speed bumps or other traffic calming measures inside estates, but where residents feel that speeding is an issue within an estate I will work with them to lobby the Council to carry out a speed survey and implement any necessary traffic calming measures. This is something I have already done with St Mochtas Residents Assosciation.

Segregated bike lanes will increase cyclist safety and lower the number of accidents on the road. This should be done as part of a network, not just small bits of unconnected lanes, and be safe enough for everyone from young children to pensioners to be able to use with confidence. These cycle lanes should be segregated by a small kerb at the very least – not just a white line – such as is being proposed by the Council as part of the Auburn Avenue Walking and Cycling Scheme. This is especially important near schools. This work will be politically difficult - it will need the backing of dedicated councillors who strongly believe in the cycling and walking agenda.

I will support “bike parks”, converting a small area in a car park for free, secure bike parking, particularly near transport hubs, as well as “Bike Bunkers” and look forward to supporting residents in getting them installed on their streets over the next few years.

We also need raised zebra crossings at minor junctions, such as those installed at the roundabout by Scope to Grow in Laurel Lodge and the Coolmine roundabout in Carpenterstown, to provide for pedestrian priority, alongside safer crossing points – we’ve worked to secure a reduction in the cost of installing such crossings so that they can be used much more. That, combined with improved and widened footpaths would really improve things for pedestrians - particularly those who need extra time or space. We need to ensure that temporary works do not cut off access to cycleways and footpaths.

I will also push for lighting that is “human scale” directed at footpaths instead of towards carriageways, often leaving our paths in near darkness. In open spaces that are used as part of commuting, I will push for lighting to be installed, such as the lighting that will be installed on Laurel Lodge Green to facilitate those going across the green to use the train. Benches are also key to ensure that people who are walking can get a rest.

Many of the lights in our junctions at busy periods heavily prioritise cars - at the expense of people walking. You will see hundreds of pedestrians forced to wait for car traffic to pass, which inexplicably enjoys more time. I want junction timing that prioritises disabled people, pedestrians, bikes, public transport - in that order.

I will also champion the introduction of annual car-free days in specific areas, to enable local markets and festivals, supporting communities that want car-free neighbourhoods.

One of the biggest issues I feel that needs to be addressed in older developments is that the footpaths are not fully accessible in the way that they are in newer developments. There are not proper road crossings with tactile paving, the footpath surfaces are not smooth or flat with many paths having huge height differences in parts which make it difficult for those with mobility issues to move around safely and easily. I would like to see an action included in the Fingal County Council Access Strategy to retrospectively examine out footpath network and make any necessary improvements. This will also need to be properly resourced and addressing this in the next budget is one of the things I will be looking at if elected to the Council. 

In other parts of my responses to these questions I've covered footpaths, cycling and transport infrastructure. These will help create safer routes. Particularly the segregated bike and footpaths from the roads. 

In terms of traffic, we are seeing an alarming number of deaths on our roads. National average speeds on open roads like done in areas of France will help reduce congestion, but also looking at the likes of country road developments where in more rural areas of Fingal, there are dangerous roads where the speed limit is 80 which is simply too dangerous. In terms of highly residential and school zones, our speeds need to be curbed to 30Kmph along with the install of smart traffic light management as opposed to pre-programmed ones causing congestion. 

In terms of congestion and heavy-flow traffic, it causes people to rush in time to get to work, ultimately causing accidents. We need to look at also promoting car-pooling/ride-sharing, constructing more parking infrastructure near public transport routes to encourage less cars on the road,as mentioned earlier, improving the quality of our public transport. Crack down on parking near heavily congested areas where possible and feasible and again, overhaul our traffic light management system to a smart one. We also need to extend the time to cross the roads in terms of green-lighting, particularly when lights change very quickly, putting our most vulnerable in our community at risk.  

• Fix and repair bad road conditions areas under inspection. 
• For safety of dog walkers, wheelchair users and families with children using buggies, I feel we need to have crash barriers at traffic light junctions. 
• At traffic light junctions CCTV cameras for those who break and endanger others. 
• Look at definitions European wide where traffic calming measures have been installed to improve safety. 
• I’m a big supporter of Ramps to slow drivers down especially outside schools - Playings fields - Parks and built up areas for families crossing with kids, our elderly & people with disabilities or wheel chair bound. 
• I feel we need to tackle speed limits again in towns and villages, we need to lower speed limits in housing estates. 
• We need to link in again with schools and have our young children educated on the importance of road safety.

 

Better separation of cars, pedestrians and cyclists is crucial and Fingal is making considerable efforts to achieve this in any new cycle paths, but many older roads are not safe for walking or using a bike. I support the 30kph speed limit for estate roads in residential areas and in some cases traffic calming is needed, especially on roads right beside primary schools or those used as ‘rat runs’ through residential estates. I have worked with the traffic engineers and local communities to achieve consensus in favour of traffic calming where significant safety issues have emerged.

Effective use of uncontrolled zebra crossings would be a big help and I successfully proposed a new raised pedestrian crossing at the main roundabout near Coolmine train station, which is currently being implemented. I would like to see more frequent use of such crossings, especially on narrow rural or semi-rural roads with limited or no footpaths, which were never designed for the level of traffic which they received.

Many of the points relevant to answer this question are the same as those for the question above.

I will prioritise investing in making roads safer with lower speed limits, with a move to 30km/h zones as a default in towns, to protect motorists, pedestrians, cyclists, and reduce crashes. I will push for infrastructural improvements to tackle speeding and ensure that roads are designed to prioritise road safety, particularly that of children and other vulnerable road users.

Segregated bike lanes will increase cyclist safety and lower the number of accidents on the road. This should be done as part of a network, not just small bits of unconnected lanes, and be safe enough for everyone from young children to pensioners to be able to use with confidence. These cycle lanes should be segregated by a small kerb at the very least – not just a white line. That’s especially important near schools. This work will be politically difficult - it will need the backing of dedicated councillors who strongly believe in the cycling and walking agenda.

We also need raised zebra crossings at minor junctions, to provide for pedestrian priority, alongside safer crossing points – we’ve worked to secure a reduction in the cost of installing such crossings so that they can be used much more. That, combined with improved and widened footpaths would really improve things for pedestrians - particularly those who need extra time or space. We need to ensure that temporary works do not cut off access to cycleways and footpaths. I will also push for lighting that is “human scale” directed at footpaths instead of towards carriageways, often leaving our paths in near darkness. Benches are also key to ensure that people who are walking can get a rest.

Many of the lights in our junctions at busy periods heavily prioritise cars - at the expense of people walking. You will see hundreds of pedestrians forced to wait for car traffic to pass, which inexplicably enjoys more time. I want junction timing that prioritises disabled people, pedestrians, bikes, public transport - in that order.

I will also champion the introduction of annual car-free days in specific areas, to enable local markets and festivals, supporting communities that want car-free neighbourhoods.

In terms of getting around by bike: I want to push for segregated biking lanes. This keeps vehicles, pedestrians and cyclists segregated and safe. This feeds into establishing safe school routes for our young people. I also want to include bike maintenance stops throughout our parks amenities and resourcing overhaul, as well as better biking infrastructure. I believe we should learn from Europe in all of our approaches in terms of best practice, and who better to learn from than the Biking Capital of Europe, the Netherlands in terms of planning, zoning and development as well as the likes of bike parking in developments . One thing I will also be fighting for is a crack-down on illegal parking. Illegal parking disadvantages all in society, often forcing parents with prams, wheelchair users and mobility impaired people onto oncoming traffic. Engaging with our cycling community when being ambitious in our development of the area is also of paramount importance, this among many other priorities for improving the quality of biking transport across Fingal. I believe the asks of the Irish Cycling Campaign are very reasonable and would align with my ambition to push Fingal County Council to be more ambitious in our planning of the local area.

In terms of getting around by foot: We need to, as standard, consult our communities, but furthering that we need to look at the likes of widening paths where needed, improving the quality of our paths and walkways, putting our walkways through accessibility audits that ensures every member of our community can get around without hassle. I would absolutely love to engage with local businesses to provide 'out-time' for our communities in the local area, which would potentially see our work-force enjoy some extra time in our parks over lunch when the weather permits. Similar with resident's associations through community centres organising the likes of 'Walk Wednesdays' where the local community is encouraged to get out and explore their local green-ways. This will also have a huge impact on mental health, particularly our older community. We also need to look at increased lighting, drainage and upkeep of our footpaths to ensure they are properly designed and accessible, but also consistent. The random tarmac blobs in the middle of original cobble-work is not aesthetically appealing, so consistency needs to play a part in this also.

I feel bigger engagement locally with communities, resident association's, sports groups and Fingal council with a vision to improve and create ideas for walking and cycling.

This could be used as local projects in schools across Fingal while teaching young children about safety on our roads. 

We need more funding in our budgets from Government to allow upgrading to our pathways so they are wheelchair friendly and safe to travel on. 

Firstly, improve the footpaths. The condition of many older footpaths in Blanchardstown, Coolmine and Clonsilla is very poor and sometimes dangerous. I have personally seen multiple trip hazards for anyone but particularly children and older residents. I worked with other Councillors on a cross party basis to secure a higher budget for Operations (including footpaths) in more heavily populated areas such as Dublin two year ago, this has made some difference but more investment is needed to make our footpaths safe and accessible to all. We also need to remove obstacles which impede accessibility for people with disabilities and conduct regular walkability audits to ensure that disabled people or people with mobility difficulties can move around freely and feel safe in their own area.

Also much better planning of cycle paths to ensure that cars, walkers and cyclists are segregated more fully from each other. Progress is being made with new cycle paths and Fingal Council has a commitment to active travel. A new cycle path from Blanchardstown to Castleknock via Farmleigh is badly needed to ensure safe movement on foot or on a bike between Carpenterstown and the Phoenix Park.

Last year Fingal CC announced a Biodiversity Action Plan that included 100 different actions to protect nature and improve biodiversity in the county that has been seriously damaged by development, pollution, and climate change. I advocated for the Liffey Valley SAAO to be included in this action plan and will be seeking the re-establishment of the Liffey Valley SAAO Management Committee as soon as possible in order to protect and enhance biodiversity in the area.

The Green Party has hugely increased the funding of the National Parks and Wildlife Service, and ensured the funding for the appointment of bioversity officers in every Local Authority – we want to make their work as success and support their efforts as they work to reintroduce a biodiversity positive approach throughout the work of Fingal County Council.

We need to reverse some of the damage that has been done and there are fantastic community groups all over the county doing great work on the ground and a huge interest in improving and protecting nature – the Greens are keen to support them wherever we can, politically, financially and practically. For example, I have supported Stepping Stone Forests, Cloudforests and Earthwatch Europe on soil preparation and planting days in schools and services across Dublin 15 and will continue to do this. I have co-founded the Laurel Lodge Environmental Group which aims to increase biodiversity locally through the provision of reduced mowing areas, bulb planting, promoting the use of native Irish Wildflowers and the creation of a mini orchard in the area. 

As mentioned above in terms of increasing bee friendly flora, one thing I would push for a re-evaluation of the Phoenix Park Conservation Management Plan by experts in the area with a key mandate of being more ambitious with our programmes, exploring partial reforestation. Looking locally, we should be planning long-term for our greenways as well as incorporating more accessible public bins as well as cracking down on illegal dumping through amnesty points throughout the year that have had similarly been put in place for Halloween, this reduces the natural habitat destruction of our wildlife and local pollution reducing infestations and keeping our waterways cleaner. This will have to extend to polluters also within the business field, where excessive consumption of water, fumes etc, will be pushed to create a more environmentally friendly and ultimately carbon neutral approach to business planning. Another key element is reintroducing and continuous planting of native flora and foliage in our parks across Fingal. Ireland has a rich selection of flora, foliage and wildlife. These should be introduced into our parks across Fingal and be left alone. Rewilding areas of our parks will allow nature alone to heal, something we saw explode over COVID where cities, when less polluted, saw a very quick introduction of more wildlife in the area.

Also equipped Tidy Towns local groups with resourcing to ensure that our rewilding and increase in natural foliage increases and grows. The installation of cameras to monitor and keep track of illegal dumping will increase in surveillance of the area also making it a safer environment.

By engaging with local community groups with an idea to improve green spaces to help grow our foods like many of our allotments. 

I feel many proposed developments have not enough green space for park and recreation space to enjoy.

This needs more attention when it comes to Development and local area plans, again we need local knowledge to identify areas that could come into play. 

Protecting and promoting biodiversity is one of my key priorities as a local representative and community volunteer. As an elected member of the Fingal Biodiversity Forum, I took the lead in ensuring that all 100 objectives in the Fingal Biodiversity Action Plan were funded by the Council, working with other Councillors on a cross party basis to get a strong commitment to promoting biodiversity across Fingal. I have worked with Castleknock and Blanchardstown Tidy Towns to plant trees, including an open orchard directly outside my own estate and to get more pollinator beds planted in our area.

I proposed an ecological corridor to protect biodiversity along the Royal Canal and this was originally added as an objective to the development plan, but was removed by a majority vote of one by Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil Councillors.

I successfully made the case for park benches to be installed on estate green spaces in Dublin 15 for the first time, with the first pilot project taking place in Castleknock with the support of Castleknock Tidy Towns. This encourages passive recreation and makes green spaces more accessible for older residents.

To ensure sufficient facilities are provided for to a growing population it needs to be built into our planning system. Sites and locations must be identified prior to any building being undertaken. I believe that this has been improved upon in the last development plan, where the Green Party in Fingal had a motion passed which meant that open and green space increased from 11% to 15% in all developments of 35dpa (dwellings per acre) or more, but we have a lot to catch up on.

I will work with local sports clubs to ensure they are aware of funding opportunities such as the Government’s Sports Capital and Equipment Programme, with a view to helping them deliver more quality sporting facilities for local communities.

One major issue for me is that lack of public swimming pools in the county and the overreliance on private sports clubs to teach children to swim. Parents are currently driving great distances and at huge inconvenience to access a swimming pool. I believe all children in urban areas should have access to a public pool by foot or on public transport. I will advocate for the council to look at new and innovative solutions such as overground swimming pools and pop-up pools to provide more opportunities for young people to access swimming.

All towns should have easy access to open spaces where people and children can be in nature. Access to nature is essential for both physical and mental health. We are lucky in Fingal to have so many beautiful parks and beaches, but we need to ensure all our citizens have better access to them and ensure they are open at times when they can be appreciated.

Consultative processes across our Local Authority Area with the likes of the National Sports Campus, Third Level Colleges, Local Sports Clubs and Residents needs to create a needs analysis for what exactly is needed. Putting up sporting infrastructure across our parks will encourage our communities to get out and active. These are low-cost, simple installs with relatively low maintenance that provide huge benefits to physical activity and exercise. This also will provide 'things to do' for young people in the area. In terms of parks, a land audit will assess building opportunities across Fingal, where we as a council can utilise these spaces as opportunities to develop and grow. Every estate across Fingal, should be within walking distance of a local park. Paired with the increase in amenities as mentioned above will provide a place for communities to gather and enjoy their public spaces.

You can find out more about my plans for all of the above and reach out directly to me by going to Linktr.ee/LukeDalySocDems. 

As a local football coach and ex player I have a great understanding about parks and sports facilities, one thing I always say is we don’t have enough. 

I think we need to upgrade our local facilities to Astro type grounds and multi purpose facilities, many clubs in all sports around Fingal have to cancel games during the week and weekends due to rainfall we have in Ireland. 

This would help to ensure that our youth and seniors always get to enjoy sports and health benefits. 

Any development that arising within Fingal needs to add a fund for community gain, the bigger the project the bigger the fund. 

This would go along way with enhancing parks and sport facilities, this would also need to be built at the first stage or in tandem with any development.

As a member of the Fingal Strategic Policy Committee on Community, I was successful in securing an annual fund of €400,000 for essential building works for non Fingal community centres which perform a crucial role across Dublin 15. This funding is extremely important to nonprofit community centres which offer vital community spaces and services and did so for a long time without any support from the State. I lobbied the executive of Fingal Council for completion of the Sports Hub in Porterstown Park and was delighted when it opened in 2023, providing invaluable facilities for a range of sporting codes and clubs. I have also been instrumental in several successful funding applications for my local community centre in Laurel Lodge.