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4th October 2016 • Volume 23, Issue 34 • Leader House, North Street, Swords, Co. Dublin. K67 P5W4. • Tel: 01 8•400•200 • info@northcountyleader.ie • www.northcountyleader.ie
Minister Must Act Now! Pictured at the official opening of the new Castle Mill Link Road in Balbriggan on Friday, 30th September, are Deputy Louise O'Reilly TD, Cllr Malachy Quinn, Fingal County Council Chief Executive, Paul Reid, County Mayor, Cllr Darragh Butler who officially opened the road, Cllr Grainne Maguire, Senator James Reilly and Senator Lorraine Clifford-Lee
Mayor Opens Castle Mill Road In Balbriggan County Mayor, Cllr Darragh Butler, officially opened the Castle Mill Road in Balbriggan on Friday last, 30th September. The road, which cost €1.4m to build, was funded from the Council’s development levies and the project was delivered on time and on budget. Although it is only 530m long, the opening of the Castle Mill Road represents an important milestone in the ongoing development of Balbriggan by Fingal County Council. It will be a key link between large areas of residential developments, with a local commercial centre, and the road network surrounding Balbriggan. The road consists of a single lane in each direction, together with a footpath and cycleways on each side. A pedestrian crossing has also been installed adjacent to St George’s School and similar signals were constructed at the Moylaragh junction. Among the benefits the Castle Mill Road will bring to Balbriggan is the removal of Heavy Goods Vehicles from the main residential and recreational areas of north-west Balbriggan, as well as enhanced access from north-west Balbriggan to the Naul Road. It will also provide improved and safer access to and from the schools in the area, through the provision of new cycle and footpath facilities. There will also be enhanced access to the main shopping areas on the Naul Road and to Balbriggan town centre, as well as an alternative access route to the main residential areas of northwest Balbriggan for public service vehicles. “We view this as a significant asset for the area, which we hope will be the springboard for further enhancements,” said Fingal County Council Chief Executive, Paul Reid. It’s a small but significant piece in ensuring that the people of Balbriggan have a better quality of life, enhanced accessibility and safer communities,” he said. County Mayor, Cllr Darragh Butler said: “Hopefully as the economy recovers, and we have the means to invest in the County and further develop its essential infrastructures, we will have many such occasions in the coming years. This is a good day for local residents, who have experienced high levels of traffic in this area and the associated inconvenience, but also for the businesses, schools and other facilities in the local community,” he said.
Senator James Reilly has called on his successor as Minister for Children, Dr Katherine Zappone to act quickly with regard to Oberstown and to visit the area to meet with worried local residents. Reilly raised the Oberstown issue in the Seanad on 29th September last. Speaking to the County Leader, Reilly said,” What we want is a safe place for young offenders to undergo rehabilitation and re-education. We also need a safe place for staff to work without being intimidated or at risk. Taxpayers’ property needs to be protected and most importantly, local residents need to feel safe in their homes. Currently we don’t have any of this and
the Minister needs to come and meet with the local people, who have Senator James Reilly in Balbriggan been very supportive of this staff members and Minister to meet with the institution over fear among older representative group of the past 40 people in the residents,” he said. years.” Minister Zappone community, she When asked if he thought “With the escareally needs to Minister Zappone was doing lating number of serious come and meet the resi- enough, he replied, “She incidents amounting to dents to reassure them. The needs to reassure residents millions of euros of damage, Board of Management do that matters are going to be as well as personal injury to their best, but this needs a taken in hand that will not result on such a burden being placed on Gardai and result in escapes causing concern to older people and children in the area being stopped,” he said. “I want to raise a serious issue which has been escalating over the past several months at Oberstown facility for young offenders. This is an excellent new-build, costing more than €50 million, which is very much focused on the rehabilitation and re-education of young offenders to give them a second chance, which all Members will agree they are fully entitled to and we would like them to have.” There has been, however, an A new Sinn Fein Constituency Office, the first in the constituency of Dublin Fingal was ever-increasing number of opened in Swords on Friday last by Sinn Fein President, Gerry Adams. Local Sinn Fein TD serious incidents at the Louise O'Reilly was delighted with the new facility, when she said, “Opening our local facility with staff injuries. Constituency Office here in Swords is a massive day for Sinn Fein and a massive day for me, Local residents have our councillors and our MEP. It’s great to have a place in the centre of the constituency, become extremely where people can go. It’s a resource for our members, but more importantly, it’s a a concerned about these inciresource for our constituents.” Pictured at the opening are, Cllr Malachy Quinn, Cllr Philip dents. There are many old Lynam, Cllr Dara Ní Laoí, Sinn Fein President, Gerry Adams and Louise O'Reilly TD people in the vicinity living
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on their own, as well as many parents of young children. They are becoming increasingly concerned, due to several abscontions and a fire on the roof causing considerable damage to the wonderful facility. There was an incident where a staff member was locked in a room and held to ransom. The Garda eventually had to go to the facility to release the staff member. The newspapers report that last week, over €1 million worth of damage was caused to the facility. Over the past several months, clearly whatever protocols are in place at this facility are not working. Staff feel threatened. I know many of them myself as I worked there as a general practitioner. Many of the staff have worked there for years but do not want to go back. Having been the Minister involved with the facility’s development, I know it was difficult to get staff to work there. Accordingly, it makes it all the more important that they should be retained and feel protected at work. “I have contacted the Minister responsible on this issue, seeking a meeting with local resi-
dents to reassure them. All I have received so far is an acknowledgement. People in the area support the facility and have shown good will to it. They are deeply worried about the escalating incidents over the past two months. Given this and the money invested in the facility, will the Leader invite the Minister to attend the House to explain what has gone wrong at the facility and why there have been a significant number of incidents there? I believe the protocols in place do not allow staff to deal with young offenders. These are young men, 16 and 17, some of whom are aggressive and are as large as many of us, if not larger. The staff need to be able to deal with these problems when they pass a certain point without having to resort to the Gardaí, which has a significant amount of other work to do and can well do without being continually called to the facility. If the protocols were somewhat different, as they have been in the past, these situations would not get to the point they have,” he concluded.
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