Southside News 05-08-2020

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Some Bottle: Anger over Ringsend site CONTROVERSY has erupted over a plan to build 3,500 homes with one million square feet of commercial space, as well as a school and a park on the former Irish Glass Bottle site in Ringsend.

A consortium lead by developer Johnny Ronan’s real estate group and Colony Capital has been selected as the preferred bidder to acquire an 80% shareholding.

The National Asset Management Agency (NAMA) will retain a 20% shareholding in the venture which extends to 37 acres on the Poolbeg Peninsula.

The site benefits from fast-track planning following

approval by An Bord Pleanála.

However, the Irish Glass Bottle Housing Action Group has expressed “significant fear of the consequences of this development in the community”.

There is a strong and resilient community in Ringsend/ Irishtown, but we are fearful for the future of the community.

It is nearly impossible for local people to afford housing in their area,” a spokesperson said.

“The announcement is an important milestone in our strategy for this key site. The competitive process adopted was designed to achieve best financial return in line with the requirements of the NAMA Act

and facilitate delivery of muchneeded housing for the Dublin market in time,” NAMA Chief Brendan McDonagh said.

The Ronan Group is believed to have bid “substantially more” than NAMA’s €125m guide price, according to sources, and beat three other bidders on the shortlist to gain the 80pc stake.

The other contenders were US private equity house Lone Star, the Hines property group and Sean Mulryan’s Ballymore.

Commenting on the news, Sinn Féin Dublin City Councillor Daniel Céitinn said it was “a local, regional and national scandal” that NAMA was disposing of the site in this way.

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Minister for Climate Action Eamon Ryan TD, Hildegarde Naughton TD, and CEO of the National Transport Authority Anne Graham at oublication of the NTA’s ‘Bike Life’ survey. See page 18. Pic: Maxwells

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05.08.20

€150k donated to Simon Communities

Klair Neenan of SSE Airtricity and Jennifer Kitson, National Partnerships Manager at Dublin Simon Community. Pic: Chris Bellew/Fennell Photography

SSE Airtricity has made a €150,000 contribution to Simon Communities, in response to the Covid-19 crisis which has led to a significant drop in their fund-raising.

The impact of the pandemic on Simon have been “costly and wide-ranging”, according to the organisation.

A spokesperson said the support of SSE Airtricity was

not only helping the charity to respond to the Covid-19 crisis, but would also have a huge impact on Simon services across Ireland.

In 2019, SSE Airtricity employees selected the Simon Communities as the energy firm’s charity partner of choice.

Simon provides crucial supports both to people experiencing homelessness

and those in danger of falling into homelessness.

The money raised by SSE Airtricity will go towards the provision of vital services to those in need, which will be delivered by Simon Communities across Ireland.

Jennifer Kitson, of the Simon Communities, said:“Simon Communities are continuously responding

Right up our street: Lack of cars sees city sales rise Some businesses in Dublin City Centre have seen an increase of 100% in trade during the trial pedestrianisation of streets around Grafton St, a Dublin City Council survey claims.

The first of four weekend pedestrianisations led to increased takings of between 40% and 100%, according to a survey of 292 businesses.

The locations for the trials are: Anne Street South from the junction of Dawson Street Duke Street South William Street from the Brown Thomas carpark exit to Chatham Row Drury Street from Fade Street to the Drury Street carpark Dame Court From Exchequer Street The trial pedestrianisations are running for a total of four weekends and were introduced to boost economic recovery in the Grafton St area.

In a report to councillors the city council had stated that at the start of July footfall in Grafton St was only 20% of pre-

Josepha Madigan TD, Minister of State for Special Education and Inclusion, with Ben McDermott at Saint Augustine’s School, Blackrock, Dublin. Pic: Maxwells

Covid levels compared to 50% for Henry St. The latest figures show Grafton St rising to 50% and Henry St now reaching 80% on a Sunday.

“The trial has gone very well to date,” said Brendan O’Brien, Head of Technical Services with Dublin City Council. “The reaction over the weekend was largely positive and the area

certainly seemed to benefit from these measures.

At the moment we are considering responses received to date and requests to extend the pedestrian hours at a number of locations and reviewing if other changes are required.”

Members of the public can make their views known by taking part in an online survey

on the Dublin City Council website. These measures are being taken to support the economic recovery of the city by providing more space for pedestrians during weekends to encourage people to return for shopping, and to make use of the many cafés and restaurants in the area and so enjoy the city centre.

Temporary street furniture

permits have been issued to a number of cafés/restaurants on South Anne Street, Drury Street and Dame Court to assist them in the re-opening of their businesses and to provide for social distancing requirements.

Tables and chairs for these businesses’ customers are be permitted in allocated on-street areas.

to ensure the health and wellbeing of our clients and staff is protected.

SSE Airtricity’s incredibly generous support is playing a critical role in Simon Communities’ ongoing response to Covid-19 by helping us to recover the huge cost of PPE which is vital to protecting our staff and clients.

Survey aims to improve elders’ life A PUBLIC consultation with older people to improve their quality of life is being undertaken as part of South Dublin’s County Council’s new ‘Age-Friendly’ strategy.

The strategy seeks to: • Promote opportunities improve the health and wellbeing of older people in the county.

• Encourage older people to take an active part in the social, economic, and cultural life of the community.

• Enhance partnerships between the council, local statutory, private and voluntary organisations.

The Mayor of South Dublin County Council, Cllr Ed O’Brien, said: “Our aim is to make South County Dublin a place where older people are treated with dignity and respect; and their contribution to the social, economic and cultural fabric of the county is valued.”

Cllr Trevor Gilligan, said: “We call upon all older persons, networks and groups to complete this questionnaire.”

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05.08.20

Mr Brennan waxes School sends its students lyrical as yellow wrapper goes green off with video THE wax paper packaging used for many of Brennans Bread products, including the popular sliced Family Pan, is now 100% recyclable and industrial compostable, according to the famed Dublin company.

This means the Brennans wrapping can go into either the green recyclable bin or the brown compost bin.

The news comes as a new survey shows 84% of Irish adults didn’t know this was possible, despite 88% of respondents saying they would have some confidence in knowing whether a product was recyclable or not.

Just 22% claimed they were very confident, while 10% said they would not be confident at all in knowing if a product was recyclable or not.

“There is still some confusion out there and that’s why we decided to launch this sustainability campaign,” said Derek Beatty, Commercial Director, Brennans Bakeries.

“By choosing Brennans Bread,

TV presenter Lucy Kennedy at Brennans Bakeries, launching its new sustainability campaign

consumers are contributing positively towards sustainability and the environment.

Nothing’s changed.

“The iconic wax paper’s look and feel will remain the same.”

Sustainable packaging is one of a number of measures introduced by Brennans Bread to become more environmentally responsible.

Since joining Bord Bia’s Origin Green programme five years ago, Brennans Bread has installed energy monitoring and targeting systems and switched to LED lighting throughout its bakery in Walkinstown.

The Opinions.ie online survey found that almost a third (27%) claim they are recycling/ composting more often since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic with very few (3%) doing less.

Interestingly, it appears the under 35’s have engaged most with recycling since the start of the pandemic.

The closure of the schools due Covid meant a sudden end of school life particularly for the sixth years but one school in Dublin has come up with a great way to share memories.

St Mary’s Secondary School, Baldoyle, prepared two online videos for the departing students.

“The official one had messages from the Principal, the Teachers and the Students.

Individual photos of the students in uniform were also included,” John Moore, Deputy Principal, told the Northside News.

“The End of Year Awards were also announced and various students congratulated.

“We organised special messages from Dublin Footballer, Jack McCaffrey, Celebrity Chef, Derry Clarke, Lord Mayor of Fingal, Eoghan O’ Brien, Local TD, Sean Haughey and a summary message from entrepreneur and former dragon, Norah

Casey. Diane Caldwell, Irish Women’s Soccer International also sent best wishes.

“That was the official version.

“I also prepared an a video charting their six years in St Mary’s.

“The video included many memorable and maybe not so memorable (but funny) moments from each of their years in St. Mary’s.

“It started our as a small project but snowballed.

“It was my first attempt at producing any type of video and took four full days and more.

“We also had special messages from Leinster Rugby with whom we have built up a strong partnership and a very special message from former dragon and entrepreneur, Gavin Duffy.”

The video is available on YouTube and can be viewed here: https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=ASpWRZ w2bCc&t=854s

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05.08.20

How staying at home will get the job done

By Paul Hopkins Notwithstanding that no life is the proverbial bed of roses, the message ‘Don’t bother coming back to the office’, in less extraordinary times, might strike dread in most of us.

One of the benefits of the pandemic has been the realisation that many jobs can be done remotely and you no longer need to be chained to a desk from 9 to 5. With Zoom

and such, instead of face-toface meetings, remote working lifestyles look more and more achievable.

Leo Varadkar, the new Tanaiste and Minister for Employment, would agree. His department has just set up a public consultation forum to examine the viability of such a potentially dramatic shift in how we work and then play. He rightly says that the benefits to rural Ireland, particularly economically, could be huge, assuming we can sort out the high-speed internet thingy. (In the UK, Health Secretary Mark Hancock says he will consider legislation to make mandatory the option of remote working.)

The idea that office life per se is over is somewhat overstated.

Not everyone loves working

Eleanor De Gama (17) who took part in the virtual Foróige’s Leadership for Life Youth Conference. Pic: Maxwells

away on the sofa day after day, panicking about being out of the, eh, corporate loop.

But for those who have the choice to work from home, the collective dark days we have endured, may be, in fact must be, prompting a reassessment of what truly matters in life.

Commuting parents, who once rarely saw their children awake, have got used to the casual intimacy of being around them all day long. In Facebook feeds more than one hardhitting acquaintance of mine has melted into a babbling bubble of baby pictures. For

the less sentimental, the money saved from not commuting, lunches et al, is adding up; and by now we are au fait with the environmental benefits of reducing traffic on our roads.

For equally as many, working from home has not been plain sailing. Many had little choice in the decision, limited time to prepare, patchy technology skills, and inadequate home workspaces. Yet, some thrived and they (seven out of 10 in one survey) anticipate they will, hopefully, continue to work from home.

There are drawbacks, what

with kids under your feet and partners sparring once too often. Easy access to the fridge has meant weight gain for some, while others have languished at their screens for hours, sitting in awkward positions with no breaks.

Excessive screen-time can damage the retina and poorly designed workplaces can lead to back pain, while sedentary behaviour is associated with a range of health issues, including higher risks of cancers and cardiac problems.

Avoiding the daily commute saves (now precious) time and, as mentioned, money. However, commuting serves a valuable function often overlooked: it gives us time to readjust between work and non-work roles, especially important in demanding jobs. Also, when we lose this ‘buffer zone’ of commuting, too often the time saved is gobbled up by more work, and long hours can bring even more stress, poor sleep and the dreaded high-blood pressure.

Meantime, employers need to respect boundaries, clarifying when employees need to be available, and have agreements

about email and phone access outside of business hours, something lost to a lot of young professionals today.

All that said, those who will continue to work from home can intersperse their work and family time to benefit the entire family; for example, by using a work break to read a story or share a meal. Such quality time can have a significant impact on children’s development and emotional well-being.

Sadly, not every one has those close family relationships, so contact with fellow-workers can be an essential source of support for many. Research shows that those who indulge in office ‘small talk’ experience “more positive emotions” and end the workday in a better frame of mind. The spontaneity of such small talk is hard to replicate in a virtual context.

The good news is that the island of Barbados is keen to cash in on remote working by trying to tempt people to stay long-term on the Caribbean island. Premier Mia Amor Mottle last week said the Bajan government would be introducing a 12-month visa programme to allow visitors to work remotely for up to a year.

I can see it now. Sun, sea and sensuality when I dash off next week’s column. For a whole year. Downside is the visa costs a whopping $20,000!

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05.08.20

Tallaght to share in 1,000 Amazon jobs A TOTAL of 1,000 permanent jobs are to be created in Ireland

by Amazon in the next two years, bringing its permanent workforce here to 5,000 people.

The new jobs will be at the company’s Dublin sites in Blanchardstown, Tallaght, the City centre, and north County Dublin, as well as new posts in Cork.

The global giant is also investing in a new 170,000 square foot campus in Charlemont Square in Dublin.

The new jobs range from software development engineers, network development engineers, systems development engineers, optical deployment engineers, database engineers, DevOps engineers and support engineers.

The company is also looking for data centre technicians and mechanical and electrical engineers, solutions architects, security specialists, big data specialists, technical and nontechnical programme managers and account managers.

The new Dublin campus will be home to Amazon Web Services’ growing cloud computing workforce, and is expected to open in 2022.

“Amazon has been investing and growing in Ireland for more than 15 years, and now we are reaffirming and increasing that commitment with the creation of these highly skilled roles,” said Mike Beary, AWS Ireland Country Manager.

“We have seen a surge in demand for cloud services in Ireland and globally, and we are excited to add 1,000 highly skilled roles so we can continue to help our customers to innovate, especially in this difficult time, and work towards building a robust digital economy for the future,” Mr Beary said.

Martin Shanahan, CEO of IDA Ireland, said that Amazon’s “phenomenal growth” in Ireland was due to its “commitment, energy, and creativity” in how it does business.”

Surge Council to crack down in firms on illegal car parking going online Dublin saw 12,504 new .ie domain registrations in first half of 2020 as businesses rushed to move online in response to the Covid-19 pandemic.

This represents a 24% yearon-year increase in .ie domain registrations in the county, according to the new IE Domain Registry report.

There were 6,303 new .ie domain registrations in Munster, up 32% year-on-year, and 33,286 across the island of Ireland, a 26% year-on-year increase.

Over 40% of all new registrations in Ireland occurred in the two months of May and June, as businesses reacted to the consequences of the Government’s first closure orders.

The report suggests that more companies, selfemployed business owners, and independent professionals have gone online since the lockdown to maintain revenue streams.

Councillor Úna Power, Chief Superintendent Matthew Nyland , Garda Linda Byrne, Robert Burns at the Launch of new cycle lanes in Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown on Seapoint Road. Pic: Peter Cavanagh

Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council is to crack down on bad parking practices and illegal parking, particularly on footpaths and cycle lanes and inconsiderate parking at amenities, near parks or along the coast.

The council also promises action on the dangerous overtaking of cyclists.

A council spokesperson said: “The need to have footpaths and cycle lanes that are unhindered has always been important but, with Covid-19 and the two-metre physical distancing requirement, this is now of critical importance.”

The spokesperson said the Council had been receiving reports of illegal parking on footpaths and cycle lanes at various locations across the county. “There is a specific issue of illegal parking at amenity areas such as beaches and parks but also in a number of our towns and villages.”

The council will be stepping up patrols all across the county in the coming weeks, targeting certain areas and issuing information on social media regarding illegal or inconsiderate parking, an issue which affects us all – pedestrians, cyclists

and motorists. The council is considering additional measures to limit illegal parking, including double yellow lines, bollards and examining the feasibility of making some of the roads oneway only.

The Cathaoirleach of Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown, Cllr Una Power, said: “Illegal parking is a significant issue, especially during summer months.

This has negative impacts for accessibility to and enjoyment of our amazing local amenities.

Blocking footpaths, lane ways and access point is also potentially dangerous.”

RESIDENTS of Seagull House apartments in Crumlin have protested outside Dublin City Council’s offices in their locality, calling for better living conditions.

The residents say they are living with rat infestation, as well as mould and damp — “disgraceful” living conditions — for more than a year.

They also claim there are problems with the insulation, sewerage and drainage system at the development.

Residents say bins are not being collected often enough, and there are problems with the general maintenance of the building.

They also claim communal areas need to be cleaned more frequently.

The protesters have called on Dublin City Council to ease overcrowding in the complex

by increasing access to public housing in the area.

In January last year, a group of residents first came together to form the Seagull House Residents’ Association after they said their repeated complaints to the council were not being responded to.

Peter Dooley, a member of the committee and a former candidate for People Before Profit, said conditions at the apartment block had since become worse.

“The demands were that DCC deal with the following serious issues,” he said.

“1. Rat infestation “2. Mould, dampness, insulation, sewerage and drainage system “3. General maintenance, bin collection service improved, communal areas cleaned regularly,

“4. Overcrowding in apartment complex through the provision of public housing in local community.

“Dublin City Council’s inaction has led to the conditions of their tenants worsening. They are now taking collective action to get their voices heard to the decent living conditions everyone deserves. “ In 2017 the European Committee of social rights reported that Ireland failed to provide adequate housing on local authority estates.”

“I fully support the efforts of the Seagull House residents.”

A council spokesman told the Southside News: “If the residents’ group submit details of the issues that they are raising to the city council’s Housing Department, they will be investigated and the tenants will be contacted directly.”

Residents’s ‘disgraceful’ apartments

05.08.20

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8 Health

05.08.20

It is a true honour to serve as Minister

By Stephen donnelly Minister For Health It has been just over one month since I was handed the extraordinary honour of being made Minister for Health.

I was thrilled to be asked as it was a chance to make good on the reason I entered politics almost a decade ago to be able to help people and implement meaningful change.

However, I’d be lying if I said I didn’t accept my seal of office knowing we face some major challenges in health.

Before Covid-19 our health service was struggling to cope with demand.

We had the longest waiting

lists in Europe while there were over 100,000 people on trolleys last year.

Now since Covid arrived on our shores we have seen our bed capacity of 11,000 reduced by 20%, in a system that ordinary operates at close to 100% .

Some of our surgical procedures are expected to reduce by 50% while in-patient and day case waiting lists have gone up by close to a third.

Our health service is now effectively facing what are war time conditions the likes of which the country has never previously faced.

But as the Greek philosopher Plato said “necessity is the

system, reduce waiting lists by providing additional funding to the National Treatment Purchase Fund and expand its remit to include things like mental health and diagnostics.

We also need to work hand in glove with our clinicians, who it’s important to point out are amongst the most highly skilled in the world, to look at ways to open the diagnostic suites longer and running the operating theatres for longer.

The good news is in just four weeks we have already established a significant beachhead.

•Building work has resumed on the Children’s Hospital while face masks on public transport are now mandatory and soon will be in shops.

• Earlier this month the National Screening Service thankfully begun a phased resumption of its screening programmes starting with Cervical Check.

• The Covid app has been downloaded over 1.4 million times and is being copied

by Governments around the world.

To date over 100 people have already been notified they were in close contact with a coronavirus case thanks to the remarkable take up by the public.

• We are continually improving our tracking and tracing capacity as well as working with our counterparts in Northern Ireland on developing an all island approach to dealing with Covid.

• The R number, which measures the rate of infection between people, is down as a direct result of the difficult

decision to slow down the rate at which we were opening up the country.

• It was also my privilege to be able to introduce a retrospective compensation package for the families of healthcare workers who died from Covid-19 while carrying out their duties.

Our selfless health workers put themselves at risk every day to keep us safe so it is the least we can do to support their loved ones.

•I also introduced the Health Bill which will see free GP care phased in for all primary school children and increases the income limits for medical card assessments for the over 70s.

• In Opposition I had strongly opposed the €20million cuts to the disability sector and promised I would stop them if I got into office.

It was extremely satisfying when I was able to deliver upon that promise this week.

• Similarly, I’m excited about the work we are doing to forge closer links between our health and housing services in order to better protect the homeless.

I’m currently collaborating with my colleague Minister Darragh O’Brien in the Department of Housing on how to create dedicated mental health supports for homeless people with complex needs.

Like I said the war is still nowhere near won but we are starting to gather momentum by wining some important battles.

Dublin institution Bewley’s is to set to reopen by August 27, the company behind it has announced.

The Grafton Street cafe announced in May that it would close permanently leading to the loss of all 110 jobs after it closed temporarily in midMarch due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The reopening will be on a phased basis from starting with coffee and bakery for takeaway only and that it will be staffed by the original employees.

The announcement was made in statement by management and it is believed that the dispute between the cafe and its landlord has been settled.

“We’re conscious of the role that Bewley’s plays in the hearts of visitors and Dubliners and we’re delighted once again to play our part in bringing Dublin’s city centre back to life,” Col Campbell of Bewley’s said.

“We’re thrilled that the team who made Bewley’s such a wonderful place, will once again bring the Bewley’s experience alive with customers, albeit on a phased basis initially.”

The landlords, Ronan Group Real Estate, in a statement said: “We are very mindful of the cultural importance of Bewley’s Café Grafton Street to the city of Dublin, its residents and tourists.

“We hope that the temporary cessation of trade will have brought a renewed focus on the quality of the food offering,

and we look forward to the café’s reopening.” Meanwhile, a national conservation group has said the State should take over the iconic cafe.

“I can’t understand how the Government have not yet done that, I mean they have had two warnings in the past,” Damien Cassidy, chair of the National Conservation and Heritage Group, said.

“The Government’s failed to move, they failed to move when the Bewley family, to which we owe the heritage of Bewley’s, had to sell out, they ran into trading debts.”

Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly launches the Covid-19 tracker app recently

mother of invention” which in our case means we simply must now start to do things differently.

We have to source short-term capacity from outside the public

Bewley’s to come back ... for takeaway

05.08.20

9

10 Education

Two graduates of Coláiste Dhúlaigh College of Further Education (CDCFE) have been nominated for this year’s Irish Film and Television Awards (IFTAs).

Janet Grainger and Aidan McAteer, from the CDCFE Animation Degree, were nominated in the “Short Film - Animation” category for their films Outside the Box and Streets of Fury.

There are five nominations in this category for the IFTA Academy Award. The CDCFE graduates are nominated alongside other Irish names such as Roddy Doyle, Saoirse Ronan and Liam Neeson.

The award ceremony will be presented in a virtual format this September, due to the Covid 19 Pandemic.

Outside the Box by Janet Grainger is an exploration of perceptions within the LGBTQI community. Speaking of the inspiration for the film she says “The human element was always the inspiration for my film. Connecting with people, allowing empathy and sharing an understanding. How we may perceive people within the LGBT community, how they see themselves and whether a label has become restrictive or something to wear with pride.”

Janet speaks about her

05.08.20

CDCFE graduates on the shortlist for IFTA award feelings about the nomination “I am so incredibly proud and grateful to be nominated for an IFTA Award. I think to have not one but two student films nominated for an IFTA is unprecedented and that is also testament to the college.”

Aidan McAteer’s Galway Film Fleadh 2019 winner Streets of Fury is a nod to the classic Sega beat ‘em up game. Speaking about the genesis of the project “Streets of Fury was probably inspired by a childhood spent playing too many video games.

In those games, the story and character were not the most important thing, so I thought it would be interesting to explore those ideas through film with the look of a video game.”

Commenting on the IFTA nomination Aidan says “It was great to get feedback and advice from all the college tutors and my classmates.

At the end of the day, we all make films to be seen (and hopefully enjoyed) by an audience and this feedback proved really valuable in

shaping the film - making sure the jokes worked and the film had some sort of emotional impact. It’s a real delight and honour to be

nominated for an IFTA and I’m very happy to be in such good and talented company in the short animation category.”

Animation course

coordinator, Kevin Lynch, said “ The tutors on the course are enormously proud of our students’ success at animation and film festivals such as Animation Dingle and The Galway Film Fleadh where students have won a number of major awards.

Our students have also been nominated and won awards as far afield as Russia, Korea, Finland, the US, India, Canada and Peru. We are so delighted that both Aidan and Janet have been nominated for IFTAs. This really is an extraordinary achievement for student graduates.”

CDCFE has been running an Animation degree course for six years in its Coolock campus.

It is delivered by experienced industry professionals and has gained an excellent reputation for upskilling graduates to gain employment in a fast changing industry.

Due to the buoyant Irish animation market, the level 8 degree is also funded by the Springboard+ initiative, meaning students can gain their qualification free of charge.

Coláiste Dhúlaigh celebrated its 50 Year Anniversary this year and is currently accepting applications for a wide range of courses beginning in the new academic year.

05.08.20

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12 House & Home

05.08.20

cosy homes now is the time to Wrap up warm before Winter comes

House & Home 13

05.08.20 WE can all agree that the summer isn’t what we e xpected so far this year and many feel that we’ve one long winter.

Rather waiting until later in the year, now is a good time to start thinking about what to do for winter.

Here are some tips to help you along: 1. Open fires can be wasteful of energy with more than 70% of the energy going up the chimney. Using good quality wood and coal will help prevent this. Getting a stove installed now could also help as prices are likely to be better during dealers’ quiet times.

2. 20ºC is an ideal room temperature. Turning down thermostats by 1ºC can reduce annual space heating energy consumption by 10% with an equivalent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions.

Heat bedroom areas to less than 18ºC. 3. Proper temperature and zone control of your central heating system can reduce fuel con-

sumption by 10-20%. There is a Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI.) grant for a heating controls upgrade.

4. Homeowners can typically reduce their energy usage by up to 20% by installing a high efficiency condensing boiler or range cooker as a replacement for older lower efficiency models. There is a S.E.A.I. grant for this measure.

5. Regular servicing of your heating boiler is recommended.

For example, servicing a kerosene boiler, which has not been serviced for 3 years, will bring about an immediate fuel reduction of some 5%.

6. If a radiator is mounted below a window, a projecting window-board or shelf above the radiator will direct warm air into the room, reducing heat loss through the window.

7. A lagging jacket on your hot water cylinder will keep water hotter for longer and pay for itself in 2-3 months. If replacing the hot water cylinder, a rapid heat recovery cylinder with fac-

tory-applied insulation should be considered. Such insulation is more effective at retaining heat than a lagging jacket, is less easily damaged and cannot be pulled out of place.

8. Heat the hot water cylinder by means of the central heating boiler rather than by immersion on full rate electricity, as the running costs will be much lower. Use a timer if the immersion heater has to be used.

9. Combining solar collectors with a wood-burning stove provides an ideal year-round renewable energy heating solution.

A solar collector system can provide around 60% of your annual hot water needs for free (80 to 90% in summer).

There is a S.E.A.I. grant for solar panels.

10. Insulate your attic and save up to 20% on your home heating bill.

Much of the heat loss from a house occurs through the windows particularly if they are single glazed.

14 Property

05.08.20

Lord Mayor of Dublin Hazel Chu and Rosemary Smith, lifelong supporter of Dublin Samaritans on national awareness day recently in partnership with Dublin Bus. 50years@ dublinsamaritans.ie. Pic: Maxwells

Up, up, up ... It costs €371k to build a house

A major new report has found that the cost of building a three-bedroom semi-detached house in the Greater Dublin Area has increased by €41,000 over the last four year and now stands at €371,000. This is an increase of 12% or 3% averaged over the last four years.

The Society of Chartered Surveyors Ireland, which published the report, says the increase has been largely driven by an increase in ‘hard costs’ – bricks and mortar – up 19% or €29K while ‘soft costs’ – land, development levies, fees, vat, margin – increased by just 7% or €12K. ‘The Real Cost of New Housing Delivery 2020’ – which is based on a detailed study of 30 live sites in the Greater Dublin Area - found that ‘hard costs’ came to €179K, which at 48% is less than half of the overall cost of providing a

new house.

The report identifies a number of contributory factors for the increase in hard costs including the introduction of new building and compliance regulations as well as increased labour costs and general inflation.

Land and acquisition costs of €61K (16%) VAT of €44K (12%) and a margin of €44K (12%) make up the main elements of the soft costs which total €192K or 52% of the total cost.

The most significant increases on the construction side are associated with higher costs for site development works such as drainage, water connections, landscaping and paving. On average the cost of siteworks is approximately €40,000, an increase of over 43% since 2016. Structural costs increased by more than 15% - more than €7,400 per unit - due

to the costs of increased fire regulations and additional supports.

When the SCSI conducted its first study in 2016, soft costs made up 55% of total costs while hard costs comprised 45%.

“New private housing supply will only increase to meet demand when the affordability/ viability issue is placed at the centre of housing policy development and critically, it must be based on a detailed examination of the real costs of housing delivery,” Micheál Mahon, incoming President of the SCSI said.

“If the Government is serious about tackling the housing crisis and building the 30,000 to 35,000 homes which are required it needs to tackle the significant increases which have occurred in housing delivery costs as a matter of urgency.”

05.08.20

15

16 Food

05.08.20

Nestlé donate €110k to support Dublin families NESTLE Ireland is to invest €110,000 in working with social enterprise FoodCloud, to help thousands of families who might otherwise go hungry in the coming months.

The investment is being made on behalf of Nestlé’s 850 employees in Ireland, from one family to another. Nestlé will work with FoodCloud, the Irish social enterprise, with more than 700 charities and community partners to redistribute surplus food to families in need in Dublin and

across the country.

FoodCloud has seen a dramatic rise in the demand for its services following the Covid-19 lockdown and the demand is expected to grow with the planned scale-back of Government Covid-19 financial supports in August, up to its final phase in March 2021.

The funding will be used to improve access to food that specifically meets the nutritional needs of families and children, that FoodCloud’s current surplus supply cannot

Aldi has the best parking for bikes

Andrew Shaw, Nestlé Ireland country manager, with FoodCloud co-founder Iseult Ward. Pic: Chris Bellew Fennells

always meet. Andrew Shaw, Country Manager Nestlé Ireland, said: “Access to food is an urgent problem made worse by this global pandemic.

FoodCloud has reported that 68% of their charity partners believe that demand will increase as the Covid-19 payments are reduced. On behalf of our employees in Ireland, we will be helping lowincome families.”

Iseult Ward, Co-Founder and CEO, FoodCloud, said: “Since April, FoodCloud have

redistributed record volumes of food to charities all over Ireland. It demonstrates the reality of the growing demand for food in communities which we are increasingly unable to meet with our current surplus supply. Our network of community partners have indicated that demand for their services is expected to grow, citing the planned scale-back of pandemic financial as a key concern.

“FoodCloud is very grateful for this generous support from

Nestlé which will enable us to work with our community partners to improve access to food that specifically meets the nutritional needs of the families and children they support during this critical time,” Ms Ward stated.

The announcement with FoodCloud is part of Nestlé UK & Ireland’s ambition to help 8,000 families who might otherwise go hungry during the school summer holidays, as the company announces a €1.1 million investment.

SUPERMARKET giant Aldi has the best bike parking facilities of all supermarkets in the Capital, according to a new independent survey.

The ‘Shop By Bike’ survey, conducted by independent cycling advocacy group Dublin Cycling Campaign, found that more than half of respondents rated Aldi’s bike parking facilities as “good”.

Aldi now offers bike parking spots to shoppers at the majority of its stores across the country. A spokesperson said the supermarket had committed to ensuring bike parking was a feature of all new stores and planned to improve biking parking for existing stores in the future.

John Curtin, Group Buying Director Aldi Ireland, said: “Cycling is a great way to help the environment and we encourage customers to cycle as much as practically possible. We will now be including bike parking facilities at all our new stores and working with Dublin Cycle Campaign.”

05.08.20

17

18 Motors

05.08.20

Save fuel, money and emissions on your staycation With the August holidays approaching, some will be jumping into their cars and heading off on a well-earned staycation. For those who haven’t switched to an electric vehicle and are still driving a petrol or diesel car, the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) has some tips to help you drive more efficiently.

This will help you use less fuel, reduce your emissions and also stay safe, not only this weekend but all the time.

Fuel consumption tends to be affected most by your driving style, excessive rapid acceleration, unnecessary short trips, a cold engine, poor car maintenance and incorrect tyre pressure.

A less aggressive, energy conscious driving style could save as much as 10% on your fuel costs.

REGULAR MAINTENANCE

This tip applies all the time but is especially important ahead of a long journey or a motoring holiday.

A properly maintained petrol or diesel car will have; good engine lubrication, wheel alignment and well-adjusted brakes, reducing your fuel use.

It will also mean your car is safer and more reliable.

CHECK TYRE CONDITION AND PRESSURE Be sure to check your tyres regularly.

Tyres in good condition, with the proper thread depth, and at the right pressure, improve both safety and fuel consumption.

Tyres that are 10% below recommended pressure increase fuel consumption by around 2%.

READ THE ROAD By watching the road ahead and anticipating any likely

problems, your driving will become smoother, more controlled and be safer for all.

Drive in as high a gear as is suitable to road conditions and at bends, reduce your speed gently and accelerate smoothly when you are halfway through to help reduce fuel use.

AVOID IDLING Once you turn the engine on, drive off gently without delay.

This will reduce excessive fuel consumption and pollution.

Even if you’re waiting only 30 seconds it is more economical to switch the engine off and start it again when necessary.

Incidentally, many newer cars have an automatic stop/start function, which means you don’t have to think about this.

REDUCE UNNECESSARY DRAG After you arrive safely at your destination make sure to take

off any unused bike racks or roof boxes and save as much as 20% on your fuel costs.

You can save a further 3-5% by using the car’s airconditioning to cool down rather than leaving the windows open while you drive.

AVOID SHORT JOURNEYS A cold engine uses significantly more fuel than a warm engine. So, once you reach your staycation destination opt to walk or cycle where you can and avoid using your car for short journeys.

SEAI is encouraging each of us make changes in how we use energy.

For advice and information on supports, including Government funded electric vehicle and home energy grants, to help reduce your energy use this bank holiday and into the future visit; www. seai.ie

Cycling takes ‘60,000 cars off our roads’ Cycling in the Dublin Metropolitan Area takes up to 60,000 cars off the road every day, according to new research in the ‘Bike Life’ report published in partnership with Sustrans and the National Transport Authority.

Bike Life found that improved cycling infrastructure in the Dublin Metropolitan Area would enable up to 350,000 people to travel from their homes to the O’Connell Bridge in less than 25 minutes, giving them increased mobility and access to the city centre.

84% of surveyed residents support building more kerbseparated on-road cycle lanes, even if this means less room for motor vehicles.

This is a positive indication that the people of Dublin are supportive of cycling in general and of the measures needed to make it an integral part of transport in our society.

Nearly a quarter of adults

cycle at least once a week in the Dublin Metropolitan Area, including 11% who cycle five days a week or more.

The report found there is an appetite for cycling as a primary mode of transport but not the safe space for the significant number of people cycling across the city.

The Bike Life survey, the biggest assessment of cycling in urban areas in Ireland and the UK, is produced by sustainable transport charity Sustrans in partnership with city authorities.

This is the first report outside of the UK and in partnership with the National Transport Authority (NTA) of Ireland. The information in the report comes from local cycling data, modelling and an independent, demographically representative survey of more than 1,100 residents from across the Dublin Metropolitan Area, whether they cycled or not.

Motors 19

05.08.20

Hockey star Nicci Daly teams up with MSL Grange Motors Nicci Daly has been announced as a Brand Ambassador for MSL Grange Motors.

The Irish Hockey star received a Mercedes A200 AMG saloon and will work with the dealership on a number of exciting projects.

Nicci is currently in training for the 2021 Olympics whilst simultaneously running Formula Female, an initiative she set up a number of years ago to encourage more women into motorsport, both as drivers and as engineers.

As part of the new agreement, Nicci and MSL Grange Motors will invite local schools to their premises for socially distant hockey workshops and STEM workshops, as well as Nicci appearing at various Grange Motors events over the coming months.

“I’m delighted with this association and not just because of the car- even though that’s so exciting.

“The technology on modern Mercedes-Benz cars is very impressive and I think there are

cannot wait to work with Nicci at our events as I believe she is a fantastic addition to our team.”

Nicci is an Ireland women’s field hockey international.

She was a member of the Ireland team that played in the 2018 Women’s Hockey World Cup final.

In 2010 Daly was a member of the Loreto team that won the Irish Senior Cup. Daly has also played senior Ladies’ Gaelic football for Dublin.

Since 2016 Daly has worked in motorsport as a data engineer for Juncos Racing and in 2018 set up Formula Female, an initiative to encourage more women to get involved in Motorsport.

In 2019, she received Sport Ireland funding for the Go Girls initiative.

This initiative brings schoolgirls to their local karting centre where they run a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) workshop, teaching the basics of race engineering and driving.

This will see over 1,000 girls try a race kart for the first time in a 12 month period.

wonderful synergies between that and our Formula Female “Go Girls” initiative. I can’t wait to begin working with the team here, it’s going to be great,” Nicci said.

Brian Downes MSL Grange Motors: “Having someone of Nicci’s calibre represent MSL Grange Motors and our brand

MercedesBenz is an honour, I have no doubt that Nicci will represent us through her various projects both on and off the field.

I personally

Year Make

Model

Odometer

Price

Colour

2019 Renault Captur 1.0 Play

34,000km

€17,750

Blue

2018 Ford

Fiesta 1.0 Zetec Style Pack

42,000km

€14,500

Black

2017 Skoda

Superb 2.0 TDI Audi

61,000m

€22,950

Silver

2017 Audi

A4 1.4 TSI Sport Saloon

36,000m

€21,500

White

2016 VW

Golf 1.4 TSI HiLine Sat Nav

85,000km

€18,250

Blue

2015 Nissan

Qashqui 1.2 DIG-T Accenta

59,000km

€15,950

White

2014 Ford

Mondeo 1.6 TDCI Graphite

139,000km

€9,750

Grey

2012 Nissan

Qashqai 1.5 DCI Tekna

100,000m

€9,750

Silver

20 Classifeds

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05.08.20

Dublin In The Rare Old Times 23

05.08.20

We take a look back at extracts from old newspapers to see what was in the news this month in years gone by

Irish Press 31 Aug 1932

Freemans Journal...16 Aug 1845

.Irish Press 8 Aug 1933

Freemans Journal 26 Aug 1858

Irish Independent. 11 Aug 1949

24

SOUTHSIDE NEWS 05.08.20

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