DeValera Street Agreement:
The meeting opened with Mayor Olly Casey outlining the agreement reached in the DeValera Street carp parking & allocated spaces saga. The Mayor said agreement had been reached between the Town manager, Town Clerk, DeValera Street residents and himself on the issue. He then unveiled the agreement: Report Christy Parker

1) Fifteen (22-37) of the 37 spaces available will be designated for all     residential permit holders (only) in the town, with no time restraints. Spaces will be signed and coded.

2) Spaces 1-22 will be for general public utility, with a 3-hour parking limit. Spaces will again be signed and coloured.

3) Parking on DeValera Street itself will be removed and the current two-way traffic system will persist, with traffic calming measures incorporated into the design and roll out of the Regenerative Programme for the area. Emergency access will thus be ensured.

4) Parking Bye-laws to be amended to incorporate the above and formally presented for ratification to the Council in due course.

Thus ends a divisive episode in the Council’s term. Last September the Council passed a Motion by Mayor Casey, supported by Cllr Burke, to designate 17 spaces to De Valera Street residents only. The move was intended to compensate for the removal of their vehicles in the interests of traffic flow and emergency access. The council’s legal advisers subsequently decided that initiative could prove illegal and Town Manager Patricia Power said she could therefore not sanction it. The car park is expected be opened in the coming months.

The final agreement was broadly welcomed in the chamber. Cllr Barbara Murray described it as “equitable and fair” and hoped it might encourage less parking on the main street. Cllr Liam Burke said it was “excellent” and “reserves emergency access and still allows for two-way access.”

Amendments to Minutes:

Cllr Sandra McLellan asked that it be included in the Minutes that she raised the issue of severe flooding and the generally poor state of the roads in the Gortroe Creigmore area, under County Council Issues at the last meeting. She added that she “would appreciate a response” from the engineer on progress, if any. Cllr Murray said it was actually a Midleton Area Roads issue. The engineer inferred that in any case he would be dealing with it.

Congratulations:

Cllr Sammy Revins congratulated Perks Amusements on their 80th birthday, celebrations of which will unfold through the year. Cllr Mary Linehan Foley concurred. She also congratulated all involved in the management of the Youghal Enterprise Centre on its recent official opening day. Town Manager Patricia Power said all attending experienced a “wonderful occasion” of which anyone would be proud. She also praised the centre’s reasonable fees and added that County Manager Martin Riordan was “bowled over” by the work, commitment and joined up thinking” across the community, underlining the project.

Town Foreman’s Report:

Cllr Linehan Foley said fishermen were fearing damage to nets and boats after a broken bollard had been thrown into the sea behind the jetty on Nealon’s Quay. A lump of iron protruding south of the same jetty area presented a similar hazard. The councillor asked for action on the potholes near the Holy Family Church. She understood there was much needed developments in progress “but at the same time we’re losing wheels.” The councillor further pointed out that a parking metre on South Main Street that has been slanting for a month needed adjusting, while the potholes at the Market Square are now “very dangerous.”

Cllr Revins requested that the car park at the rear of McCurtainstown be tidied.
Cllr Burke drew attention to Sweetfield. He said the area near where a new fence was recently erected needs road surfacing, a solid flowerbed is required at the entrance, a footpath needs repairing outside number 29 and ” a regime of more regular cleaning” in the area is requested.

Cllr Burke then addressed Sarsfield Terrace, referring to a drainage problem at number 77, possibly arising from a blocked pipe under the road running from number 66 to 71. As for Raheen Park, he wondered if a gully is needed at the corner near number 41, as overflowing water is freezing and rendering the road very dangerous. He reminded that Windmill Hill has an unfinished footpath, that ponding (flooding) is prevalent near 16 Dominic Collins Place and that there is increasing illegal dumping at the old Seafield Fabrics factory.

Cllr McLellan referred to illegal dumping is several areas, including adjacent to the Community Centre, Parklands -where she estimated “about 30 bags” were to be seen and again, Seafield, where furniture and household rubbish vied for space. Claycastle was another black spot for black bags.

The councillor asked that opening times be displayed at the graveyard, saying that a woman was unable to gain entry to lay flowers at her husband’s grave at 4.10pm on last St. Valentine’s Day. The woman had also reported that a man had to scale the wall to visit his wife’s grave. She said a sign displaying opening times would advice people in advance.

Cllr McLellan observed that two lights have been burning 24/7 at O’Brien’s Terrace, following recent work by the ESB there. She requested that a danger sign be erected at area wired off between the Lighthouse Hill and another area closed off at Moll Goggin’s Corner because people were squeezing past the wire fencing apparently unaware of the danger. She asked if anyone had informed the builders of their obligations regarding the poor state of the road in the vicinity of Barrack Road/top of Raheen Park? Several complaints had been made to the Council offices to no effect. The councillor concluded that a wall to the left was a traffic hazard at the top of the post office lane/car park, with “numerous crashes” having already occurred.

Cllr Michelle Hennessy requested that a disabled parking bay at the Fair Field car park be moved to a better location in the car park. She said its position in a corner adjacent to house is proving very restrictive for users. She asked if another glass recycling area would be provided to replace the one at Tescos, which is shortly to be removed and pointed out that a public light at the Green was again broken.

Cllr Murray said the stop sign was missing from the pole on the approach to Moll Goggin’s Corner from McCurtainstown and that re-lining was needed too. She also said Iarnrod Eireann needed top be reminded of their social responsibilities towards maintenance at the old railway station.

Cork County Council Items:

Cllr Murray said old ESB poles at Parklands are dangerously protruding and need removing. She said the green area Sruhan na Sali requires improvement, whether through seeding or fertilising or whatever. She sad the drainage wasn’t good either. Town engineer Paul Murray said he was aware of the problems but that it wouldn’t be wise to put a digger to work there in the current wet weather conditions. The problems will be resolved, he assured.

Cllr Murray referred to further drainage problems at Golf Links Road, which may be contributing to the land slippage at Moll Goggin’s Corner. “There’s a huge amount of water on Golf Links Road and not a single drain there,” she said. Mr Murray said he was thinking the issue through.

Cllr Burke requested progress reports on Redbarn, the library, the landfill odours and landfill road resurfacing. He recounted “the usual list of broken footpaths” including Tallow Street, South Main Street and South Abbey, the concealed entrance sign at Summerdale Lawn and various road surface requirements.

Moll Goggin’s Concern:

Cllr Burke then expressed concern over the soil slippage at Moll Goggin’s Corner. He said there was public concern of a sudden road collapse and that there had been a history of such occurrence between Loreto Convent and Moll Goggin’s Corner (The Lighthouse Hill collapsed some 40 years go.) The councillor said a report by consultant David Kelly in 2006 was ‘extremely alarming” in its assertion that failure of the stone wall holding the road in place could trigger a collapse without warning. Cllr Burke said it was up to Cork County Council to address the matter.

Town Manager Patricia Power replied that the Senior Area Engineer had compiled a report at the site in 2008 and did not indicate major deterioration. He has since sought an update on that. Engineers would be returning there in due course.

Redbarn Blue Flag:

The Town Manager said that following a report last December, a submission for Blue Flag was submitted to An Taisce in January. Amongst the main issues of concern was traffic management. Ms Power said the County Council intended to facilitate car parking on the hard sand, a process accepted by An Taisce in regard to other areas in the country. Meanwhile, negotiations are ongoing with landowners in regard to more permanent solution, though the economy had influence on this. She said An Taisce’s verdict is expected o June 3rd, , while Mr. Murray said he had asked it be brought forward. Cllr Burke welcomed the update, adding that the beach and water quality was excellent and he expected the flag would be awarded.

Cllr Murray asked if the Council would continue to operate the same standard of beach management (bins, seats, etc.) without the blue flags lost to Youghal last year as operated previously. Mr. Murray believed there would be no curtailment of service.

Cllr Linehan Foley asked if there had been any progress on a previous decision to ask the County Council to write to the landowner/s responsible for the rifle range area, where antisocial behaviour and littering is rampant. The councillor again asked that bollards be erected at Dr. Kennedy’s Place where vehicles are causing immense damage to footpaths. “Somebody is going to fall there and it will cost the Council a lot more then,” she added.

The councillor then requested -for the umpteenth time- that bollards to installed event vehicles parking across from Crowley’s garage. She said vehicles parking there are obstructing the view of drivers exiting adjacent estates and a serious accident was in waiting. The engineer agreed to visit the locality with her.

Mayor’s Business:

Mayor Casey called for action on severe ponding at Nagle House, wondering hoe parents managed to bring children to school amidst it all. Mr. Murray said it was on the list of impending work. The mayor also asked for sanction to represent Youghal on a visit to its twin town of Lamor Plage later this year. Referring to his “great affinity” for the French town and the “great friends” there, he said it would be his last function as a mayor and councillor. There were no objections.

Report on Rapid Issues by Cllr Revins:

Cllr Revins outlined the three-year plan (2009-11), comprised of €120,000 per annum. All, of course, is dependent on funding.

Year 1 (2009):
Public Realm      Disability audit (Emmet Place)         €30,000
Seaview Place     Additional car parking spaces        €30,000
Woodview Court    Additional car parking spaces        €15,000
Dun Na Mara     Footpaths                    €40,000
Seaview Place    landscaping                    €5,000

Year 2 (2010):
Public Realm    Disability audit (Emmet Place)         €30,000
Chestnut Drive    Footpath (Phase 1)             €40,000
Seafield (Lower)    Landscaping                €15,000
Dermot Hurley    Additional car parking spaces        €15,000
Sarsfield’s Tce    Landscaping                €5,000

Year 3 (2011):
Public Realm      Disability audit (Emmet Place)         €30,000
Chestnut Drive    Footpath (Phase 2)             €40,000
Dermot Hurley    Junction                €25,000
Dominic Collins    Car parking & Landscape        €25,000

Report on Heritage Municipal Policy Committee by Cllr. Burke:
Cllr Burke asked that this be deferred until the next meeting.

Report on the Harbour Municipal Policy Committee by Cllr. Casey:
Mayor Casey said that as of Fem 1st 2009, authority for the harbour had been formally handed over to the Town Council. He warmly welcomed the arrangement.
Cllr Casey then brought to attention that a boat in the harbour was not properly anchored and posed a danger to other craft. He asked that the Harbour Master be informed.

Report on Claycastle Leisure Company by Cllr. Casey:
Mayor Casey read from a report pertaining to the Company informing that the Aura facility in Cobh will close in the coming months, mainly due to the economic climate. He warned that the Youghal facility is experiencing similar difficulties.

Having discussed the situation at a recent Board meeting, the directors had expressed their “complete satisfaction with operation of the Leisure facility by the current operators” and endorsed their commitment to provide a quality service.
“Negotiations are being entered into to ensure the short to medium term viability of the facility,” the report continued, before calling on the town and surrounding area to expand the support it ‘so richly deserves.”

Report on Hatherton Ltd. by Cllr. McLellan:

Cllr McLellan referred to the recent opening of the Enterprise Centre and observed that it is now fully up and running, with four tenants already installed and a fifth imminent. She reported “steady bookings” for its meeting rooms over the coming months also.

Nomination of Councillor to the Youghal Disability Action Awareness Group:
It was decided to defer this item to the next meeting

Report by Town Manager on Enhanced Planning Service Initiative to Town Councils:

The Manager said Cork County currently provides technical assistance to Cork’s nine Town Councils. This assistance has been principally provided by the County Architect’s Department with ad hoc involvement by the Planning Department. Town architects provide planning services including pre-planning clinics, preparation of planning reports, and participation in Town Development Plans. They also participate in urban design and regeneration projects and related issues.

Under new arrangements, from March 30th 2009, a senior Planner from Cork County Council will be assigned to each town as Town Planner. He will attend all pre-planning clinics with the Town Architect and Town Engineer and co-ordinate the preparation of planning reports. The roles of the Town Architect and Town Engineer will be unchanged.

She explained (or at least tried to convince) that the changes “represent an enhancement” of the current service as the Town Planners bring “additional planning expertise’ to the towns. Furthermore, due to a downturn in demand, from April 2009, each planning authority will now operate a monthly planning clinic only, attended by the Town Planner, Architect and Engineer. This will be reviewed quarterly.

Motion by Cllr Linehan Foley, seconded by Cllr Revins ‘That Youghal Town Council calls on the Dept of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government to implement the proposed Town Council Downsizing Scheme for former tenant purchasers of the Council’:

Cllr Linehan Foley said a lot of council tenants over the past 30 plus years had bought their own homes. Many of them lived in high areas, such as Blackwater heights, etc. It was the right thing to do at the time but now that their families had left home, they were left with accommodation too large for their requirements. Many also had health issues in lieu of living uphill.

The councillor said under the Council’s strategy, people who remained council tenants are now able to transfer from 4-bedroom to 2-bedroom homes. She wanted a similar scheme to operate for former tenants-now-homeowners, who, had they sold their houses, even in the boom times, could still not have afforded town centre houses. The perhaps might even sell their houses back to the Council by way of acquiring a better arrangement.

She asked the Council forward her proposal to the government, adding that were such a scheme implemented, it would also enable the Council to house people more easily and in greater numbers. The Motion was agreed.

Motion by Cllr Linehan Foley, seconded by Cllr Revins ‘that Youghal Town Council call on Cork County Council to abolish the €3 fee for entrance to the Civic Amenity Site in these recessionary times.’

Cllr Linehan Foley argued that the imposition of the fee was already sparking a he increase in illegal dumping in Youghal. People are losing their jobs and counting every cent, she advised. It bode badly for Youghal coming into the summer that there was so much illegal dumping. The councillor said she understood that recycling was never meant to be a money-making service anyway. Cllr McLellan supported the motion, saying the €3 charge was the biggest issue she had encountered in the streets in recent weeks. Cllr Hennessy said that customers of Cork County Council should not have to pay twice for the same service. The Motion was agreed.

AOB:

As the meeting drew to a close, Cllr Linehan Foley asked that a report on the quality of Youghal’s water supply be provided prior the next meeting. She had no concerns personally but wanted full reassurance.