Fine Gael TD for Cork East, David Stanton has called for car parking charges at train stations on the Cork to Midleton line to be suspended.

“I have made contact with Irish Rail on a number of occasions in the past in relation to parking charges at local train stations on the Cork to Midleton train line. I believe that the charges may be affecting uptake of the train service. I have today written to Irish Rail requesting that they examine the possibility of suspending the car parking fee to see if this improves passenger numbers on this service.

“I know that Irish Rail carried out a free car parking promotion in the run up to Christmas last year and over the festive period. I have requested that they consider doing the same this year in the hope that more people in East Cork could be encouraged to use public transport.

“I have pointed out to Irish Rail that while the €2 daily parking fee is relatively low, the railway stations are the only places that charge for parking in Midleton, Carrigtwohill, Glounthaune and Little Island. I really believe that Irish Rail need to re-examine the car parking charges at stations on the Cork to Midleton line. While patronage of the train service is good it is evident that most service users do not use the large new purpose built car parks. While I acknowledge many train users walk or cycle to the stations, a lot of drivers using the train park outside the stations where parking is free.

“As traffic congestion increases in the run up to Christmas, I think that free parking will be a great incentive for people to use the train. It is a fast and reliable way for people to get to Cork city for work and for people from Cork to get to Midleton and other places in East Cork for shopping and leisure.

“Finally, in addition to free parking at Christmas, I have also asked that Irish Rail look at suspending the car park indefinitely to try to improve train and car park usage at stations. As a frequent user of this Midleton to Cork train if find it very efficient, reliable and economical and I am anxious that the success of this new route continues.
Posted on Monday, November 28th, 2011

Cork East Fine Gael TD, David Stanton has welcomed the decision of Phil Hogan TD, Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government to approve design proposals for Carrigtwohill’s Sewerage Scheme. The proposals, submitted by Cork County Council, are for the upgrading and expansion of the wastewater treatment plant in Carrigtwohill which is part of the sewerage scheme.

“I am pleased that Cork County Council is to be given the go ahead to prepare contract documents for these wastewater improvements in Carrigtwohill. Once these documents are prepared, the Council will be in a position to seek tenders from interested parties to carry out the work. It is an important step in providing a more modern sewerage infrastructure for Carrigtwohill allowing the wastewater system to cater for current and future residential and commercial needs.

“The works will form the first phase of the upgrading of the wastewater system to cater for a population of 45,000. I have been advised that the total contract for all phases of the works, which once completed will cater for 60,000 people. The Department of Environment, Community and Local Government has estimated that the total cost for all phases of the proposed works will be approximately €14 million”, said Deputy Stanton

“It should be noted also that the additional capacity of the wastewater treatment facilities should also contribute to further enterprise development in this area of East Cork by making Carrigtwohill and the surrounding areas even more attractive location for multinationals and other businesses. It should therefore, hopefully increase industry and employment in the area.

“I understand that Cork County Council have already carried out advance works on Carrigtwohill wastewater scheme which involved the provision of foul and storm sewers and two pumping stations. I hope that the Council will be in a position to continue its work soon once the tendering process has been concluded.

JUSTICE COMMITTEE AGREES TO CONSIDER ISSUE NEXT MONTH

FINE GAEL CORK EAST TD AND CHAIR OF THE OIREACHTAS JUSTICE COMMITTEE, DAVID STANTON, has today (Wednesday October 26th, 2011) said that it’s time for us to seriously consider altering our current summertime arrangements to benefit the economy and society. Deputy Stanton made his comments during a Topical Issues debate in the Dáil.

“For a number of years I have been raising the possibility of extending our summertime period which runs from the last weekend in March until the last weekend in October. Research in the UK and the US shows that such a move could have numerous benefits. They include a reduction in electricity consumption and carbon emissions, a fall in road deaths and a boost to tourism and leisure industries as people benefit from an hour extra of daylight in the evenings. It has also been suggested that an increase in daylight in the evening would lead to a reduction in obesity and crime levels.

“In the US, summertime was extended for four weeks in 2007, beginning in the second weekend of March and ending the first weekend in November. In 2008, the US Department of Energy published a report stating that the change had saved enough energy to power 100,000 homes for over a year or 1.3 trillion watt-hours per day, resulting in savings of $76 million. Since the change road collisions have also fallen.

“In the UK, the Daylight Saving Bill passed its second reading in the House of Commons in December 2010. Estimates there indicate that more daylight in the early evenings would deliver a boost to British tourism of an estimated £2.5bn per annum and up to 80,000 new jobs in leisure and tourism. This would provide a real boost to any economy in the current climate. A similar boost could be expected here if summertime was extended.

“I believe that, given the benefits, the time has come to re-examine our summertime arrangements. At a meeting of the Oireachtas Committee for Justice, Equality & Defence today, it was agreed that the Committee would consider the matter in November. Minister Shatter, during the Topical Issues debate also spoke in favour of this approach. The Committee could also seek views from the public and interested organisations and liaise with counterparts in the UK and other European Parliaments.”

“Ireland needs someone with experience as President. Gay Mitchell MEP was a TD for 26 years and an MEP for seven. I believe that he has the experience and the international contacts that we need to help bring jobs to this country.

“For too long, we have forgotten what we were good at and what we do well. Agriculture is the star of this economy at the moment and a major creator of jobs. A big part of his role as President would be to help open up new markets and develop existing ones, so that more people can find work in this vital area.

“Speaking at the national launch of his presidential campaign last week, Gay Mitchell described his proposals to lead the charge in promoting mental health, especially for young people. He wants to work with voluntary groups who do important work in the area of mental health. This generation is under great pressure, and we’ve seen too many people take their own lives. It’s time for us to tackle this in a meaningful way.

“I am asking all my supporters to vote for Gay Mitchell as I believe that he is the best person to be President of Ireland.”

Cork East Fine Gael TD, David Stanton has welcomed the Government’s decision to allocate €12,709 sports funding to Youghal Town Council. This funding is one of a number of location authority projects across the country which is being grant aided with the purpose of boosting participation in sport.

“I understand that the €12,709 allocated to Youghal Town Council, under this new targeted measure for local sports facilities, will go to Sli na Slainte Walking Route in Youghal. The funding allocation was announced by Minister of State for Tourism and Sport, Michael Ring who recently visited Youghal town at my request.

“Youghal Town Council has also very recently been allocated a large grant of €400,000 for the development of Youghal Leisure Centre. “I hope that this additional funding for Sli na Slainte Walking Route will provide a further boost to tourism and sport in Youghal.

 

The Youghal Slí na Sláinte is 2km in length (4km return) and starts at the Mall House on the Mall. To follow the route, walk along Strand Street, South Abbey and onto Lighthouse Road where you will pass the 1st Kilometre sign, just outside the lighthouse. Passing the lighthouse, notice stunning views over the River Blackwater and the beach and continue onto the Front Strand to the 2nd Kilometre marker at the end of the car park. Turn around at this point; back towards the Mall House to complete your 4km walk.

Slí na Sláinte stands for ‘path to health’. Developed by the Irish Heart Foundation, it’s the outgoing way to make walking far more enjoyable. Already, it’s capturing the attention of the young and old, not only in Ireland but in Europe and other parts of the world too! And no wonder, because it’s a fun, healthy way for the average adult to accumulate the recommended 30 minutes of physical activity on most, or preferably all days of the week. Marked by bright colourful signposts which are not numbered and are situated at 1 km intervals, you’ll find Slí na Sláinte walking routes all over Ireland. Simply follow the Km signs, set your pace to suit your enjoyment and you’ll quickly feel better and get fitter. You will also experience a great sense of achievement.

 

SLUDGE DRYING PLANT ERAS ECO LTD’S plans for a €10m upgrade to enable it to process hazardous waste faces a considerable new challenge as Bord Pleanala questions the validity of the planning application. Last June Cork County Council granted planning permission to Eras Eco Ltd to extend their facilities at Foxhole Youghal to permit the processing of 95,000 tonnes of waste annually, including 30,000 tonnes of hazardous material.

Youghal Chamber of Commerce and Tourism has appealed the decision to An Bord Pleanála, while the company have yet to apply to the EPA for an operating licence.

However Bord Pleanála is now inviting submission from interested parties by September 13th, amidst concerns that the planning application may qualify as Strategic Infrastructure Development and so beyond the remit of regular planning criteria. The Chamber’s appeal is consequently on hold until that status of the original planning application is decided.

The decision has raised the hopes amongst the plan’s opponents. “Youghal Chamber will meet next week to consider our response and to debate the matter of employing Senior Counsel,” says Chamber Director and Youghal Town & Cork County Councillor Barbara Murray.

The plans remain the focus of strong resentment in Youghal, with almost 300 objectors attending a meeting at Youghal GAA pavilion. Seeking to dissuade arrivals, a group of Eras Eco workers distributed brochures on the plant’s existing and intended facilities.

The meeting, convened by the newly formed Blackwater Estuary Action Group (BEAG), recounted Eras Eco’s annual reports to the EPA since it commenced operations in 2007. BEAG co-founder Michelle Ryan-Hennessy noted that 2009 alone saw over 40 breaches of emission limits into the Blackwater, including ammonia, sulphates and suspended solids.

Guest speaker Natasha Harty of the Cork Harbour Alliance for a Safe Environment (CHASE) advocated a “multi-pronged” resistance campaign. Several people questioned the wisdom importing hazardous waste into a tourist town and to a site close to a playground, a business park and a river.

Others called on Youghal Town Council, as site landlords, to seek a meeting with the Eras Eco on foot of their operational record. Details were also given of how to register submissions if and when Eras Eco Ltd apples for an operating licence. “If the community rejects this, it cannot be imposed,” summarised one speaker from the floor.

Click on image to see some of speakers at the Blackwater Estuary Action Group (BEAG) meeting

Minister of State for Tourism & Sport, Michael Ring today (26th August 2011) announced a grant of €400,000  from a fund of €4.4 million to Youghal Town Council for Youghal Leisure Centre.  The grant will seek to improve access for people with disabilities, as well as a Green Swimming Pool initiative to make the pool more energy efficient.  The award was the joint highest award of 19 similar applications from local authorities around the country. 

Attracting over 158,000 visitors per annum, Youghal Leisure Centre was designed in 2004 and opened in 2005. In welcoming the grant allocation, Town Clerk Liam Ryan expressed his delight at the announcement.

“€400,000 is clearly a hugely substantial amount of money to be granted in this current economic climate and it will have a positive effect on employment in the town, helping to sustain jobs and hopefully create new ones too.”  The grant will be used to implement methods aimed at reducing the running costs of the centre and remove barriers to people with disabilities living in Youghal and the surrounding area.   “We were confident that the application met all the relevant criteria which were set out, and once again Youghal Town Council has managed to secure maximum funding for its key projects”, added Mr. Ryan.

In announcing the grants Minister Ring said: “The grants will help pools to become more efficient, and reduce their carbon footprint.  Large heating bills are the single biggest cost in running a swimming pool.  So by making them more efficient, we are also reducing the burden on taxpayers by cutting back on energy and water requirements.”

Only two weeks ago, Claycastle Leisure Company – Youghal Town Council’s Management Company behind the facility signed another four year, eleven month Management contract with Aura Sport & Leisure Management Ltd. (part of the Aura Holohan Group) for the facility. (Click here for more on that story) The premises has been maintained in an excellent condition but compared to similar swimming pools of similar size and usage, energy costs are particularly high; partly due to the high seasonality of demand.  Further sharp increases in energy costs have been widely signalled by energy providers, but the opportunity has now been created to implement initiatives aimed at saving costs by the awarding of this grant.

In 2010 Youghal Leisure Centre took top honours as the ‘Best Recreational Facility’ at the Zurich LAMA Awards (Local Authority Members Association Awards) which recognises the very best of Ireland’s talent in local projects of Construction, Engineering and Infrastructure.
(Click here for more on that story)

Click on links below for up-to-date info from Youghal Town Council

W: www.youghal.ie

Youghal.ie aims to promote Youghal & its environs in the areas of tourism & business. There is also a ‘Whats On Youghal’ section that is populated weekly.

F:www.facebook.com/youghal.ie

www.facebook.com/Youghal.ie is a facebook page, linked to the Youghal.ie website, managed by Youghal Socio Economic Development Group (YSEDG)

E: tourism@youghal.ie

Tel: 024-92926 E: liam.ryan@corkcoco.ie

Further information; Department of Transport, Tourism & Sport Press Office: Tel: 01-6041076 or 01-6041090

Statement from Eras Eco for Community Radio Youghal
20th August 2011

It is disappointing that misunderstanding of the implications of the proposed development is causing unnecessary anxiety among some sections of the local community. The proposed development is a small scale plant that involves the application of a well-established and proven technology with excellent environmental credentials and will improve the overall performance of the facility.

Eras Eco stands over the operational record and performance of its Youghal facility and we have provided full briefings on the development to a variety of local representatives including tours of the current facility. We hope that this will help foster a more considered reflection of the proposal.

Eras Eco is fully committed to being a good corporate neighbour and managing our operations in compliance with the strictest environmental and safety requirements. We hope to continue offering sustainable local employment and an on-going contribution to the local economy and this proposed development will help us do just that.

Some Questions Answered

Refute speculation

We categorically refute the speculation that there is any intention to develop a waste incinerator. That is just incorrect.

Dealing with Waste

The plan is to develop an ‘integrated waste’ treatment facility which includes storage and processing. There will be no dumping on-site. All wastes will be consigned to appropriate authorized facilities.  Waste water is treated on-site prior to discharge to sewer.

Waste water

The Company has a dedicated Waste Water Treatment Plant on-site which treats waste water from the drying process prior to discharge to sewer. The company invested in an EPA approved upgrade of the plant in 2010.  The period during the implementation of an improvement programme waste water was ‘transported offsite’.

Emissions limits

Following last year’s EPA approved upgrade works all emission limits are being met. All previous exceedances of EPA emissions were minor and immediately reported to the EPA. The EPA has reported that the Company has never exceeded its total annual mass emission limits and progressively reduced and improved our discharges since acquiring the site in 2009.  Under the new site plan, there will be a further reduction of emissions to atmosphere and sewer.

Licensing & approval

While notice of intent to grant planning approval was advised by Cork County Council, the application was appealed to An Bord Pleanála, the statutory body responsible for adjudicating on the development. The proposal will require a review of our Waste License. We intend to apply to the EPA for this as soon as possible.

We are confident that the development proposed will meet the strict requirements of both An Bord Pleanála and the EPA.

Description of the proposed system

The enclosed process uses water and oxygen at high temperature and pressure to organically break down the wastes, with no harmful emissions to air or water.

The closed loop system uses waste heat from the process to generate steam to drive turbines for power generation.

The cooled steam is recycled in the system but any waste water is sent to an on-site treatment plant and then discharged to sewer.

We must learn lessons from the UK riots

Cork East Fine Gael TD and Chairman of the Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality, David Stanton, has called on the Government to instruct all State bodies and semi-state companies to take account of the need for corporate social responsibility.

“The glaring spotlight of the world’s media was focussed on the London riots last week, and the shocking events have sparked a crucial debate on moral, social and civic responsibility. We should, at the very least, aim to learn from these events. I believe the Government can take the lead here by underlining the need for State bodies to take a progressive and benevolent approach to corporate social responsibility.

“I am calling on the Government to instruct State agencies, semi-state companies, Government departments and local authorities to take a strong stance when it comes to this issue. These bodies should be encouraged to incorporate a sense of civic duty within their operations.

“This could have practical and positive benefits for local youth and sporting organisations. There are surely many instances where property and lands under partial or total State ownership are vacant and could be used by these community groups.

“We have seen the impact of societal breakdown in the UK. Youth organisations at community level play a very important part in providing activities and outlets for young people. While this cannot prevent every problem or provide every solution it certainly can be very important for social cohesion and personal development.

“Many companies within the private sector have already taken the lead on this issue, and there’s no reason why State bodies should not have clearly defined policies aimed at promoting social inclusion.

“I would like to see the Government develop a proactive policy in this regard and instruct all State bodies to take cognisance of this need. Such bodies should highlight in their annual reports to Ministers the steps being taken to improve their corporate social responsibility.”

A Cork County Councillor, who tabled a motion this week to have a ban on smoking in playgrounds put into new bylaws, has called for the document to be finished in September.

Cllr Deirdre Forde (FG) tabled a motion to ban smoking in all playgrounds in County Cork, to discourage adults from forcing children to passive smoke and to help prevent children taking up the habit later in life.

She told the Cork Independent that she had been left with respiratory problems having been raised around smoking, as her family owned a public house.

“I was around people that smoked all the time, and most of my family smoked,” she said.

“This is why I suffer with asthma now.”

The Council is drafting bylaws written up for playgrounds, which could also include a ban on children over 12 years of age using playground equipment designed for younger children.

The Councillor had been contacted by Ash Ireland, an anti-smoking lobby group, who asked her to take the issue up in the chamber.

“The spirit of it was accepted but yes, there are concerns about how it would be policed,” the Fine Gael councillor told the Cork Independent.

“Smokers are pleading that they are under siege. But smoking is a health problem that the Government is tasked with dealing with and I would be in favour of placing the issue of passive smoking in any children’s rights before the Dáil.

“We must look at this behaviour and the habit of smoking around children. Not only is it dangerous for them, as it is a well-known fact that children exposed to passive smoking suffer more chest infections, but we must avoid passing on this learned behaviour. We don’t want children growing up and smoking themselves,” she said.

A similar prohibition exists at the children’s playground in Doneraile Park, which is managed by the Office of Public Works.

“If people are addicts, that is their decision. Children cannot make a decision to avoid passive smoking, so we must make it for them.”

She added that a smoking ban in playgrounds would also deal with the issue of dumping cigarette butts. “They are everywhere you look in playgrounds. It’s disgusting.”

Council officials and Gardaí will be enforcing the bylaws and allowed to remove people in breach of bylaws, while Gardaí would be permitted to use recording devices if required.

The bylaws will also prohibit cycling, skateboarding and ball playing, with fines ranging from €75 to €1,904.60 for District Court appearances.

The local authority is also looking at the possibility of installing CCTV cameras in playgrounds to monitor anti-social behaviour.

The draft bylaw document is due to be returned to Cork County Council, however, Cllr Forde is calling on it to be finalised in September.

“The sooner we can finalise it, the better. People were horrified too when they heard about the smoking ban and now look at the lovely environment that we have. People will adhere to this too,” said Cllr Forde.

Opinion:

Christine Allen agrees with the move, while Peter Tobin argues that freedom of choice is paramount.

Source: www.corkindependent.com