James O’Sullivan, a Fine Gael member of Greystones Town Council, has congratulated all the organisers involved in the Gourmet Greystones 2012 event that took place over the May Bank Holiday weekend.

Speaking after the event, Councillor O’Sullivan said, “There was a great buzz around Church Road as so many local businesses took part in the event. The community spirit that was on display was unchallengeable and really showed the best of what Greystones has to offer in terms of eateries, cafés and restaurants.”

“Greystones is well known as a great seaside town and this event only adds to that reputation. I know many people had travelled from the greater Dublin area to see for themselves the magnificent showcase of local culinary skills that our town has to offer.”

“I’d like to thank all the local businesses that took part, all the sponsors of the event, and most importantly the organisers who put together such a wonderful event. I hope Gourmet Greystones returns again in 2013!” concluded Councillor O’Sullivan.

Cllr. James O’Sullivan

James O’Sullivan, a Fine Gael member of Greystones Town Council, has welcomed proposals put forward by the Minister for the Environment, Phil Hogan, which will strengthen building controls and ensure a high quality of construction for homeowners and tenants in the future.

The Building Control (Amendment) Regulations 2012 will introduce mandatory certification and submission of drawings. Building works will need to be inspected during construction and certified. Under the new regulations the certifier will be held legally liability for the accreditation granted.

Speaking on the proposals, Councillor O’Sullivan said, “I’m delighted to see these proposals introduced and I’m optimistic that they will help protect future homeowners and tenants. We must ensure that the mistakes of the past in the construction sector are not repeated.”

“A case like Priory Hall must never be built in County Wicklow in the future. Due to poor planning and light construction regulations our Country has been left with ghost estates and some very badly built apartments and houses. Protecting future homeowners must be our priority.”

“It is also very important that local authorities, such as Wicklow County Council, engage in far more oversight of building activity and monitor quality standards more closely.”

“I would urged all the stakeholders involved to engage with the public consultation process taking part over the coming six weeks”, concluded Councillor O’Sullivan.

Cllr. James O’Sullivan

I’ve put together a leaflet outlining why Ireland should vote YES on 31st May to the Stability Treaty.

STABILITY & RECOVERY
The Treaty will renew confidence in the Euro currency. This will be vital for recovery, growth and job creation.

INVESTOR CONFIDENCE
It will maintain confidence abroad, particularly among jobcreating investors like Google, Paypal and Microsoft. Their recent job announcements were thanks to our renewed political and economic stability. We need to build on this momentum.

A SAFETY NET TO FUND OUR PUBLIC SERVICES
It will guarantee that we have access to backup funding from the European Stability Mechanism (ESM) to fund our public services. We can only access this if we vote Yes on 31 May 2012.

GOOD HOUSEKEEPING
It will allow us to manage our finances prudently, to keep our national debt under control so that we can be sure that taxpayers’ money goes into our schools, hospitals and public services, and not making repayments on our loans. It will also make sure that future governments can’t spend taxpayers’ money recklessly.

Cllr. James O’Sullivan

James O’Sullivan, a Fine Gael member of Greystones Town Council, has called for improved air quality in the North Wicklow areas of Greystones, Delgany, Kilcoole and Newcastle. The call comes as the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) plan to redraw their air quality zones based on the finalised 2011 Census results.

Councillor O’Sullivan said, “I welcome the fact that the EPA has recommended an extension to the existing ban on the sale of bituminous coal to reduce the concentrations of particulate matter thus improving air quality. The Air Pollution Act currently sets out that there must be no more than 0.7% sulphur content in all bituminous coal sold in the country, thus improving the air quality in many towns around the country.”

Councillor O’Sullivan noted however “At present, Bray is located in the EPA’s ‘Zone C’ where the sale of bituminous coal is restricted by the regulations. I would like to see Greystones, Delgany, Kilcoole and Newcastle included in this area in light of the finalised 2011 Census results, which were recently published. There has been a significant increase in the population of the Greystones area, I’m calling for this ban on smoky fuels to be extended. Harmful emissions of particulate matter and other air pollutants arising from the use of residential fuels is a real problem in the community and something that should be changed.”

“The Environmental Protection Agency publishes a comprehensive annual report on air quality. In a report in recent years, the EPA found that levels of particulate matter in smaller towns outside the existing ban areas can be similar or worse than those in cities. Therefore, Greystones air could potentially be more polluted than the air above the skies in Dublin”, stated Councillor O’Sullivan.

“Greystones and the surrounding areas as per the 2006 Census figures have a population of 14,569, and no smoky coal ban exists. This compares to Arklow, which per the same census had 11,759 people, yet a ban exists. This is a discrepancy which must be fixed based on the review.”

“As stated in the EPA Air Quality in Ireland 2010 report, enforcement by local authorities and support from retailers is important for the effective implementation of these regulations. I believe an extension of the zone would improve air quality and benefit the community. The Department have said that some settlements (for example Greystones, Delgany, Kilcoole and Newcastle) have extended beyond ‘ban area’ boundaries which are outdated, leading to inconsistency in regulatory controls in those areas”

“I have written to the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government as part of the public consultation process on smoky coal ban regulations with a view to extending the restrictions thus improving air quality and public health in North Wicklow.”

Councillor O’Sullivan concluded, “Reducing air pollution is an important matter of public health which I will be pursuing.”

The publics are invited to make submissions outlining their views. The deadline is Thursday, 17th May.

Submissions can be sent to:
Ms. June Flood
Environmental Compliance and Air Quality Section
Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government
Newtown Road
Wexford
Co. Wexford

Email: june.flood@environ.ie or airquality@environ.ie

Cllr. James O’Sullivan

James O’Sullivan, a Fine Gael member of Greystones Town Council, has called upon the public to get actively involved in the consultation process that is currently being undertaken by Wicklow County Council regarding a number of traffic issues.

Speaking about the public consultation, Councillor O’Sullivan said, “At the April meeting of Greystones Town Council, a presentation was given outlining a proposal for the development of a cycle network in the Greystones area. This proposal will have a significant impact on Greystones road users. In particular, there may be extensive road changes and traffic calming measures for Rathdown Road, Victoria Road, the south Beach promenade, Marine Road, Cliff Road, Sidmonton Road/Place, Bayswater Terrace, Kindlestown Lower, Blacklion and Templecarrig Lower.”

“As a result of this, I stressed at the meeting with Council officials that the views of residents must be taken into account. I also outlined the need for the sensible use of traffic calming measures. For example, moderation in the use of speed bumps around the town and the need to look at other traffic calming measures instead.”

“If members of the public are interested in viewing the plans they may be inspected at the Greystones Area Office, Mill Road, Greystones, Co. Wicklow or the Planning Authority office at Wicklow County Council, County Buildings, Wicklow Town, or alternatively the details are also on www.wicklow.ie. I would encourage everyone to make a submission about the plan or suggest changes to the proposal in writing on or before 20th June 2012. These need to be addressed to the Administrative Officer, Planning Section, Wicklow County Council.”

“I will also be making a submission during the public consultation phase to ensure that all local residents views are heard and taken into account in the decision making process by officials”, concluded Councillor O’Sullivan.

Cllr. James O’Sullivan