Derek Mitchell provides updates on several development projects in Greystones, Co. Wicklow, Ireland. The new harbour has opened, providing boat access and parking. Construction is underway on a new primary healthcare center. Irish Rail is installing fencing along the coastal walk for safety but will work to keep pedestrian access open at Breeches Bridge. A new secondary school will be built for 2014 in response to population growth.

1. Councillor
Derek Mitchell
Wicklow County Council Fine Gael
Kiltoorish, Manor Avenue, Greystones, Co. Wicklow.
Tel/Fax 01-2874115(H) • www.derekmitchell.ie
ity
Commun
Email: mitchelld@eircom.net
Update
Not JUNk
Mail!!
TURNING VISION
INTO REALITY
THE HARBOUR
IS UNVEILED
PLUS... • Keep Coastal Walk Open • New Secondary School
• Derelict Sites • M11/N11 Traffic Jams
• Real-Time Bus Information • Civic Forum

2. New Secondary School should be
Turning Vision into Reality - Keep Coastal Walk Open from
The Harbour is Unveiled Educate Together
Greystones to Wicklow Town
An excellent harbour structure has been completed and a The Minister for Education has announced that a new
good public slipway is now available to all which is Secondary school will be built in Greystones for 2014.
better than before. In April I produced a plan for the The population expanded rapidly and there will be a
developers to get as much as possible of the harbour shortage of places soon, so I am glad that the Minister
open to the public and, in spite of the difficult financial has now recognised this. The site is owned by the
climate, the work is now well underway for a September Department and is close to Lidl. Some years ago I worked
opening. Most of the items in my plan are included. hard to get this site and the ones for the Educate
Together and Gaelscoile Primary schools.
No Patron has been announced but I want to see an Educate
BOAT ACCESS
Together School as this has the best chance of getting pupils to
The new larger East Public Slipway and the entire beach area will
study in Greystones. I did a study of the 2006 Census which
be available for boat launching. At my suggestion the Sea Scouts,
showed that Greystones is unusual as 60% of pupils go outside
rowers, divers, anglers and sailors get their full boat parking
town for education and it has by far the highest number of pupils
space. These will be the best boat launching facilities in the
taking the train to school.
country and will allow marine use by children and adults to
flourish. The Secondary Educate Together Group has expressions of interest
from over 800 prospective pupils. If you would like to register an
Expression of Interest for your child then print the form from
GENERAL ACCESS www.wicklow2school.ie and post it to them.
Taking the hoardings down has created a lovely vista. A green The photo shows Deirdre Crowe, Jessica Bird of the ET campaign
area, walking area, car and trailer parking are being created east This is a great walk but there have been a number of and myself giving an excited ‘thumbs up’ immediately after being
of the present slipway. This and the boat parking will have phoned by Simon Harris T.D. about the announcement of a new
serious safety incidents recently. In some cases
temporary, but firm, surfaces. I suggested that the top of the school.
South Pier should be open with access from the beach area and birdwatchers, who set up tripods on the bridge, have
this is being done. refused to move for trains even though the train
whistled and had to stop. Also people have tried to save
their dogs from the tracks, risking their own lives, when
H.S.E. PRIMARY MEDICAL CARE CENTRE
Construction of the 4 storey building, in front of the existing
Sailing Club, will be completed in September 2012. It will also
a train was coming. This behaviour is unsafe and causes
problems for all of us. Irish Rail will be putting a fence
Derelict Sites
include a doctor’s practice, 11 apartments and a shop. This between the path and the tracks. However the Breeches
medical complex will be welcomed by the town. The green area Bridge at Kilcoole is too narrow and they were going to
between this and the slipway still has to be developed close the bridge to pedestrians. This would cut the walk. La Touche Hotel. This, the most prominent building in
(underground petrol and diesel tanks for the marina, flood control I am urging them to keep pedestrian access open. Greystones, has been derelict for 10 years and is an eyesore. The
tanks, water, gas and sewerage pipes) and must remain hoarded landside front and the internal staircase are preserved. Over many
off for safety reasons, but is expected to open next July. I made suggestions to Irish Rail and subsequently walked the line years I have been demanding that it is listed on the Derelict Sites
with their engineers. They have agreed to ask bridge engineers to Register but only this year did Council officials issue the required
design a solution which would allow pedestrians cross safely. A notices. If a building is on the Register then a tax of 3% of the
MARINA long term solution might be to replace the bridge deck with one site value must be paid each year or accumulated until sold. This
It is not possible to have safe land access to this area before the having a separate pedestrian path. This has to be designed and provides a major incentive to develop the site. The site owner, a
Plan when medical building is largely complete. It is hoped to open a small costed and could not be implemented before next year. Funding liquidator, agreed to work on the building but has failed to live up
health centre open marina early next Summer. The developers are keen to to his promises and it is now past time for it to be listed on the
would also have to be found. I have also suggested that a raised
know the level of demand to size it so if you are Register.
interested in putting a boat on the marina, E-Mail me platform should be constructed on the sea side so that
and I will pass this on and they can contact you. birdwatchers get a good view without going on the tracks. Kilcoole. The knocked down building in the centre is on the
Register which has encouraged the owner to remove rubble and
This plan implements lower cost items contained in the They will fence the rail line in September and as a temporary make it neater. The owner of the other derelict house in the centre
final project and which have major public benefit. The measure they will probably allow bridge access through gates has been threatened with placement on the Register but has now
Council has a €5M bond in case the public facilities are with extra signs and instructions for the train to whistle. agreed to carry out some work to make it better.
not completed but this cannot be exercised for a
number of years. This interim plan is very welcome and I will be following this up to ensure pedestrian access is kept
I am sure that we will not need to exercise the bond to open and am pleased they are responding positively.
get the public facilities complete. When the medical
building is complete I will be asking the developers to
review access to the North Pier, other areas, clubhouse
construction and the northern fencing in the light of
circumstances at the time.
Councillor Wicklow County Council
Derek Mitchell Kiltoorish, Manor Avenue, Greystones, Co. Wicklow.
Tel/Fax 01-2874115(H) www.derekmitchell.ie
Fine Gael
Email: mitchelld@eircom.net

3. M11 / N11 Traffic Jams
Very serious traffic jams happen where the motorway
ends going South, sometimes stretching back 4 miles.
This is the oldest dual-carriageway around Dublin and
needs upgrading to cope with current traffic volumes.
For many years I have been raising this with the
National Roads Authority, the Council and the Dublin
Regional Authority to get the problem solved. Problems
with cars merging and queuing on the exit ramps send
‘waves’ of delays back reducing speed and the capacity
of the road.
Short Term. The NRA produced a short term solution and had
€2m to fund it last year. However, Bray members of Wicklow
County Council have rejected, thus delaying, this solution as they
have got the false impression that these changes will make the
traffic on Bray’s main street worse. However the opposite is true.
The Kilcroney roundabout at the South Bray junction will be
replaced by traffic lights. This will allow space for 2 right turn
lanes into the Southern Cross Road and 1 straight ahead, instead
of just 1 now. This will increase capacity by 10% and eliminate
the present queue going back to the N11.
The on and off lanes at Fassaroe junction will be lengthened to
modern standards to encourage faster merging. Traffic lights will
be placed on the N11 access ramp to temporally stop traffic
merging when there is a slow ‘wave’ on the main road. These will
also go green if more than 10 cars are waiting. This technique is
used on Urban Motorways in the UK and USA but probably not
in Ireland before.
The Bray North junction would also be improved with this plan
and Dun Laoghaire Council approved this change in 2010.
Next time you are sitting in this traffic jam remember the
solution has been delayed by the Bray Councillors!
Long Term. A study is being done for a long term solution.
Probably a third lane and a better and safer junction at
Kilmacanogue are needed. I am a member of the Dublin Regional
Civic Forum
Authority and have got the Regional Planning Guidelines altered
to specifically include this scheme; this being one of the few
changes made by Councillors to the Guidelines. Money is now Fine Gael will be holding a Civic Forum to
scarce but at least if we know the solution and have it in the keep you up to date with happenings in the area, the work being done,
Regional Plan then sections can be implemented. answer any suggestions and queries you may have.
PLEASE TRY TO COME ALONG:
Real-Time Bus Information Kilcoole and Newcastle Civic Forum
Monday 5th September at 8 p.m. in St. Patrick’s Hall, Kilcoole
Greystones and Delgany Civic Forum
A new bus information system is currently on trial in Dublin
Monday 19th September at 8 p.m. in Charlesland Golf Club.
Centre. Once tested and live it will be spread out to the suburbs.
However, only 13 locations are being considered for North
Representing Fine Gael in
Wicklow, way below the percentage of population in the area.
Greystones, Kilcoole, Newcastle, Delgany and Killadreenan:
These signs show the next 4 buses arriving at the bus stop and Cllrs. Derek Mitchell, George Jones, Grainne McLoughlin and
the time to arrival, similar to DART stations. They are useful James O’Sullivan.
especially further out where buses are less frequent and T.D’s Simon Harris, Andrew Doyle and Billy Timmins.
passengers wonder if one is coming. They are planned at
Greystones DART Station, Blacklion, 8 places in Bray and one in
each of Enniskerry and Blessington. I am demanding signs be put
up in Charlesland and Kilcoole, both large population centres.
Also priority should be given to Eden Gate, Mill Road, Delgany
and Newcastle. The test version can be seen on www.rtpi.ie and
when live will be available on mobile phones as well as the
display signs.
I am also pressing for the bus shelter in Charlesland and for the
DART information sign to work, both long awaited. Greystones is
the only DART station without this sign. Please visit... ww.derekmitchell.ie