I am writing to you today as a primary school teacher, and more importantly as a mother of two young boys who are disabled. My four year old is a full-time wheelchair user and we are unsure yet as to whether his younger brother will also require a wheelchair. My boys are both bright, intelligent, inquisitive children who are highly sociable. In light of current events during this pandemic, I have seen so many parents and teachers discuss how this may impact our kids and the overwhelming consensus amongst us all have been concerns regarding the possible implications on their social development as they cannot play with their friends, explore nature, play freely and make new friends at local playgrounds etc. It has really made me stop and think as these have been ongoing concerns of mine due to our sons’ mobility needs. The truth of it is, we have found it very difficult to find playgrounds where Oscar can play. As well as not having any wheelchair friendly equipment for use, many playgrounds have completely inaccessible ground coverings like tree bark. I’m a firm believer that if I have an issue with something, I will try to offer alternative suggestions in order to help resolve said issue. A simple Google image search for ‘wheelchair friendly activities in playground’ yields a plethora of equipment that is accessible not only for users of wheelchairs, walkers and buggies, but also for children without disabilities. Slieve Gullion Forest Park is close to where we live and would be the best we have experienced. It’s not lost on me that this particular playground is in Northern Ireland, where the UK has much stricter protocol for accessible planning regulations. Within my local area in recent times, I’ve seen two new playgrounds built, one completely inaccessible to wheelchairs due to the bark surfaces and use of steep hills in its designs. It absolutely baffles me how in these times when we are seemingly a progressive country, that we completely omit the needs and right to play of a whole category of children. We teach inclusion and diversity in our schools every day, yet when this is not practised by our leaders, it is unforgiveable. We cannot accept this as an oversight any longer, we cannot accept the meagre list of accessible playgrounds dotted few and far between across the entire country. There is very little opportunity for a family to engage in a spontaneous stop-off at the playground when the statistics show that the playground will more than likely be inaccessible for the disabled child. Accessibility needs to be engrained within everything we plan for our public spaces. Untold damage is being done to our disabled children when they are being excluded and made to feel less than in their own hometowns. - Article 31 of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child states that: “Every child is entitled to rest and play and to have the chance to join in a wide range of activities including cultural and artistic activities.” - Article 30(5d) of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities states that “children with disabilities should have equal access with other children to participation in play, recreation and leisure and sporting activities, including those activities in the school system.” Outdoor natural areas are another area which raise accessible issues within the disability community. I can only speak from my own experience, as an avid nature lover and mother to two children with mobility needs. I understand that the natural world is best left to its own devices and can be highly inaccessible. However, a lot of our natural amenities that are open to the public have some sort of surface laid down as a path for the public to use. Why not go one step further and make sure that surface is also wheelchair friendly? The choice of what gravel is used can make all the difference for wheelchair users’ accessibility. The Irish Wheelchair Association has published a guide called The Great Outdoors which provides excellent detail. As an island country, our beaches are areas of beauty which everyone should be able to access, and not just from the side-lines. Beach wheelchairs are available at some sites, but not nearly enough, particularly at times of the year when they are in high demand. Availability of sand mats such as Access Trax would open up access immensely. “Foldable, lightweight, portable pathways for accessibility over outdoor terrain” would allow wheelchair users to roll right onto the beach as well as walking mobility aids, buggies and prams. - Article 30 of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities recognises that disabled people should “Enjoy access to places for cultural performances or services, such as theatres, museums, cinemas, libraries and tourism services, and, as far as possible, enjoy access to monuments and sites of national cultural importance.” As an educator and a parent, all I want is for my children to be allowed every and equal opportunity to thrive and make their mark on the world. I am available for any discussion should you wish, but I would ask you to note that I am just one voice of many. My voice pertains to my experience as a parent of my disabled children. There are many voices of other parents , but most importantly voices of disabled adults who have lived through experiences of being excluded and treated differently and unfairly. This is only one area of accessibility we have come up against, and unfortunately, I am not naïve enough to hope that it is our last.

Imagine cycling safely from Cork University Hospital/Cork University Maternity Hospital to Grand Parade and on to the South Infirmary Victoria University Hospital, all the while separated from cars and HGV trucks by protective barriers. On the way you pass the Bon Secours Hospital, UCC and the Mercy University Hospital. Health care workers have always cycled to work, and between the various city hospital campuses. But during the COVID19 pandemic, they were given a glimpse of what it might be like to cycle safely on the then quieter streets. The traffic is back. Now as lockdown eases we urge Cork City Council to boldly implement measures that will protect us, and all citizens of Cork, who make these journeys. Clapping for healthcare workers is easy. Making the city better for all citizens requires vision and leadership. The people of Cork were recently asked through social media: Would you like to see your front-line healthcare workers protected on their way to and from work? The response was unanimous: YES! #CorkHospitalCycleway. A protected cycleway. If this is something you'd be interested in? We'd love to hear from you. Are you a healthcare worker, patient, student or local business? What would this mean to you? Where do you work? Tell us your story… We will pass on your views to the various executives in our hospitals, UCC, Cork City Council. Let us remember the recent losses and sacrifices made by our front-line workers, by enacting a real and positive change to transform our city into a healthier, safer and more caring place to live and work.

Growing local community, business and amenities.

The improvement in air quality and the reduction in vehicle traffic during the lockdown has been immense. Many more people are choosing to shop online rather than making needless journeys to shops; as a result, delivery trips have increased. It's easily possible for a single household to receive a delivery each day of the working week, sometimes multiple drops on a single day from different companies. Being able to declare a preference for deliveries to occur on specific days of the week would allow delivery firms to combine drops, to the benefit of road users and the quality of our air.

It is a health hazard and an environmental hazard. sewage plants have a capacity and this was deemed over capacity by Fingal County Council in 2005 they then added the equivalent of 150 septic tanks to the plant and are now about to add another 43 septic tanks and a 100 bed Nursing Home. F05A/0837 F11A/0116 F15A/0116 These three planning permission state the plant is beyond capacity. they can be viewed on https://www.fingal.ie/view-or-search-planning-applications

WHAT IS PLANNING FOR ALL #planningforall #planningwhatplanning #planningjustice THE SHORT VERSION A brand new planning system designed by the ordinary citizens and most excluded first for the ordinary citizens and most excluded first. The LONG VERSION The planning system governs most aspects of our lives and dictates how our land, natural resources and built-in environment are disposed of. Therefore every Irish resident should be able to take part in it. However, the reality is that only a few of us are able to do so: most of the time, taking part in planning requires financial resources, free time, specific skills, expertises, qualifications and finally established relationships with local authorities and elected representatives. In short, deciding about our land, natural resources and built-in environment is the privilege of a very few privileged among us. Each and every day, all across Ireland, communities try to contest undemocratic planning decisions; however, they are not always successful. Sometimes, they put all their financial resources and energy in bringing a case to court. They may be able to succeed once, but the next day another planning submission is made and all their energy and financial resources are gone. It is obvious to us that cases cannot be solely fought on an individual basis; a more profound systemic change is also needed. By signing the present petition, you support our demand for the implementation of a radically new planning system: we believe that everyone should decide about what the new system should be like, especially those who have long been excluded from local and national decision-making. We ask the government to organise a period of genuine consultation to define a new, inclusive, democratic planning system that would be equitably accessible by all. A planning system by the ordinary citizens for the ordinary citizens. Finally, by signing the present petition, you support our demand that, whatever form the new planning system may take, it should be: free at all stages, inclusive of all forms of knowledge including local expertise, equitably accessible by all no matter your race/ethnicity/nationality, gender/sex, age, (dis)abilities, income, professional/family situation and living conditions and finally fully integrated at local, city, county, national level so as to avoid sacrificed communities/dumping zones. Please fill in our quick survey about your own planning experience by clicking on the following link: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeUFyrrHqErgahWH4k82mOhVGQnuMiyIDpcZywFQyjtqOgZeg/viewform?usp=pp_url

It is well known to us all I hope that Glyphosate based weedkillers are the cause of various cancers and one of contributing factors of killing pollinating bees worldwide! ALDI is planning to sell Glyphosate based Weedkilling product starting 04th of June so please help to pledge and appeal to ALDI management to stop offering this harmful product on their store shelves! Ireland is one of the last countries in Europe, which is seriously lagging behind when it comes to banning Glyphosate based products from being marketed! This is TIME for a CHANGE! What countries are banning Roundup? Since the International Agency on Research on Cancer found glyphosate to be probably carcinogenic in 2015, several countries have banned or restricted glyphosate use. Austria became the first EU country to ban glyphosate in July 2019. Germany announced in September that it will begin phasing out the controversial weedkiller by 2023. Countries that have some sort of legislation around glyphosate include: Argentina Australia Austria Bahrain Belgium Bermuda Brazil Canada Columbia Costa Rica Czech Republic Denmark El Salvador France Germany Greece India Italy Kuwait Luxembourg Malawi Malta Mexico Netherlands New Zealand Oman Portugal Qatar Saudi Arabia Scotland Slovenia Spain Sri Lanka St. Vincent and the Grenadines Sweden Switzerland Thailand United Arab Emirates United Kingdom Vietnam While the United States has been slow to accept the science behind glyphosates’ link to carcinogens, there is a growing movement among governments to protect the health of their citizens and the environment.

During this pandemic, many of our green areas have been allowed to grow wild, with no council mowing ongoing. Green areas have been allowed to flourish, so that we have yellows, purples, blues, whites, as well as lush green grass. When council workers are allowed to return, we want to keep wild the areas that don't require mowing (e.g. grass verges, fields in which only the edges are walked). Wexford is already doing great work with the "Lives Lived on the Edge" campaign and our no mow zones. Let's keep it up and do even more.

Everyone deserves to enjoy the beauty of a local park and that includes Daniel and his family. Dan has Sotos Syndrome and goes out daily with his amazing parents, Sinead and Keith for runs in his special buggy. Running the park, chatting to locals and saying hello has been a highlight, especially during C-19 as all day services etc. are closed. Now with these new gates, the Tighe family along with lots of other families are now PROHIBITED from entering our parks. This is wrong and SDCC need to remove this prison like gates and let those who are in wheelchairs etc. use the park like everyone else.

During this pandemic, many of our green areas have been allowed to grow wild, with no council mowing ongoing. Which is great! Green areas have been allowed to flourish with flowers growing through them. Widespread population declines of bees and other pollinators from habitat loss are a growing concern. However, spontaneous flowers like dandelions and clover can provide pollen and nectar sources throughout the growing season....... Therefore, please don't mow, don't spray, let them grow!

During this pandemic, many of our green areas have been allowed to grow wild, with no council mowing ongoing. Green areas have been allowed to flourish, so that we have yellows, purples, blues, whites, as well as lush green grass. When council workers are allowed to return, we want to keep wild the areas that don't require mowing (e.g. grass verges, fields in which only the edges are walked).

During this pandemic, many of our green areas have been allowed to grow wild, with no council mowing ongoing. Green areas have been allowed to flourish, so that we have yellows, purples, blues, whites, as well as lush green grass. When council workers are allowed to return, we want to keep wild the areas that don't require mowing (e.g. grass verges, fields in which only the edges are walked).