In a 2008 native woodland survey conducted by the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS), Toon Woods, a patchwork mosaic of various woodland types, was deemed to be the highest scoring unprotected site in the country. Yet large swathes of these woods were destroyed under a felling license that has now been revoked. The Dept of Agriculture issued a replanting order in March 2019. Toon Woods contain one of Ireland's strongest surviving colonies of red squirrels, a much-loved protected species who lost their shelter and their winter stores in the felling. This sessile oak woodland, ecologically an extension of the Gearagh, is well-known to sustain other protected species. A nationally important lesser horseshoe bat maternity roost exists only a few hundred metres from the destroyed area, while the pristine Toon river provides habitat for freshwater pearl mussels, a red-listed species. One ecologist who visited the site noted the absence of infrastructure to prevent soil run-off into the Toon river, threatening the freshwater mussel which cannot tolerate silt, as well as the nearby Gearagh, a Natural 2000 site and Special Area of Conservation, into which the Toon flows. Malcolm Noonan has the power to confer full NHA status on the Toon woods, as was proposed by then Chief Scientist Dr John Cross in 2013, following a survey commissioned by NPWS. Climate change poses a major threat to our future well-being and the protection of our oak woodlands is essential if we are to create natural buffers to save our endangered native species. They account for less than 2% of our forests. We can do so much better. Most of Toon woods are still intact but they are in urgent need of your intervention. https://www.irishtimes.com/news/ireland/irish-news/tree-felling-at-ireland-s-finest-undesignated-native-woodland-halted-1.3777868

This is important as we are losing our natural habitat to plastic. Our wildlife, marine life, our plantlife, our oceans, rivers .... our lives are awash with plastic. We must break the cycle and make the changes before it's too late.

Illegal dumping and burning of rubbish is a massive problem for rural dwellers. It’s unsightly and attracts rodents (in the case of dumping) and toxic, raising dioxin levels (in the case of burning). The policing and reporting of it is cumbersome, costly and ineffective. Make it a mandatory requirement. If you’re living in a home and producing waste you must have some legitimate means of getting rid of your waste, similarly for farms and businesses. If you’re using the municipal waste and recycling services then you should be able to prove it with receipts. I realise waste services are expensive but the rubbishing of rural Ireland is a disgrace.

There is an over-concentration of student and transient accommodation in the Dublin Inner City. With regards to student accommodation, the city development plan states that the planning authority “will have regard to the pattern and distribution of student accommodation in the locality and resist the over concentration of such schemes in any one area”. In Dublin 8 alone the total number of student bed spaces in schemes either already inplace, under construction, approved or proposed within 250 metres of the proposed Sweeney Corner development is 1058. Extending the radius to 1km brings the total to 3752 bed spaces. In addition to student bed spaces, almost exclusively all other development in the area are providing for transient accommodation. This includes hotels recently built, under construction of approved at Kevin Street (Maldron), directly adjacent at Mill Street (Aloft), the Coombe (Hyatt), Vicar Street and Newmarket, as well as Staycity aparthotels directly adjacent and approved for the Tivoli site on Francis Street. Finally, 2 other sites in the immediate vicinity of Blackpitts and Donore Avenue which have planning approval in place for an apartment and office scheme respectively, are now back on the market advertising their suitability for hotel and/or student accommodation. Although the application in question at Sweeney’s Terrace provides for a number of build-to-rent apartments, it is still primarily a development of student accommodation. At this stage, it must be considered that there is sufficient student accommodation in the area, and accommodation of a more permanent nature must be encouraged in order to provide an appropriate diversity of accommodation types.

Many schools, especially in the voluntary sector are underfunded and rely heavily on fund raising and voluntary contributions. Millions are being spent every year on sending pointless postage to teachers who either file the payslips away and never look at again or simply throw straight in the bin. This wastage needs to stop!

There are other compelling reasons for Parks Department of Fingal Council to develop this space for recreation use. They are: - provide green space for Balbriggan ETNS school, Foroige and afterschool - space for young people to hang out, instead of within the nearby estates - a minipitch/ multi use games area would nicely complete this space - minipitch/ games area would provide an asset to Fingal Council's Balbriggan Sports Hub, which is based at Flemington Community Centre - many estates in the surrounding area do not have green spaces within, so this space could be put to good use in day time and evening time hours Please sign and share with your friends and neighbours!

Grand Canal Docks SDZ Affordable housing project in jeopardy Part 5 social housing delivery will not be delivered on site and possibly not within the Dockland SDZ or greater Dockland area. The North Lotts and Grand Canal Dock SDZ planning scheme envisaged a model of sustainable inner-city regeneration incorporating socially inclusive urban neighbourhoods and by not delivering social housing on site or within the SDZ the spirit and the promise of the Docklands SDZ Scheme has been broken. “We have seen a lot of cranes in the Docklands but not a lot of homes. Particularly affordable homes.” ‘Affordable’ housing means different things in different places, Minister for Housing Eoghan Murphy says. Private developers must deliver affordable homes on lands benefitting from public funds. He added: “Affordable needs to mean affordable.” Economic recovery, and with it rising apartment costs, has had an impact upon “Part Vs”, to the legal rule that means developers have to sell 10 percent of homes in larger developments to the council for affordable housing, or make some equivalent arrangement. Part V: New developments are required to provide up to 10% of units (or equivalent land) for social housing to councils at ‘cost’. However, this has not resulted in any confirmed new social housing units in the SDZ (awaiting update from DCC), and to our knowledge none of the planned 2600 new residential units in the area are currently designated as social housing. Recently, DCC councillors have been informed that the costs of purchasing units in the Docklands area “well exceed the DPHCLG cost ceilings and are not deemed value for money”. Therefore, the City Council has determined that off-site provision (albeit in the ‘entire Docklands area’) be considered to comply with Part V. As a result, the local community has “lost out”, while developers in the Docklands are making an absolute fortune out of this site. Subsidised sites would always deliver affordable housing. Where significant public money is being brought to open up a site, affordability will have to be part of the negotiations. The North Lotts and Grand Canal Dock SDZ was made by the Elected Members of Dublin City Council in November 2013 and approved by An Bord Pleanála on the 16th May 2014 and will provide for 2,600 residential units and up to 360,000 sq. metres of office space, as well as retail, community and public amenity facilities which will create 23,000 jobs. If the SDZ were delivered under the proposed schemes, there would be 260 units available for the households eligible for these units. Funding is a major issue in relation to those social units. The theory is that DCC would acquire units at cost, rather than at market value. If 260 units were made available to DCC at an average cost of say €500,000, the total cost would be €130m. Can DCC realistically source funding of €130m from the DoHPLG?. The system as currently implemented appears to leave the balance of power with developers. Source: https://www.dublincity.ie/councilmeetings/documents/s21553/320%20DOCF%20Annual%20Report%202018.pdf Dublin City Council has said it prefers to take social housing on site, within the same complexes and estates as the private homes. But it is being priced out of the Docklands SDZ area, unable to purchase the homes on offer in new complexes there. In April, Executive Housing Manager Anthony Flynn said the council was talking to five developers about other options for how to get that Part V social housing. When councillors get updates about the Docklands, council planners often brush off queries relating to housing provision, Workers’ Party Councillor Eilís Ryan says. When they “are pushed on housing they don’t actually claim any responsibility for it”, Ryan says. Strategic Development Zone (SDZ) where a fast-track planning process allows developers to get planning consent within two months of application. Under the planning laws, Developer is required to provide 10 per cent of the apartments for sale to the council for social housing at a discounted price, if it secures planning permission. Changes made in 2015 mean councils can no longer take cash from the developer instead of social housing. Back in 2010 Mr Ahern said: “The fact that the Grand Canal Docks would be primarily used for housing met Government policy objectives to increase residential densities and provide social housing. Well done to the DDDA in the way social and affordable housing are an integral part of the plans. The Taoiseach also commended the authority for its commitment to a public procurement process in seeking joint-venture partners from the private sector, and said he was pleased it would be using its Section 25 powers to "fast-track" the development.” Progress to date The recent 2017 Review of the 2015 Dublin Docklands Social Infrastructure Audit 20151 very disappointingly demonstrates that in the past 3 years there has been little real progress on any of the social infrastructure recommended in the 2015 report. This situation, in the view of the Committee, is unacceptable and continues to fail to address Community needs. Instead large-scale office developments, and exclusive, gated residences have been progressed by commercial developers and have led to an environment that is not inviting to local residents. The Docklands Community requires that social infrastructure be prioritised immediately in order to maximise the sustainability and integration of the indigenous and new communities in the Docklands.

We oppose the decision to introduce over 50 parking spaces in Russell Park, Hyde Road. Since the initial consultation in 2015, Limerick’s has drastically changed. Four years after original planning permission was sought, we now have many people living in this area, while many of the businesses whom requested the additional parking have ceased trading. Only 19 submissions were collected as part of the Part 8 planning application and residents do not feel that they were adequately consulted on this issue. Of note, there are many children and adults living with disabilities in the new Hyde Road apartments and they have serious safety concerns regarding the extra car traffic this will bring to the area. Considering the complete reversal of the final works on Davis Street from the finalised proposed plans, there is a set precedent for Limerick Council to halt construction work at this time. The Davis Street improvement infrastructure did not reflect or meet the proposed planning documents with no reason for this change given by Limerick Council. We call for greater linkage between Russell Park and The Peoples Park. This could also include the use of the iconic Park Kiosk to be used as a cultural hub for the surrounding area. We believe that we need to value our city’s green spaces and the enormous health, social and environmental benefits they bring to Limerick and its citizens.

Public parks, woods and other green spaces are more and more recognised as essential to the health of people and to the wellbeing of the planet. Sadly Galway city’s public parks are increasingly suffering from anti-social behaviour that is undermining all of the great work that has been undertaken over so many decades by volunteers of all ages. Issues such as litter, dumping, destruction of seating/tables and tree felling are undermining not only citizens’ enjoyment of our valuable green spaces but are also impacting negatively on wildlife species. It is well past time that Galway city follows the centuries-old example of Dublin and Belfast in having dedicated full time park wardens. Such on-the-ground staff could regularly carry out essential maintenance, act as tour guides, dramatically decrease acts of vandalism and in the process restore public confidence and usage of a rich diverse range of meadows, forests, wetlands and parks that would be the envy of most other European cities.

We all need to act for the sake of our only life support system. Involving over 2 million people this will cut around two million tonnes of CO2 in just one year. Unlike a carbon tax, it would be immediately effective and at the same time keep money in peoples pockets and local communities. Over two million drivers in Ireland will become daily aware of their responsibility to future generations. The benefits are many. Safer roads Fewer deaths and catastrophic injuries, Cleaner air, A sensible transition to electric vehicles as they also use more power at higher speed. Easily duplicated worldwide It will very effectively cut imports of fossil fuel therefore keeping money in the national economy. Strategically it will give more leeway to other sectors while they try to cut their emissions. If duplicated worldwide it would involve a billion drivers contributing to the solution. Carbon tax on fuel is neither effective nor just. It unfairly impacts those on lower income while sending the message that if you are wealthy enough it is alright to produce greenhouse gases. As a former cab driver/ bus driver and ambulance driver I have in the past three years kept to 80km/hr driving all over Ireland and in Wales and it is not difficult. Check our website for testimonials from some of the over 1200 people who have taken the pledge to keep to 80km/hr on all roads already.

Food as a subject would be broad and encompass different aspects of food, from cooking to growing, from history to culture. A food subject will promote healthier eating, the local economy and our connection to nature.

According to the latest IPCC report, the next twelve years are crucial for action on climate change. There are four ambitious climate and environmental Bills which have been brought by Opposition Parties to the Dail. If the government truly wants to make Ireland a leader on climate change, it should support the passage of these Bills immediately. These are - The Climate Emergency Measures Bill (Bríd Smith PBP) - The Microgeneration Support Scheme Bill (Sinn Fein) - The Just Transition (Worker and Community Environmental Rights) Bill (Green Party) - The Waste Reduction Bill (Green Party) This is a simple ask. These are all sensible Bills which will move Ireland towards being a cleaner, greener and fairer place to live. We have no time to wait. #ClimateActionNow