It was announced in Los Angeles that the largest film & TV studio in Ireland is to start construction in Greystones. The first section, 7 stages & offices will be open mid 2024. Overall it will have 670,000 sq. ft. and employ over 1,000 people on the 44 acres. ‘I welcome this announcement as the town has the lowest number of local jobs of any place in Wicklow and this will help reduce the need for commuting. The site is central with good connections to DART, bus, road and cycle…
Council management are proposing a €1M fund for rural areas, especially West Wicklow, funded from Development Levies. These are paid by developers on each house and are meant to fund infrastructure to support those houses. Such as footpaths, roads, playgrounds & Social facilities. However there is little development in rural areas compared to the fast growing areas of Greystones, Newtown & Wicklow Town where there is much need of new infrastructure. The capital funding for West Wicklow is already 20 times more than Greystones and its revenue spend is over…
Tuesdays meeting of the Council was told that 5 of the 12 outdoor staff positions in Greystones Municipal District were vacant as staff had left or retired. Most of these positions are to be recruited in January. Also a study of the staff numbers required is to be done early next year. ‘It is disturbing that so many positions have been allowed to be vacant at one time, no wonder it has been so difficult to get work done. I did an analysis of the amount of staff & budget…
I welcome Irish Rail ordering new DART carriages, 30, with electric power only, to be used to provide extra capacity on existing lines, including to Greystones. 65 as battery/electric to serve Drogheda until wires are put up for full electrification. They cost over €2m each and should be in service in 2025. With wide access between carriages they will provide CCTV, better access for wheelchairs & cycles. They will be in 5s, the same length as present 4s. Also 2 sets can be joined to carry 1,100 people. The present…
Submission on Community Benefit Fund of Offshore Windfarm ORESS Consultation Windfarms encounter local resistance in very many communities, including loud campaigns against them in Wicklow and other counties. Previous thermal power stations had major local benefits including jobs, trade, substantial rates to provide local services and giving the communities a sense of purpose. This is lacking in offshore wind which will provide few jobs, except where the base is, but will have a large visual effect on a wide area. Communities need to feel connected to it, need to see…
Greystones will be ‘Wind Farm Central’ with the Codling Bank & the Dublin Array ones meeting offshore, the largest windfarms in Ireland. It is vital that this benefits the town and residents feel connected to it. It is important that the Community Benefit Fund from each wind farm is seen to be spent locally, in those areas that see the turbines. Consultation on this closed last week and I lobbied to get this fund kept local rather than National which was originally proposed. I want to see this fund spent…
It is expected that construction of the last Block, ‘D’ will start in March and finish about September 2023. This will have a commercial area on the ground floor and 30 apartments above. This area is currently hoarded off, I’m glad of progress towards finishing the area. Gates put on North Pier by Sispar & Council to be kept open except when storms overtopping pier and/or when significant risk to other harbour users from anti social behaviour. Last Summer some people felt intimidated by large groups who had gathered there….
I complained at Mondays Council budget meeting that Greystones only got half the budget of other areas and half the staff. This has led to the ludicrous situation that an expensive street sweeper had sat in a shed for most of 5 years because there was no one to drive it. The Chief Executive did agree to recruit for 2 vacant posts now and do a study of the staffing needs of each area. However there was no commitment to extra staff so I voted against the Budget for the…
Greystones will be ‘Windfarm Central’ with the Codling Bank & the Dublin Array ones meeting offshore, some of the largest windfarms in Ireland. It is vital that this benefits the town and it is connected to them. I asked a year ago for one or both to set up an Interpretive Centre in Greystones with a view of the windfarm. So far they have made no commitments. I visited the Rampion Windfarm Visitors Centre in Brighton, UK, to learn about this. I was very impressed with its educational & visitor…
The Cliff Walk from Bray to Greystones could be closed some time while the Council tries to get land to move it inland a bit. I have asked that signs/maps be put up of diversion: along Cliff Road, main R761 down to Redford Dip or along a lane to the East. This crosses the rail line and leads to the harbour boardwalk. Many tourists won’t know it exists. The danger of collapse of the eroded Cliff Path is greater in wetter Winter conditions which is why it has been fenced…
© 2022 Councillor Derek Mitchell.
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