Cllr Gerry Breen

Fine Gael to hold pre estimates seminar for business community next Wednesday

gerrybreen — Sat, 02 Oct 2010 13:41:43 +0000

The Fine Gael group on Dublin City Council are holding a pre estimates/pre budget seminar for the business community at 10.30am next Wednesday 7th October, 2009 in the Mansion House on Dawson Street.The commercial rates will be set for 2010 by the city council in December.

Leader of the group, Councillor Gerry Breen said about the issue: ”Business is suffering in the city with a downturn in business and this has not been helped by the 3.3% increase in commercial rates by the city council for 2009. Fine Gael opposed this increase and with a deflation rate of 5.9% in 2009, this increase comes to 10% in real terms. Alongside this is the introduction of the College Green Busgate. The Busgate has shown that shoppers are opting for the convenience of out of town centres, such as the Pavilion in Swords or the Dundrum Town Centre. Both are showing year on year increases in turnover. It is time for the council to take on the concerns of business in the city, so that both employment and the commercial rates base in the city can be maintained. We also want to know what we in the city council can do for business.

Fine Gael wants to hear from all business so that we can bring those concerns and ambitions back to the council chamber. All are welcome”.

Speech to Young Fine Gael, Mansion House, Friday 10th September 2010

gerrybreen — Fri, 17 Sep 2010 14:54:09 +0000

Dear Young Fine Gaelers,

I was asked to speak about my vision for Dublin this evening. This will probably be the longest speech of my Mayoralty, my shortest being logged at 25 seconds. I want to talk about my vision for Young Fine Gael, Fine Gael, Ireland and Dublin.

But first a little bit about me. I got involved in politics in 1976 – some 34 years ago when elected to the position of class rep for a class of 350 in first year in B.Comm. in UCD. I was re elected for second year and returned unopposed for the final year. I joined Fine Gael in 1981 and was elected to this city council in 1999. In 2002 I was lucky in acquiring the first aid business of my employer then, Smith + Nephew, and the business has performed well since.

I want to talk to you in a frank way and as members of the wider Fine Gael family. The most frequent comment I hear about Young Fine Gael is that “they are good for leaflet drops”. I have never had a member of Young Fine Gael canvass for me. Why? You don’t have to be old to have compassion. But there are certain elements in Young Fine Gael that lack the compassion needed to relate to ordinary people on the door step. We should remember that Fine Gael is the party of the “Just Society”.

Babies born in the Coombe, the Rotunda or Holles Street are all born with the same abilities. It is only when they are brought home that their chances and opportunities in life change. Society should be like a family, only bigger. You have to continually afford people down on their luck the chance to get up and be happy in life. Not for one minute do I think that drug addicts, alcoholics or anyone else suffering from an addiction want to be in that dark place. Not for one minute do I think that a majority of unemployed people want to be unemployed and unoccupied. And those that may do are in my view conditioned by years and generations of experience. That is my challenge for Young Fine Gael. Compassion should be the driver for your involvement in politics.

A month ago, a Fine Gael member of the Oireachtas wrote to the Irish Times making comment on the health of the Minister for Finance and the invitation extended to him to speak at the Beal na mBláth. Mind you, this individual only joined Fine Gael in the last five years. His first mistake was to comment on the suitability of the Minister for Finance for his job given his medical condition. That was beyond the pale, especially coming from a medical practitioner. The second was to indulge in a ninety-year quarrel that contributes nothing to the well-being of the Irish nation. As Shakespeare might have said, “the senator doth protest too much”. Perhaps if he joined Fine Gael twenty years ago, he wouldn’t have made such comments.

And of course Young Fine Gael had to row in behind this silliness. Relating to that quarrel which was founded in a real and fundamental disagreement about the formation and structure of the state, how does it now contribute anything to the current situation we the Irish nation are in? Does indulging in the Collins legacy in this way take anyone unfortunate person off the dole queue? Does it result in gaining a meaningful job for any person young or not so young? No. And those in Fine Gael who perpetuate this ninety year old argument merely serve to block off support for the party from at least 30% of the population. We have to appeal to all Irish citizens. Fianna Fail politicians and supporters are good people. It’s true that certain individuals have sullied that proud tradition by being corrupt. Nepotism has contributed to poor performance. That comes with being in power for sixty of the ninety years of independence and it could happen to any party. We are not a two-nation state.

What we in Fine Gael have to focus fully on now is the argument about who should be in government and why they should be in government. What is needed more than ever are competent politicians who can manage this country. Fine Gael is a natural party of government. We will make decisions. Those decisions require energy and freshness. They also require steeliness. In contrast the Labour Party’s core competence is opposition. They remind me of the dog at the crossroads who chases every car that passes. But if a car stopped and they were handed the car keys, they would shrink away. Or the under-eight footballer who chases the ball around the park at a safe distance hoping they never get passed the ball and no one will notice. That is why we in Fine Gael have to strive to be the largest party after the next election.

The whole point of politics is to be in power and not in opposition decrying every government action. The whole point of politics is to gain power for the betterment of all society. To change where necessary. To maintain when right. To improve where possible. The difficulties of power should not be underestimated. Fine Gael are likely to be in power in the next twenty months and we must prepare and plan for the rescue job this country will need then after fifteen years of poor management. But we must guard against the cling-ons who will attach themselves to any future government. We must align all our ambitions for Fine Gael with our ambitions for our country. Perhaps, in that respect it would be more useful in this day and age if we were to reference Arthur Griffith rather than Michael Collins in seeking solutions for dealing with our problems today.

Now after all that – what is my vision for Dublin?

In contrast to some politicians, I am a great believer in the “what can we do now philosophy”. Given that I knew I would be Lord Mayor (barring a major upset) since April, I took a week off after Easter and then every Friday off to engage with as many people as possible to research and plan for my mayoralty. This included ex-Lord Mayors from across the divide, senior Fine Gael figures, Dublin Chamber of Commerce, Dublin Tourism, Dublin City Enterprise Board, Dun Laoire Rathdown Enterprise Board, three county managers, present and former assistant city managers, many councillors (including past Young Fine Gaelers) and many more. I recruited two additional employees for my business and took myself out of the business at the end of May. With two interns and free office space we got to work.

Now there is the first website for the Lord Mayor of Dublin, www.lordmayordublin.ie, a Facebook page and a Google mapping of over 250 free wifi spots in Dublin. With the Dublin Institute of Technology, I have agreement to execute two projects – one to populate the sat nav databases for all points of interests in Dublin including schools, shops, libraries, hotels, cafes, etc. The other project is to set up a web-based Intern Exchange for graduates and non-graduates alike. Three talented interns are working with me on over ten projects – a first for a Lord Mayor. With Griffith College Dublin, there are going to be a series of businesses courses free to businesses in the city.

In my speech to the Fine Gael group for the election of the Fine Gael candidate for the Lord Mayor and in my election as Lord Mayor, I spoke about “accentuating the positive and eliminating the negatives” for Dublin city, surburbs, communities and businesses.

With that objective in mind, I have walked over twenty six villages in Dublin and held a Village Workshop in this room last Tuesday week. Some eighty business people from villages in our capital discussed how they can promote their village and their businesses. We are hoping to recruit a number of FAS funded interns to work with the thirty-plus villages. While its focus is to protect and maintain employment in our villages, it will also have a strong positive community impact.

Next Tuesday, with the Assistant Garda Commissioner I am chairing the first City Business Safety Forum for Dublin city centre. The forum will include representatives of the Dublin City Business Association, Dublin Chamber of Commerce, Business Improvement Districts in Dublin, Temple Bar, Dublin Tourism, Dublin City Council and Gardai. These fora will take place every two months. Their purpose is to deal with any safety issues in the immediate city centre area. In preparation and in my chains, I have been walking the streets meeting business people and others in the city. Tomorrow at 10am in this room, again with the Assistant Garda Commissioner we are hosting a best practice workshop for all Safety Fora in the country.

I am engaging with a group of industry experts to see what we in the city council and in Dublin city can do on a practical level to increase the city’s smartness and improve productivity through technology in the city. I have opened up the Mansion House to courses with the Dublin City Enterprise Board and every Wednesday open the doors of the Mansion House to any member of the public who wants to meet me.

I may not deliver the Olympics for Dublin but if my efforts result in one single job being maintained or created, I will be a proud man leaving this position on June 27th 2011.

In conclusion, I didn’t list these activities in an effort to try to impress you about my modest efforts to improve the lot of the citizens of Dublin, but simply to affirm my strong belief that the business of politics today must focus firmly on the decisions and actions that are required to reach out to people and to deal with the challenges and problems they face every day, and not the semantics of who should and should not be able to address a memorial service or some other trivial issue. I challenge you to stop dropping leaflets and to start doing some heavy lifting.

Thank you.

Port Company’s application rejected with €155k of costs

gerrybreen — Wed, 09 Jun 2010 09:59:59 +0000

Today An Bord Pleanála rejected the Dublin Port Company’s application to infill and develop over 95 acres of the inner bay of Dublin.

Welcoming the decision, Chair of the Dublin Bay Watch Councillor Gerry Breen commented “Hopefully this decision will see the end of the 40 year folly of the Port Company’s attempt to infill the Bay. Now we can turn instead to shaping a vision for the Bay which accords with the hopes and ambitions of the people of Dublin.”The reason for refusal by An Bord Pleanála was the proposed designation of the site as a Special Protection Area or (SPA) under the Birds Directive. Please see below full text of decision.

STRATEGIC INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT

PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT ACTS 2000 TO 2009

An Bord Pleanála Reference Number: 29N.PA0007

(Planning Authority: Dublin City Council)

APPLICATION for permission under section 37E of the Planning and Development Act, 2000, as amended, in accordance with plans and particulars, including an Environmental Impact Statement, lodged with An Bord Pleanála on the 29^th day of August, 2008 by Dublin Port Company care of McCabe Durney Barnes of 56 Fitzwilliam Square, Dublin.

PROPOSED DEVELOPMENT: The development of additional port facilities with access to deepwater berths at the north-eastern part of Dublin Port, off Alexandra Road Extension, Dublin 1, involving:

(i) The reclamation of 21 hectares of foreshore within Dublin Port for port purposes including the construction of 21 hectares of hard standing (including 8.4 hectares of jointed reinforced concrete to the load-on/load-off container yard and 11.3 hectares flexible pavement to the roll-on/roll-off yard) to accommodate containers as well as heavy and other goods vehicles and cars awaiting embarkation on ships or goods vehicles disembarking from ships awaiting collection containing 559 number goods vehicle parking bays, 6,290 linear metres of queuing lanes, capacity to accommodate 5,635 number full containers stacked five high (12.95 metres overall height) and 1,440 number empty containers stacked six high (15.54 metres overall height) as well as 60 number staff parking bays.

(ii) The construction of a 1,025 metre length of solid quay wall to the eastern and southern boundaries of the site and the construction of a 500-metre long rock armour revetment to the northern boundary of the reclamation area. The installation of a 340 metre long berthing pier and two number double-tier linkspan roll-on/roll-off ramps and approach structures projecting from the eastern quay.

(iii) The provision of four number 60.5 metre high container handling cranes, three number reefer gantries and six number rubber-tyred gantries both types are 25 metres high to their highest point.

(iv) The construction of a two-storey terminal services building of 831 square metres, a single-storey gate control office of 109.13 square metres, a two-storey load-on/load-off operations office of 285 square metres, a single-storey port operators office of 4.5 square metres, a two-storey maintenance building of 698.4 square metres and three number single-storey electricity sub-stations, two of 61.8 square metres each and one of 99 square metres.

(v) An extension to the existing railway line to secure connectivity with the national rail network and extension to existing roadways as well as the demolition of an existing prefabricated office building.

(vi) The provision of a 500 metre long stretch of landscaping screening and gabion wall with a crest height of +14 metres over chart datum (CD) along the northern boundary as well as fencing around the proposed development.

(vii) Associated infrastructure and services including nine number 45 metre high mast lights on the southern side of the hard standing and 25 number 25 metre high mast lights on the northern section of the hard standing.

(viii) Dredging over an area of 220,000 square metres involving a volume of 1,475,000 cubic metres of materials at the southern and eastern berths and the approaches from the main channel.

The proposed development is located at the eastern extremity of the northern side of the port area, off Alexandra Road Extension, Dublin 1 and is adjacent to an existing Special Protection Area and within an area which has been proposed for designation as a Special Protection Area. Access to the proposed development is through the existing road network within the northern part of the port estate. As amended by the significant additional information in relation to the application received by An Bord Pleanála on the 30^th day of April, 2009.

DECISION

REFUSE permission under section 37G of Planning and Development Act, 2000, as amended, for the above proposed development based on the reasons and considerations under.

DETERMINE under section 37H(2)(c) the sum to be paid by the applicant in respect of costs associated with the application as set out in the Schedule of Costs below.

MATTERS CONSIDERED

In making its decision, the Board had regard to those matters to which, by virtue of the Planning and Development Acts and Regulations made thereunder, it was required to have regard. Such matters included the submissions and observations received by it in accordance with statutory provisions.

REASONS AND CONSIDERATIONS

The proposed development is partly within the South Dublin Bay and River Tolka Estuary proposed Special Protection Area (pSPA), designated under the Birds Directive. On the basis of the submissions made in relation to the proposed development, it is considered that

(a) the significance of the permanent loss of wetland habitat from the pSPA arising from the proposed development has not been clearly or adequately established,

(b) the full extent of long-term changes to the morphology, sediment regime and consequent impacts on the benthic food resource within the Tolka Estuary as a result of the hydrodynamic changes generated by the proposed development has not been adequately established,

(c) the significance of the development site for use by bird species that are qualifying interests for the pSPA has not been clearly established, and

(d) the significance of the permanent loss of the benthic food resource as a result of the proposed development has not been adequately established.

Accordingly, the Board is not satisfied that the proposed development would not adversely affect the integrity of the South Dublin Bay and River Tolka Estuary pSPA and is not satisfied that it would not adversely affect the natural heritage of Dublin Bay, contrary to the proper planning and sustainable development of the area.

The Board decided not to accept the Inspector’s recommendation to also refuse permission on the grounds of the implications of the proposed development for balanced regional development and the need to avoid monopolistic conditions. The Board did not accept the Inspector’s view that national policies would indicate refusal of planning permission for the proposed port development. The Board noted that Dublin Port directly serves the major population centre on the island of Ireland and the heavy infrastructural investment, in terms of road and rail links, that has already been made to serve Dublin Port, in particular the Port Tunnel. The Board considered that the expansion of Dublin port would not in overall terms be contrary to Government policies:

The National Spatial Strategy, 2002-2020, recognises the importance of the future success of the Greater Dublin Area economy in the life of the State. The continued health of Dublin is stated to depend, in part, on good international access, including through Dublin Port. Although commenting on the limitations in the capacity of the port and referring to possible alternative development at other ports, the Spatial Strategy does not advocate any specific limit on the development of Dublin Port.

The Department of Communications, Marine and Natural Resources Ports Policy Statement, 2005, advocates competition between ports and, in this context, accepts that the provision of surplus capacity is a concomitant of such policy.

The National Development Plan, 2007-2013, points to the critical importance of Ireland’s commercial seaports and indicated that there would be a comprehensive study of the role of Dublin Port, taking account of locational considerations, in the context of overall ports policy on the island of Ireland, wider transport policy, urban development policy, the National Spatial Strategy and national economic policy.

The Dublin Port National Development Plan Study, July 2009, which was undertaken by Indecon Economic Consultants concluded that additional port capacity will be required in Ireland and did not recommend that any limitations be placed on the expansion of Dublin port at this stage.

In relation to the capability of Dublin Port to handle larger ships, the Board concluded that this is not a consideration which would warrant a refusal of planning permission for the development as proposed.

The Board also decided not to accept the Inspector’s recommendation to refuse permission on the grounds of the unacceptable risk of flooding of the Clontarf area (due to wave conditions). The Board noted that the Clontarf area is already at risk of flooding and that a flood relief scheme by the City Council has been approved to respond to this problem. The Board accepted the applicants’ position that the proposed development would not result in a significant increase in flooding risk in the area and considered that, in the event of the development being otherwise acceptable, its commencement could be linked to the flood relief scheme.

The Board also decided not to accept the Inspector’s recommendation to refuse permission on the grounds of the occurrence on the site of the sand mason worm, which may indicate the presence of a reef, an Annex 1 habitat under the Habitats Directive. The Board considered that, in the event of the development being otherwise acceptable, this matter could be addressed by way of further information.

The Board also determined the costs as set out in the attached Appendix 1 and Schedule of Costs.

SCHEDULE OF COSTS

In accordance with section 37H of the Planning and Development Act 2000, as amended, the Board requires the following costs to be paid by the applicant-

To An Bord Pleanála towards the cost €130,387

of determining the application

To Dublin City Council as a contribution €7,069

towards reasonable costs incurred in

consideration of the application

To Dublin Bay Watch as a contribution €9,000

towards reasonable costs incurred in

consideration of the application

To Clontarf Residents Association as a contribution €9,000

towards reasonable costs incurred in

consideration of the application

Total: €155,456

Well done the DAA Dublin Airport Authority – Credit where credit is due

gerrybreen — Sun, 18 Apr 2010 14:35:25 +0000

I was stranded in Brussels on Thursday last due to the cancellation of flights. I eventually made my way with Eurostar to London yesterday morning and then onto Dublin via trains, boats, and Holyhead. I arrivd with a group to Dublin Airport two days late to collect my car. Three others and I discovered that the DAA Dublin Airport Authority was waiving the additional charges for car parking. In my case, this amounted to €80.

Having witnessed Eurostar’s increasing ticket prices online from €220 to over €660 in the space of a few hours on Thursday, I have to credit the DAA for the policy not to impose additional charges for car parking on stranded passengers.“Too often,while the media and the public will vent the frustration and annoyance with rip-offs, especially in difficult times, we should also acknowledge the generosity in this instance.Well done, the DAA” comments Breen.

Free joint with every order over €50 – offer from Nirvana Head Shop

gerrybreen — Mon, 05 Apr 2010 14:32:53 +0000

The Health Service Executive (HSE) has to move against all Head Shops with existing legislation, so states Councillor Gerry Breen who is currently Chair of the Dublin City Policing Committee. Under the Public Health (Tobacco) Act 2002 and Amendment 2004 it is an offence to sell tobacco products without first registering with the Office of Tobacco Control.

To date only ten head shops are registered with the Office of Tobacco Control. It is up to the HSE to take a prosecution against a retailer for selling tobacco products without first being registered with the Office of Tobacco Control. There is no account of any prosecution of any head shop. The Minister for Health Mary Harney TD declaring that “she is considering banning stimulant drugs sold in so called ‘head shops’ “ in December 2008. What’s another year!

Adding to the breach of tobacco legislation is the sale and promotion of tobacco related products on the website of one of the head shops. Nirvana (www.nirvanaheadshop.com) promotes a variety of smoking products on its website. The headline on the smoking page of the website declares “Free joint with every order over €50”.

Under Section 38 of the Public Health (Tobacco) Act 2002,subsection 6 states:

“It shall be an offence for a person to supply free of charge to a member of the public any tobacco product for the purpose of promoting the consumption of that product”

Subsection 8 states:

“It shall be an offence for a person to sell a tobacco product by retail, or supply a tobacco product to, or invite an offer to purchase by, a member of the public of a tobacco product where part of the consideration to be given to the purchaser is a gift,token,trading stamp, coupon or other document or thing that may be exchanged for or used as payment or payment in part for certain goods.”

There is enough ammunition in the act to move against this chain alone which has 6 head shops in Ireland.

Also there are a number of tobacco products displayed on the website, all appear not to carry any required warning.

The question should also be asked – is it legal to promote tobacco products to the public on a website and does the mail ordering/website ordering run contrary to legislation.

This week a court ordered a head shop operator to return the leased shop to its previous operation of selling costumes as the operation of a head shop breached the lease of the premises as it affected the landlord’s ability to get the premises insured.

“We know this government is incompetent when it comes to managing the economy, but surely we can get them to enforce existing legislation. Not to mention the Revenue Commissioners, Food Safety Authority of Ireland and the National Consumer Agency” Breen concludes.

Time to address corporate governance disasters with commonsense solutions

gerrybreen — Sun, 28 Mar 2010 14:30:06 +0000

With recent corporate governance disasters in Dublin Docklands Development Authority, FAS, and Tallaght Hospital; it is time to address the corporate governance of many public bodies with practical commonsense solutions. So argues Councillor Gerry Breen….“With thirty years of commercial experience, eighteen years of running my own business and chairing/have chaired a number of voluntary groups as well as Dublin City Council committees, I am suggesting the following practical solutions to all public bodies and committees:

· No more than twelve directors or members on any board or committee

· The setting of a panel of external and non executive directors with good experience and proven community/public service which public bodies can draw from

· Commitment from directors/members that they are working for the betterment of the body and not pushing an agenda of a vested interest

It is obvious from both Tallaght Hospital and FAS that the boards were too large. This introduces what I call serial absenteeism. Some members miss a meeting and then are present at a future meeting where others are missing. Members develop a ‘leave to others’ mentality and assume that decisions are being scrutinised by others.

In both Tallaght Hospital and FAS, there was a de Honte system operating. With FAS it was the employer bodies, trade unions, and government. In Tallaght Hospital, it was the ‘Adelaide Hospital’ along with other interests.

We have witnessed the Green Party packing bodies with failed Green councillors, where it is pot luck if they have the necessary experience for the positions or achieving the right combination of skills and experience for a board. The membership of a board/committee should be viewed as a valuable asset and not a compensation prize at the gift of a minister. Boards and committees need to have the right combination of experience, discipline ,qualifications, and motivations. If we leave the scene as it is at present, we will be mopping up disasters every so often. Inquiries after the event tend to be a honey pot for the legal profession, journalists, and finger pointers.”

Dublin City Policing Committee to ask governmental agencies to tackle Head Shops

gerrybreen — Mon, 22 Mar 2010 14:26:36 +0000

At today’s meeting of the Dublin City Joint Policing Committee, it was agreed to write to fouragencies asking them to give special focus to head shops.

The agencies are:

· The Office of Tobacco Control

· National Consumer Agency

· Food Safety Authority of Ireland

· Revenue Commissioners

Welcoming the move Chair Councillor Gerry Breen commented “ Head shops would be closed down in jig time if these agencies applied the existing regulations to these head shops. Having visited a head shop, there was no visible cash register, also none of the products for sale has any quality indications such as a batch code or a best before date and that only for starters. I want the agencies to put all head shops through the ringer.”

Clontarf D3 Head Shop to close after court ruling

gerrybreen — Mon, 22 Mar 2010 14:21:34 +0000

Today the owner of the premises that houses the D3 Head Shop in Clontarf obtained a court ruling that the tenant had breached the lease in opening a head shop in the premises.

The head shop opened last Wednesday 17^th March and the windows were put at 12.30am on Friday last. On Saturday over 400 local residents protested outside the premises….Welcoming the move, local Clontarf Councillor Gerry Breen commented “It is great that this has happened as many residents (and politicians) felt powerless within existing rules and regulations to have these outlets shut down. Hopefully other landlords will follow this example.”

Passport Office situation causing major problems

gerrybreen — Mon, 22 Mar 2010 14:17:09 +0000

“Since noon yesterday, I have received the following emails from two worried fathers about receiving passports:(1)To summarise, I submitted a passport application for my son using the passport express method on 27 February. Under the 10-day turnaround it is overdue, but that timeframe is no longer guaranteed due to the industrial action, nor apparently are staff dealing with emergencies. We are scheduled to go on a family holiday this Sunday, 21st March.

My wife and I have been trying (without success) since last Thursday to get information from Molesworth Street, from the Department of Foreign Affairs and from Balbriggan, where I believe most applications are processed. After a couple of days of refusing to allow contact with Balbriggan, there seemed to be a change of attitude in Iveagh House yesterday afternoon; a lady there tried to connect me to Balbriggan, trying at least 5 numbers, but they weren’t answering the phones. The latest position is that I left voicemails on two lines in Balbriggan but have received no response.

The online tracking system for passport express indicates that the application was input on 2 March, and checked on 10 March, which I’m advised is positive, so it still might come tomorrow or Friday. However, clearly there is a big risk that it won’t arrive in time.

I am going to go to Molesworth Steet tomorrow morning to see what can be done, as phone queries have been unsuccessful.

(2) My family are travelling next week, but we have not yet received a passport from the passport office – we applied for my son’s passport (6 weeks ago) on Feb 9th, but it is still not ready.

Is there anything you can do to help?

The question must be asked “Is this a result of the public sector work to rule” and if these two examples are then the government has to move to fix this horrible situation for many families and individuals that will be travelling in coming weeks and months. Perhaps we need to employ an external agency if the passport office can’t deliver the service.”

Council suspends evening busgate for 2 months

gerrybreen — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 14:02:04 +0000

At the monthly November Dublin City Council meeting this evening, Dublin City Councillors agreed by 35 votes to 11, to suspend the evening busgate at College Green from the 18th November to the 18th January 2010. Alongside this will be the provision of 1,380 free on-street car parking spaces from 2pm on Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday up to Christmas in the city centre. The scheduled 6 month review of the busgate due in January 2010 will be pushed back to June 2010.

Welcoming the move Councillor Gerry Breen commented

“While no one is blaming the downturn in trade in the city centre wholly on the busgate, it may have contributed to the difficulties of the retailer. This is a practical move by the city council. When the evening busgate resumes, the Macken Street Bridge will be open and the LUAS extension to Docklands will be operational. There was no intention by anyone to remove busgate and there is a recognition that public transport is the way for a city like Dublin. That said, as a council we have a responsibility to the 25,000 retail workers in the city centre and to the business owners,. This is a good compromise”.