Category Archives: Latest News

Seeking Funding For Ardclough Road Upgrade – Phase Two

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DSC_2539 (Small)I am currently seeking funding for the upgrade of the Ardclough Road phase two, which comprises of a new footpath and street lighting from Chelmsford to the speed limit signs. I have had meetings with Kildare County Council senior management on this issue to highlight the importance of allocating funding so that the correct infrastructure can be put in place. Phase one upgrade from Simmonstown towards Chelmsford seen the street lighting upgraded and the footpath width improved. The footpath is not the desired width but given the constraints it is the best width achievable and has improved standards for pedestrians.

We now need to construct a new footpath in the areas where the missing sections are from Chelmsford to the speed limit signs. This is important to encourage more people to walk and to make it safer for those who are already walking. New street lighting needs to be installed from where the previous new street lights were fitted out to Temple Manor Estate. This is a heavily used pedestrian route and it is extremely dark along this section. We must improve this for the safety and welfare of all. I will continue to press the Council until these works are complete.

I have raised the issue of speeding along the Ardclough road from the Grove out to the speed limit signs. I have requested the Council to install solar signs along this section alerting drivers to be careful and slow down. I am a member of the Kildare Joint Policing Committee and have requested the “Go Safe” or “Gatzo” vehicles to have a presence along this section also in an effort to deal with the speeding concerns. I believe there is a combined approach and I will pursue the council until funding is delivered for the new footpath, street lighting, traffic calming and solar signs.

Footbridge In Celbridge Gets A Face Lift

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IMG_00006 (Small)I am delighted to have secured funding from Kildare County Council to have the footbridge over the Liffey in Celbridge re-painted. This is a project that the Tidy Towns were looking to have carried out for some time. It is great to see this project now completed and it compliments all the other great work we have had done in recent months, projects like new ornamental sign poles, street benches, removal of redundant signs and poles from the Main Street, chewing gum removal and not to mention the removal of the Eircom overhead cables and poles.

The Town looks great with all this work completed together with the lovely flowers and the work carried out by the business’s on their premises. Director of Services Joe Boland comes for a walk-about each year with me and the Tidy Towns and we review progress and discuss projects. Thanks to Joe and his team together with the Area Office staff for assisting me in having these projects delivered.

Projects we are working on for the past twelve months are the slip viewing platform project and the development/landscaping for the waste ground on the Maynooth road close to Crodaun. Both projects are progressing to design stage.

Housing Waiting Lists Rise In Kildare

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1171544_xl (Small)New figures reveal 22% jump in housing waiting lists in Kildare – O’Rourke
– FOI request by FF reveals a surge in number of people needing housing –
– Govt using outdated figures that mask the true extent of housing crisis –

New figures obtained by Cllr Frank O’Rourke have revealed a surge of 22% in the social housing waiting list in Kildare in less than two years.

Cllr O’Rourke made the revelation following a Freedom of Information request made by Fianna Fáil to Kildare County Council to obtain the most up to date figures for the social housing waiting list in the county. The figures returned reveal that the Government has grossly underplayed the extent of the housing crisis.

“The official government figure states that there are 5,454 people on the housing waiting list in Kildare. However data revealed to Fianna Fáil shows that this has jumped by 22% to over 6,668 households” said Cllr O’Rourke.

“These figures are truly shocking. Minister Kelly claims that he has the housing crisis under control. However these figures reveal that the crisis is far worse than we imagined. The government is significantly understating the extent of the crisis, using figures that are actually two years out of date.

“The government has to start facing up to the reality of the housing emergency. Up until the end of 2014 it only built 1,252 new units nationally, compared to 15,000 units built between 2007-2010. This is the primary cause of this emergency. I have been fighting for greater investment in housing in Kildare to tackle this crisis head on. Unfortunately the Government has not been proactive on this issue and has allowed a major crisis to emerge as a result.

“The most worrying aspect is the fact that the housing crisis is accelerating year on year. The figures we have obtained clearly show this. However despite this the Government is seemingly more interested in prioritising tax cuts for the rich rather than investing in housing and public services.

“We have to start getting to grips with it by building homes that families want to live in. Fianna Fáil is proposing a new national housing roadmap to build 150,000 new homes by 2021 including 45,000 social housing units. I am urging the Government to give strong consideration to our fully costed plans,” said Cllr O’Rourke.

Taking – in – Charge of Oldtown Mill and Wolstan Haven in Celbridge, Co. Kildare

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oldtownI am pleased to have been able to inform the Residents of Oldtown Mill and Wolstan Haven in Celbridge that following my representations on their behalf, Kildare County Council has taken over responsibility for the operation and maintenance of the public lighting in both Estates. This is great news for all the Residents and it will improve the safety and welfare within the Estates. wolstan

I am continuing to work with Kildare County Council and the Residents Associations on behalf of all the Residents in Oldtown Mill and Wolstan Haven to have the Estates completely taken in charge. I will continue to keep the Residents updated.

Additional Services Requested From Dublin Bus

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DSC_2538 (Small)I have engaged again very recently with Dublin Bus to provide an earlier 67 Bus Service from Celbridge on a Sunday Morning and the need for a daily service that links Celbridge and Leixlip. At present on a Sunday morning the first 67 service from Celbridge is at 9.50am and this is not early enough for people who need to start work or be in the city for 10am.

I have requested Dublin Bus to review this situation with a view to having an earlier 67 service which is requested by the many travelling public. In addition I have discussed with Dublin Bus about having a direct link between Celbridge and Leixlip, given the population of both towns it is not good enough not to have a public transport link. At the moment if you wish to travel from Celbridge to Leixlip, you can only do so via Maynooth and this is not good enough or acceptable. I will be pursuing them on both issues.

Currently the 66 will service Celbridge on a Sunday morning leaving Maynooth at 8am, travelling past Intel and turning right across the motorway towards Celbridge, heading down the Maynooth road and through Celbridge, going out the Lucan road, turning left at Young’s cross and then heading into Leixlip and then to Lucan. This is not ideal but it will be an improvement until the 67 service is improved.

I already had meetings with Dublin Bus and Irish Rail on additional 67X services for Celbridge and additional train service to Hazelhatch in the evenings. This is been requested by the many commuters and I hope to deliver improved services in these areas. Given that we are all promoting a greater use of public transport, we should have the services in place to attract a greater use of public transport.

 

Kildare sports clubs can now apply for reduced commercial rates under FF initiative – O’Rourke

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Kildare_Ring_semi_final_2014-500x281CERTAIN SPORTS CLUBS IN KILDARE CAN NOW APPLY FOR AN EXEMPTION TO COMMERCIAL RATES UNDER A FIANNA FÁIL PLAN THAT HAS BEEN INITIATED IN A NEW LAW.

Local sports organisations which have a bar on their premises are now able to apply to have their commercial rates reduced so that they would only apply to the licensed premises and not the full sports grounds.  Applications are being accepted up to Tuesday, September 15th.

Fianna Fáil General Election Candidate for Kildare North Cllr Frank O’Rourke has welcomed progress on the Fianna Fáil initiative and is urging all clubs in Kildare to check if they can avail of the reduced rates.

Cllr O’Rourke commented, “At the moment, clubs with licensed premises must pay commercial rates on all of their premises despite the fact that the vast majority of their space is used for sporting and voluntary purposes. This unfairly penalises clubs that have bars and I am delighted that the Government has seen the merits in this common sense measure and included it in the Valuation Act 2015.

“The Valuation Office is now placing adverts in newspapers highlighting the fact that sports clubs can now apply to have their commercial rates reduced if they have a bar on their grounds.  Many sporting organisations have been hit by cuts to funding by Government and they’re finding it hard to keep going.

“In order to get the benefit of this partial exemption in commercial rates sports clubs need to be registered under the Registration of Clubs Act, complete an application form and supply supporting documentation on or before September 15th next.  The application forms and full details are available online from the Valuation Office at www.valoff.ie, by email at valuationservices@valoff.ie or by phone, 01-8171033.

“This is really positive initiative for clubs in Kildare and across the country.  Our sports clubs are part of the very fabric of our local communities and should continue to support them as best we can.  Legislative changes such as this can have a really positive impact and I’m pleased to see it being implemented,” concluded Cllr O’Rourke.

Further Improvements in Celbridge

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I am delighted to see that the road has been re-surfaced from the Clane road car park along English Row to the Village Inn Restaurant. In addition to this, the footpath and kerbs were all replaced at the entrance to the Mill. I have made representations on both of these projects for some time and it is great to see this work now completed.

These completed projects will give a much improved and safer surfacing for both motorists and pedestrians while improving  the ascetics. I will continue to work to secure additional funding for Celbridge and the greater area so projects such as these can be completed. I want to thank the public for bringing these issues to my attention and Kildare County Council for their assistance in having these projects delivered.