DÚN LAOGHAIRE COMHAIRLE DÁIL CEANNTAR. Submission to Boundary Committee No.2: County of Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown

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1 DÚN LAOGHAIRE COMHAIRLE DÁIL CEANNTAR Submission to Boundary Committee No.2: County of Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown Dún Laoghaire Fianna Fáil Comhairle Dáil Ceanntar represents the Fianna Fáil organisation in the Dún Laoghaire Dáil constituency. We welcome this opportunity to make a submission to the Boundary Committee with respect to the county of Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown. We wish the committee well as it undertakes its deliberations over the coming months. In summary we recommend: No change to Dundrum (7), Stillorgan (6) or Glencullen (7) Local Electoral Areas (LEAs) Splitting the current Dún Laoghaire LEA (8) combined with minor transfers to create four 5- seat Local Electoral Areas; Blackrock (5), Dún Laoghaire East (5), Dún Laoghaire West (5) and Killiney-Shankill (5) Background The administrative county of Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown was created in 1994, the county comprises the former borough of Dún Laoghaire (Blackrock, Dun Laoghaire and Killiney-Shankill LEAs) and the northern section of the half barony of Rathdown (Glencullen, Dundrum and Stillorgan LEAs). The county comprises the Dáil constituencies of Dún Laoghaire (4) and Rathdown (3). Existing Administrative Divisions Currently, the local authority comprises two administrative areas, Dún Laoghaire Area and Dundrum Area, both with 20 elected members. Census 2016 records the population of these two areas as evenly split (see Table 1.0). Area 2016 Seats Average County of Dun Laoghaire - Rathdown 218, ,450 Dún Laoghaire Area Committee 109, ,458 Dundrum Area Committee 108, ,443 Table 1.0 Distribution of Population between Dún Laoghaire and Dundrum Administrative Areas

2 Fig. 1 - Administrative Divisions of Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown While Dún Laoghaire Area largely comprises established communities, Dundrum Area, in particular parts of Glencullen and Stillorgan LEAs, comprise new, expanding communities. Current Local Electoral Areas The local authority currently comprises six local electoral areas, ranging in size from 6 to 8 seats. Fig. 2 Six Local Electoral Areas in Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown

3 Area Population Seats Average Variance Blackrock 32, , % Dun Laoghaire 43, , % Killiney-Shankill 33, , % Stillorgan 30, , % Glencullen 40, , % Dundrum 37, , % County of Dun Laoghaire - Rathdown 218, , % Table 2.0 Existing Local Electoral Areas Terms of Reference We note the terms of reference for Committee No. 2 include: 1. To review and to make recommendations on the division of Dublin City and the counties of Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown, Fingal and South Dublin into local electoral areas and the number of members of each city or county council to be assigned to each such electoral area. 2. For the purpose of the review, the Committee should have regard to the population as ascertained at Census 2016, should assume no change in the total membership of each local authority specified in the Local Government Act 2001 as amended by the Local Government Reform Act 2014 and should endeavour, as far as practicable and subject to the other requirements of these terms of reference, to achieve variance from individual average local authority representation within the range of plus or minus 10%. 3. The number of councillors assigned to a local electoral area shall be not less than 5 and not more than Local electoral areas should be designed, as far as possible, around urban villages or have a neighbourhood focal point (or points), taking due account of local and community identities and linkages and the need to facilitate the effectiveness of the governance and representational roles of elected members, including, in particular, the need to avoid designating local electoral areas which are territorially very large or extend over very long distances or over multiple urban villages, or which divide individual urban villages or natural communities. 5. The committee should take account of the desirability, where it may be possible to do so, of aligning local electoral area boundaries with Dáil constituency boundaries. 6. The Committee shall have regard to Government policy in relation to local government, including any further reports, statements or decisions in that regard during the course of the review, and to any further guidance or requirements issued by the Minister. 7. The Committee may also be asked to make recommendations on the division of Cork and Galway into local electoral areas. The Terms of Reference for that purpose will be set out in due course.

4 Options Census 2016 records all six LEAs as being within the variance as set down in the terms of reference. However, Dún Laoghaire LEA currently comprises 8 seats, this falls outside the limit set by the terms of reference, therefore it will be necessary to adjust to this LEA. It is open to the committee to consider a wide-ranging review of the entire county and realign the local electoral boundaries with the Dáil boundaries. This would leave the Rathdown Constituency with 17 seats and the Dún Laoghaire Constituency with 23 seats. However, given future population growth in Cherrywood and Carrickmines will likely trigger another wide-ranging review in the medium term, and given the population and seat split between the two Administrative Areas of Dundrum and Dún Laoghaire are in equilibrium, we recommend, notwithstanding the option to align the constituency boundaries, that the current boundary between these two Administrate Areas be respected and that any adjustments that might be necessary take place between local electoral areas inside each administrative area. We will deal with each Administrative Area in turn. Dundrum Area Currently the three local electoral areas in the Dundrum Area; Dundrum LEA (7), Glencullen LEA (7) and Stillorgan LEA (6) meet the requirements of the terms of reference. We therefore recommend no change to the boundaries or composition of the Dundrum, Glencullen and Stillorgan Local Electoral Areas. Dún Laoghaire Area Dún Laoghaire LEA currently comprises 8 seats, this falls outside the limit set by the terms of reference, therefore there will need to be some adjustment to this LEA. The three local electoral areas of Blackrock, Dún Laoghaire and Killiney-Shankill generally comprise established settled communities which look to neighbourhood centres based on historical villages or parishes. We note that the terms of reference include a provision that, local electoral areas should be designed, as far as possible, around urban villages or have a neighbourhood focal point (or points), taking due account of local and community identities and linkages and the need to facilitate the effectiveness of the governance and representational roles of elected members, including, in particular, the need to avoid designating local electoral areas which are territorially very large or extend over very long distances or over multiple urban villages, or which divide individual urban villages or natural communities. Fig.3 details the current boundaries of the Blackrock, Dún Laoghaire and Killiney-Shankill local electoral areas, with an overlay of the larger urban village, towns or natural communities. We believe any adjustment should have regard to the natural communities that currently exist.

5 Fig. 3 Current geographic boundaries of the three Dún Laoghaire Area LEAs indicating the larger urban centres and villages. OPTIONS It would seem there are three options available; Option 1 Transfer part of the existing Dún Laoghaire LEA (8) to Killiney-Shankill LEA (6) to reduce Dún Laoghaire to 7 seats. Thus increasing Killiney-Shankill to 7 seats. We see this as problematic. Any transfer would need to come from the bordering Dalkey (Dalkey Hill, Dalkey Upper), Sallynoggin (Dún Laoghaire-Sallynoggin East, Dún Laoghaire-Sallynoggin South) or Deansgrange (Cabinteely- Pottery) electoral divisions. This would have the effect of splitting large segments of natural communities that have been established for generations. We recommend the committee reject this option. Option 2 - Transfer part of the existing Dún Laoghaire LEA (8) to Blackrock LEA (6) to reduce Dún Laoghaire to 7 seats. Thus increasing Blackrock to 7 seats. This could be achieved by transferring Foxrock-Beechpark (pop. 1,680) and Blackrock-Monkstown (pop. 3,239) electoral divisions from Dún Laoghaire LEA to Blackrock LEA. The new 7 seat LEAs would be well within the 10% variance. However, the transfer of part of Monkstown to Blackrock LEA would cleave part of natural geographic hinterland of Dún Laoghaire Town and split the established community of Deansgrange. We recommend the committee reject this option.

Option 3 Split the existing Dun Laoghaire LEA into two LEAs, Dún Laoghaire East (5) and Dún Laoghaire West (5), reducing Blackrock and Killiney-Shankill LEAs by one seat each, thus creating four

6 Option 3 Split the existing Dun Laoghaire LEA into two LEAs, Dún Laoghaire East (5) and Dún Laoghaire West (5), reducing Blackrock and Killiney-Shankill LEAs by one seat each, thus creating four five-seat LEAs. This would have the benefit of leaving existing communities intact (see Fig 4). It would also result in an overall average LEA size of 5.7 councillors in Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown which is reflective of terms of reference objective of creating more compact local electoral areas where possible. It is open to the committee to name the new LEAs using other geographical landmarks, but we note the Dún Laoghaire East and Dún Laoghaire West wards existed under pre-1994 local government arrangements and enjoy some historical significance. We recommend their use to maintain some continuity. Fig. 4 Proposed new geographic boundaries of the four Dún Laoghaire Area LEAs indicating the larger urban centres and villages. This option could be achieved by transferring: Dalkey-Avondale, Cabinteely-Granitefield, Cabinteely-Kilbogget electoral divisions from Killiney-Shankill to Dún Laoghaire West LEA, and; Blackrock-Stradbrook and Foxrock-Deans Grange electoral divisions from Blackrock LEA to Dún Laoghaire West LEA.

7 Fig. 5 New Local Electoral Areas (part off Killiney Shankill) The resulting four 5-seat LEAs would be well within the 10% variance set out in the terms of reference. See appendix 1. We recommend the committee accept this option.

8 APPENDIX 1 - NEW DÚN LAOGHAIRE AREA LEAs BLACKROCK (5-SEATS) Register Ref LM LN LP KO LU / LV MH LQ LN / LS LR Electoral Division Blackrock-Booterstown Blackrock-Carysfort Blackrock-Central Blackrock-Glenomena Blackrock-Newpark Blackrock-Seapoint Blackrock-Templehill Blackrock-Williamstown Stillorgan-Priory DÚN LAOGHAIRE EAST (5-SEATS) Register Ref MA / MD MR MP MN MQ ME ML MG MI MC MM MF Electoral Division Blackrock-Monkstown Dalkey Hill Dalkey Upper Dalkey-Bullock Dalkey-Coliemore Dún Laoghaire-East Central Dún Laoghaire-Glasthule Dún Laoghaire-Glenageary Dún Laoghaire-Mount Town Dún Laoghaire-Salthill Dún Laoghaire-Sandycove Dún Laoghaire-West Central DÚN LAOGHAIRE WEST (5-SEATS) Register Ref LW LC LD LE / MK LH MH LI LG MJ LF LY Electoral Division Blackrock-Stradbrook* Cabinteely-Granitefield** Cabinteely-Kilbogget** Cabinteely-Pottery Dalkey-Avondale** Dún Laoghaire-Monkstown Farm Dún Laoghaire-Sallynoggin East Dún Laoghaire-Sallynoggin South Dún Laoghaire-Sallynoggin West Foxrock-Beechpark Foxrock-Deans Grange* *Transferred from old Blackrock LEA **Transferred from old Killiney-Shankill LEA

9 KILLINEY-SHANKILL (5-SEATS) Register Ref LA LB LJ LL / LK / KT KR / K6 KY KZ / K4 Electoral Division Ballybrack Cabinteely-Kilbogget Killiney North Killiney South Shankill-Rathmichael Shankill-Rathsallagh Shankill-Shanganagh N.B The electoral division of Cabinteely-Kilbogget is divided into register references. LD (the north end; comprising Shrewsbury Lawn and Doonanore Park) to be transferred into Dún Laoghaire West, and register reference LB (the south end comprising Willow Vale, Ashlawn Park which remains with Killiney-Shankill). The two are naturally divided by Kilboggot Park, with LD forming part of the natural hinterland of Johnstown and Cabinteely and LB forming part of the hinterland of Ballybrack.

Dún Laoghaire - Rathdown County Council. Cycle Network Review Study Report October 2012

Dún Laoghaire - Rathdown County Council Study Report October 2012 Z:\C2400-C2499\C2467\3_DOCUMENTS\10\TEMPORARYDIRECTORY\CYCLE STUDY REPORT_C2467.20 - ISSUE 10A.DOCX Dún Laoghaire - Rathdown County Council