Labour Equality Conference

To the Mansion House this afternoon for a lively debate on future equality issues. I spoke on the need to address a number of serious problems such as the dismantling of equality infrastructure, the need to tackle the discrimination against unmarried fathers under the Guardianship of Infants Act 1964 and the need for legislation to protect the equal rights of gay, lesbian and transgender citizens. The full text of my speech is at http://www.labour.ie/press/listing/1259413403580698.html

HUMPHREYS LEADS OPPOSITION TO EXCESSIVE STILLORGAN DEVELOPMENT

Cllr Richard Humphreys, the Labour Party Councillor for the Stillorgan Ward, has welcomed the decision of the elected members of the Council to oppose the excessive Treasury Holdings plan to hugely increase retail space at Stillorgan Shopping Centre.

Treasury Holdings were seeking a 60% increase in retail permitted at Stillorgan, from 25,000 sq m to 40,000 sq m. Cllr Humphreys spoke strongly against the motion to facilitate this increase at a recent meeting of Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council. A majority of members have now voted to reject this proposal.

“Retail space in the County must be planned for in a sustainable and coherent fashion.” Humphreys said. “In accordance with both National and regional guidelines, as well as the Local Area Plan adopted by the Council itself in 2007, retail in Stillorgan has been limited at 25,000 sq m. The Treasury Holdings plan would have been contrary to all of these guidelines and plans, and would simply have been excessive.”

“In addition, the road network in Stillorgan would not have been sufficient to cope with the increased traffic involved. While I am very much in favour of improving facilities in Stillorgan, a very significant expansion as proposed by Treasury would have been contrary to the character of Stillorgan as a relatively compact urban village.” Humphreys said.

“I received a huge volume of complaints from residents that this major development was being foisted upon them without consultation, and I am glad that the proposal has been rejected in the circumstances. I trust that future major developments in the area will proceed in closer consultation with the residents.”

Commemorative Mass for Fire Services

Yesterday, as Leas Cathaoirleach I attended the Annual Commemorative Mass for deceased members of the Dublin and former Dun Laoghaire Fire Brigades. Picture shows me with Lord Mayor Cllr Emer Costello after the event.

Marine Ball 2009

As Leas Cathaoirleach I attended the Marine Ball last night in the Royal Marine Hotel, Dun Laoghaire, organised by the Irish Institute of Master Mariners and the Chamber of Shipping. In my speech I mentioned the important work done by Eamon Gilmore when he was Minister of State at the Department of the Marine, and referred to the memorial he opened in Dun Laoghaire Harbour to those lost in the sinking of the RMS Leinster in 1918, the biggest sea tragedy in Irish history. Picture shows me with (L-R) President of the Chamber of Shipping, James Kavanagh, Deputy President of the Irish Institute of Master Mariners, Capt Tony Mulcahy, Commodore Frank Lynch and Capt Peter Kelly.

Webcast of November Council Meeting

The webcast of last night's Council meeting is online: http://www.dlrcoco.public-i.tv/site/player/pl_compact.php?a=32527&t=0&m=wm&l=en_GB

It includes my speech strongly in favour of the Moran Park Library development (at 2 hrs 13 mins on the tape), which was approved by a majority of Councillors.

Opening of Exhibition of Paintings by Louise Newman

On Friday night I opened the new exhibition of work by my constituent, Louise Newman, at the Signal Arts Centre, Albert Avenue in Bray. Louise's paintings are mainly on aluminium and the exhibition, entitled "The Water Line", combines images of water, air, reflection and urban landscape. Pictures show Louise explaining the diptych in her exhibition to me (photo credit: Molly Newman) and also Louise, Molly and me after the exhibition had been launched. More information at www.louisenewman.net

Humphreys slams proposal for new road through Cornelscourt

STATEMENT BY CLLR RICHARD HUMPHREYS

Leas Cathaoirleach of Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council

Labour Party Councillor for Stillorgan

Monday, 26 October 2009

Humphreys slams proposal for new road through Cornelscourt

Cllr Richard Humphreys, the Leas Cathaoirleach of Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council and Labour Party Councillor for the Stillorgan Ward, has strongly opposed the proposal to construct a Link Road joining Cornelscourt Hill to the N11.

“I have submitted a motion to the special Council meeting on the Draft County Development Plan, on Wednesday 4th November, to delete this new link road from the Plan” Humphreys said.

“I have consulted closely with residents who are very much opposed to this proposal. It will involve the demolition of a number of the Cornelscourt Cottages which are an integral part of the village. Furthermore Cornelscourt village is indicated as an area of archaeological interest and has residential and neighbourhood centre zoning, which would conflict with the proposed link road.”

“The proposal has a wider implication throughout Foxrock as it would turn Cornelscourt Hill Road and Claremont Road into a through route for heavy traffic including commercial traffic. At present these roads are residential and are totally unsuited for an increase in traffic. The residential communities accessed from these roads cover up to 1,000 homes. Furthermore the steep gradient on Cornelscourt Hill Rd makes it totally unsuitable to be a link road to the N11.”

“I will vigorously pursue my motion to delete this new road from the Draft County Development Plan and I am hopeful that my colleagues on the Council from all parties will support my motion.” Humphreys said.

Ends

Draft Development Plan

The Draft Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown County Development Plan 2010-2016 comes before the Council for consideration at a special meeting on 4th November 2009. I have been consulting closely with my constituents in the run up to the consideration of the Draft Plan. If any constituent has any comments on the Draft Plan please feel free to get in touch with me at richard.humphreys@votelabour.ie

Social Inclusion Week

As Leas Cathaoirleach I opened the Social Inclusion Week Concert last night in the Pavilion Theatre. The show was organised as part of DLR's week of events to celebrate a more inclusive society co-ordinated by the DLR Social Inclusion Unit. Acts included the Central Girls, a film entitled Local Voices, Cois Cairn, Raging Hormones, DanceTeen and the Discovery Gospel Choir. In my welcoming speech I recalled my own 5 years working on equality legislation in the 1990s and suggested that the struggle to introduce that legislation and to bring about a more inclusive society demonstrates the importance of both politics and law in effecting social change.

"Creation"

To mark the 150th anniversary of its publication, I read "On the Origin of Species" this year, and in the same spirit I went to see "Creation" on Saturday night in Dundrum - a film based on the work of one of the greatest members of our human species, Charles Darwin. The film gets across the extraordinary pressures that Darwin laboured under - ill-health, uncertainty, the religious sensibilities of his wife Emma Wedgwood and of his era, the untimely death of his beloved daughter Anne and of other children, pressures of work, the relentless flow of incoming correspondence and the emergence of a "rival" in the form of Wallace. Yet despite those pressures he produced not only one of the greatest works in the history of our species but much else besides. He could be viewed as exeplifying Prof Frankl's comment that "what man needs is not a tensionless state". The film did take some artistic licence in terms of overplaying Darwin's ill-health - it's hard to see how he would have produced so much work if he was quite as bad as depicted - and it fictionalised temporary tensions in his marriage to his first cousin Emma Wedgwood - by all accounts theirs was a happy relationship. But with those caveats in mind it is a film worth seeing.