Trevor Sargent Td

Trevor Sargent TD Minister for Food and Horticulture, Public Representative for Skerries www.TrevorSargent.ie

SARGENT WORKING SKERRIES

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BOOST ECO-TOURISM

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SUSTAINABLE

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kerries would benefit economically and in terms of reputation if Minister Sargent’s latest campaign suceeds. He has asked Iarnrod Eireann CEO, Mr. Richard Fearns, to facilitate transport of bicycles along the Northern Line on off-peak services. Once achieved, this measure will allow Skerries Tourism to market trips to Skerries for cyclists from Dublin or elsewhere. Already Skerries is known as a pro-cycling town. Commenting on the initiaitive, Minister Sargent said “I see Skerries becoming similar in reputation to Freiburg in Germany or Vaxjo in Sweden. People travel from all over the world to see these places because they have the selfSargent with Martin Tobin, confidence to be pioneering. Skerries already has an Minister General Manager of ERP at the free WEEE recycling day outstanding reputation as an established winner in the Tidy Towns Competition. I want to help build on that reputation of excellence.” The recently agreed Renewed Programme for Government (which can be downloaded from www.TrevorSargent.ie) includes a commitment to completing a cycle and walkway from Balbriggan to Bray. This will be another Fav ourite Locations for Skerries Allotm ents tremendous boost to cycling and tourism in the area. Lands wes t of train station 12%

SKERRIES ALLOTMENTS SURVEY

M ilverton 20%

G olf Link s Road 20%

Sk erries M ills 24%

B arnagera 8% B allas t Pit 4%

A rgillan 12%

Since September we’ve been inviting you to tell us where you think is the best location for allotments in Skerries. The response has been terrific; thanks to all those who logged on to www.TrevorSargent.ie and took part in the online survey. We’ve closed the survey now and here’s a summary of the results.

Skerries Mills emerged as the most favoured location, with 24% of the votes with Milverton coming a close second with 20%. (The chart only shows locations that received multiple votes.)

BALLAST PIT WALKWAY Fingal County Council have published their plans for a walkway across the Ballast Pit, linking the train station with the Townparks Distributor Road. You can see and download the details from here: http://www.fingalcoco.ie/Roads/SchemesonDisplay/BallastPitTownparksImprovementSc heme/ Doubtless, many Skerries residents will find this illuminated route to the train station to be a great improvement on the casual and unsafe pathway that has been used up

Trevor Sargent, working for Skerries

to now to cross the Ballast Pit. Minister Sargent has asked Fingal County Council to consider including a dedicated cycle lane along the walkway. Speaking about the long-awaited proper access to the station across the Ballast Pit, Minister Sargent said “For years I have sought a proper walkway and cycleway at this location. I have put my case to Fingal County Council for the Ballast Pit to accommodate both cyclists and pedestrians and look forward to an end to muddy walks and slippery conditions.”

Trevor Sargent, working for Skerries

SUSTAINABLE SKERRIES Since its launch in June 2009, Sustainable Skerries has been working away, concentrating on the areas of renewable energy and community gardening/allotments, which were the two main areas of interest that emerged from the public meeting in the Little Theatre in June 09. To find out more, visit their website www.sustainableskerries.wordpress.com or you can email them at [email protected].

Home Energy Saving and Grants

SKERRIES FARMER’S MARKET Skerries Mills Saturday 10.00am - 4.00pm. Including: • locally grown vegetables • organic eggs

“About the House” on RTE 1, broadcast on 1 December, included an extensive feature on home insulation and the grants available for such home improvements. If you missed the program you can watch it on the RTE website: http://www.rte.ie/player. It will be available until December 22nd. There are a number of grant schemes available: Individual homeowners may be able to avail of the Home Energy Saving Scheme which provides grants for insulation, improved energy heating systems and controls and surveys to provide you with your home’s energy rating. Another option is the Greener Homes Scheme which provides grants for new renewable energy heating systems in existing homes. The Warmer Home Scheme aimed at groups of houses. If several homeowners in the same area submit a group application then substantial savings and incentives are available. You can find more information on Sustainable Energy Ireland's (SEI) website www.sei.ie and on their dedicated help line 1850 927 000. There’s also a quick summary on www.TrevorSargent.ie.

Dart Extension to Skerries by 2015 Following representations from local TD Trevor Sargent, Iarnród Éireann have confirmed that the extension of the DART network in Dublin North is still on the cards. Richard Fearn, Chief Executive of Iarnród Éireann, has written to the Minister confirming that the DART extension north of Malahide remains a key part of the Transport 21 capital investment programme for rail. As part of the programme, there are also plans to provide a rail tunnel from Docklands to Heuston and the Maynooth line DART extension. They are all planned to be completed by 2015.

Trevor Sargent, working for Skerries Minister Sargent commented, “This project will be a major boost for the many commuters using Donabate, Rush & Lusk, Skerries and Balbriggan stations. It will create a direct link from these northern suburban towns to the heart of Dublin city. I’m also reassured that Mr Fearn of Iarnród Éireann has stressed the importance of the future of the DART link to Balbriggan.”

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