Cllr Keelan calls for grant scheme for rainwater harvesting systems in Louth

Louth County Council January meeting round up

_{Rainwater harvesting systems}

Louth County Council has been called upon to approach Irish Water regarding a grant scheme for rainwater harvesting systems. 

In a motion tabled at the Louth County Council January meeting, Cllr Conor Keelan called on the council to approach Irish Water on such a scheme - one that is currently being tried in other local authorities.

Cllr Keelan told the meeting that the grant could be in the form of a credit on metering or a reduction on a connection cost.

_{Narrow Water Bridge}

Louth County Council has not had any updates on how the planned Narrow Water Bridge will proceed. Cllr Edel Corrigan raised the query, following the news that the project has been included in the “New Decade, New Approach” Stormont agreement.

Chief Executive Joan Martin, said that she believed that a cross border review might need to be carried out, but she was “pretty sure” the wording in the  ‘New Decade, New Approach’ agreement is the same as was in the “Fresh Start” agreement.

The Narrow Water Bridge project is a plan to  construct a new bridge connecting the A2 near Warrenpoint, County Down to the R173 near Omeath in Louth at Narrow Water. As part of the Fresh Start Agreement in 2016, the project was included in a list of infrastructure projects for which cross-border funding would be made available.

The project is one of a number of infrastructure projects for which councillors sought an update on at the January meeting.

_{Park and Share facility}

Cllr Marianne Butler sought an update on the progress on the Park and Share facility off Junction 16 of the M1 Motorway in Dundalk. The meeting was told that a decision is due on the Part 8 planning application in February. 

_{N53 upgrade}

Cllr Tomás Sharkey raised the planned N53  upgrade and sought a timeline on when the preferred route report would be ready. Senior Engineer John O'Hagan told the meeting that one was due before the end of the second quarter of 2020.

_{Anti-social behaviour}

Cllr Pio Smith raised the issue of anti-social behaviour in local authority housing  in relation to drug dealing, and queried what communications there has been with An Garda Síochána on the matter.

In response,  Director of Services Paddy Donnelly, told the meeting that the council is engaged with the Gardaí but can only act when a case has been proven through the courts. The council is then required to go through a number of procedures. Mr Donnelly added that Louth County Council is currently dealing with one such case.

_{Rebuilding Ireland Home Loan}

Cllr John McGahon raised the Rebuilding Ireland Home Loan scheme at the meeting, and suggested that a walk-in clinic might help applicants. Cllr McGahon said that applications were lengthy and once submitted, applicants were “waiting ages then for a response.”

In response, Cllr McGahon was told that the team who deal with the process do indeed offer a drop-in clinic and that it was a feature of what the Council does.

_{Delivery of social housing}

Cllr Joanna Byrne raised the council's delivery of social housing at the January meeting. Cllr Byrne pointed to the council's target for the delivery of 520 homes in 2019, and the actual delivery of 324 houses, and asked if the balance would arrive in 2020. In response,  Cllr Byrne was told that the target will be achieved over three years.

_{Land banks}

Cllr Ruairí Ó Murchú sought an update on the land banks owned by Louth County Council.   The meeting was told that the council was receiving options on the land banks and were “dealing with it on a weekly basis.”