Category Archives: Biodiversity

08 Oct 2024

Tidy Districts Winner!

We won first prize in this year’s Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council’s Tidy Districts Competition! This was in the category for Best Housing Estate/Apartment Complex, 201-350 dwellings. Our Tidy Districts team puts in so much time and effort in keeping our area looking so well, so it’s fantastic to see all that work recognised and rewarded by the Council. As well as getting presented with a snazzy framed certificate, we will also be getting some hard cash lodged to our bank account. €600 to be exact.

Congratulations to all the Tidies! By the way, the group is always looking for new volunteers, so if you’d like to get involved, just send us an email, or talk to one of the committee. There is also now a larger Tidy Towns group that has been formed for Dundrum, and if you’d like to get involved in that, please contact Imagine Dundrum.

20 Feb 2024

Friarsland Forest

We had an amazing turnout at our tree planting event on Friarsland Green. An incredible 30 trees (a mix of native Irish deciduous trees) were planted in 2.5 hours. The trees were delivered by the Council on Friday, and had to be planted very quickly. The rain held off on Saturday morning, mostly, and we just had the mud to contend with. Thanks to everyone who took part, and thanks to the neighbours on Friarsland Road, in particular to Séamus and Máire, who very kindly have offered to keep the water-butt there topped up, so the trees can be watered with ease.

29 Apr 2023

Landscaping Roebuck Green

The Committee are delighted to announce the next phase of our plan to upgrade the Green on Farmhill / Larchfield Road! This is due to start next week. 

This is the final step in a long journey that started out in 2016. In March 2021, the first phase of development work began. Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council delivered on its commitment to work with the Association in transforming the Green when it laid the new beige path, embedded 4 new benches, planted 7 new trees, introduced two grassed mounds and laid hoggin paved areas around the benches.

In keeping with the overall project plan agreed between us and the Council, the final phase will be undertaken and funded by the Association. This phase consists of planting a mixed collection of shrubs and plants that will enhance the Green further for the enjoyment of our residents. The planting, a major undertaking requiring professional expertise, will be carried out for us by Redlough Landscapers, and will take 7 to 10 days. Redlough will be retained for one year to ensure the planting beds in, and will advise our Tidy Districts Team as to how to look after and maintain the plants in the longer term.

Background note: 
In our first year as an Association (2015/16), we began the task of reviving the Green by setting up a grass-cutting rota, planting flowers, painting the bench and introducing planters. Our Tidy Districts group and the Committee started thinking about what we might try to do to improve the Green in the long term. It was decided to devise a plan that would transform the Green, rather than improving it haphazardly. We engaged a landscape architect with this in mind – Tim Austin and Associates. Our plan was to create a space where people can relax and chat, rest or read, in a safe and enhanced environment. It’s called “place-making”, with the emphasis on the community living in the area, as opposed to those just passing through.

The plan was to improve and increase the seating, improve the pathway, and re-landscape the space, including some banking to be planted with shrubs, which will reduce traffic noise while adding colour and biodiversity. We are also planning to include a notice board for residents. The Committee and the Tidy Districts group went through a number of iterations of the project plan with the Council to achieve the best possible outcome for the community.

We are looking forward to a beautifully landscaped Green that will be used by the whole community for years to come.

The current Committee would like to thank all of the past committee members and the Tidy Districts Team for all their input and dedication to bringing this plan to fruition. There may be some disruption in the next few weeks but we are looking forward to a beautifully landscaped Green that will be used by the whole community for years to come.

23 Jun 2021

Lovely Photos

Some lovely soothing photos of Friarsland Green, Mount Carmel Avenue, Goatstown Road and Fairy Land (a.k.a. Friarsland Green). Photos taken by the creative folks on The Tidy Districts Team.

Friarsland Green

Mount Carmel Avenue/ Rosemount

Wild Flowers, Goatstown Road

Fairy Land at Friarsland Green

The Lane

25 Mar 2021

Tidy Districts Team News

Hooray, some news that isn’t about planning stuff!

Friarsland Road Green:
Lots more progress has been made in the last few months on this space. A new balance beam/ kids bench along with bird boxes and apple trees have been added to the Green. Hopefully everyone will take an opportunity to include this spot on their walk and enjoy the area. 

Lane Planters:
The last of the planters in the pedestrian lane has now been installed. The boxes are now in full bloom and we think they add some colour to the area. Thanks to the mystery artist who adds the colourful rocks, they bring a smile to our faces. Some mysterious seashells have also recently appeared.

Tidy-up Day:
The annual An Taisce Spring Clean day is provisionally scheduled for 17th April, however this is subject to change depending on government restrictions in place at the time. More details will be sent out closer to the time. 

12 Dec 2020

Whooper Swans

You might remember a long term resident of Friarsland Road sent us a list of the Birds of Roebuck. He has been back in touch to let us know that a new addition to the list is a Whooper Swan.

On Saturday 5th December eleven Whooper Swans passed through Belfield, flew over the mosque on Roebuck Road and over Roebuck Estate. Whooper Swan is a really good addition to the Roebuck List.

01 Dec 2020

Tidy Districts Update Nov/ Dec 2020

Friarsland Green
Since the summer the Tidy Districts team have been working on the green at the end of Friarsland Road. Huge amounts of brambles and weeds were cleared and new trees, flowers and bulbs were planted in the area. The council laid concrete for a bench which was purchased by the Residents’ Association. A bug hotel was made from repurposed crates. There is still some more work to be done with a new path to be added and some apple trees to be planted but we hope that everyone takes some time out and visits this great new addition to the area.

Flower Boxes
The pedestrian lane between Mount Carmel Road and Farmhill Drive also received a makeover over the last few weeks. A local father and son team hand crafted the flower boxes. They have been painted the same colour as the bench and flower pots on the green. They have been expertly potted up with a combination of donated plants and new flowers and bulbs. No doubt they will be a riot of colour come Spring.

Bulb Planting
A large number of bluebell bulbs were planted under the large tree on the green area of Goatstown Road. We are looking forward to Spring time when they will emerge.

Tidy Districts Award
Although the Tidy Districts competition did not go ahead this year, we did submit an application for review by an environmental consultant as part of DLRs community engagement during the year. The consultant was very impressed by all the work being carried out in the area. We have been awarded a grant of €350 to help with the cost of our 2021 entry into the competition.

Green at Farmhill Road/ Larchfield Road
There continues to be work carried out on this green in front of the shops. A large number of new logs were added which are being well used by young and old especially during the lockdown.

  • Plants in wheelbarrow, ready to be planted on Friarsland green
  • Plants in one of the new planters
  • The lane with new planters
  • The new bench
  • Working on Friarsland green
30 May 2020

IGB, Birds, Dundrum, Bikes etc.

Can you still call it Leaving Cert weather if there is no Leaving Cert? Hope you are enjoying your long weekend in the sun.

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Water The Trees
The poor trees. If you have a new or young tree outside your, or your neighbour’s, house, please water it. They won’t survive this weather without help. Washing up water etc. is fine.

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IGB Schools – Planning
As we mentioned in the last email, the planning application for the secondary school is up online on the DLR Planning website. The final date for lodging any observation/objection is June 29th. We’ve put a post up on the website about all this. Included are details about the future “masterplan” of the site, and the proposed pedestrian access-ways etc.You can see the post here.
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Birds of Roebuck – Update
You might remember a couple of months ago a long term resident of Friarsland Road sent us a list of the Birds of Roebuck. He has been back in touch to let us know he got a great response from Roebuck and Taney, and has added a few new birds to the list. You can see the updated list here. The daughter of a Taney resident even reported that her mother saw Pheasant and Corncrake years ago! Thanks again to Kevin Cathcart for this very interesting diversion during these times.
Residents might also be interested in this article from Birdwatch Ireland that shows how to identify newly fledged birds that will be appearing in your gardens around now.

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Help the Council Improve Conditions for Pedestrians and Cyclists
Is there somewhere/something you think could be improved, from the point of view of pedestrians and/or cyclists? For example is there a location where it is dangerous to safely distance while passing other pedestrians when out walking? A dangerous junction for cyclists? Rat runs you’d like closed? Etc. If you have noticed something, or think of an area that could be improved, the Council wants to hear about it. Please fill out this form on the DLR website.
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Dundrum Village – One Way
Dundrum Village will become one way from about August onwards. The Council are being quite proactive across the county in trying to improve pedestrian and cyclist infrastructure in the wake of the pandemic. Blackrock Village will also become one way (see here). Here is a statement from the Infrastructure and Climate Change Department in DLR about Dundrum Village, no images/artist’s impression yet:”Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council plans to carry out temporary changes to the public realm and mobility interventions in Dundrum Village, including a temporary one-way traffic system on sections of Main St./Sandyford Road in the village and the reallocation of road space for the safety and benefit of pedestrians, cyclists and local businesses. The Council is working on this initiative with the technical and financial support of the National Transport Authority (NTA) […] The details of the plan are currently being worked on and we envisage that it will be finalised within the next 2 to 3 weeks and it is intended that the temporary changes will begin to be implemented in July 2020.“

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Cycle Lane Changes – Goatstown Road
The Council is also planning to make some cycle lane changes across the County. One of these changes is a plan to pilot a new form of protected cycle lanes on Goatstown Road. You can find more information about this here: https://twitter.com/ShayBrennan/status/1266368362117918722
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Apartments and Hotel Planned for The Goat
You’ve probably already heard about Charlie Chawke’s plan to apply for fast track planning permission for 290 apartments and a 50 bedroom hotel at The Goat. Bye bye donkeys and goats. There will be a lot of sad kids in the area. You can read more on the RTE website, and here on the Irish Times website.

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Free Webinar on Sustainable Energy Communities (SEC)DLR is hosting a free webinar on Sustainable Energy Communities (SEC) on Tuesday June 16th at 7pm. The purpose of this 40 minute information session is to introduce you to the Sustainable Energy Communities Network and to see what benefits and supports it can bring to your group and its members.

The event will be facilitated by Gavin Harte who is the SEAI Community Energy Mentor for Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown. The SEC programme aims to drive energy efficiency and smart energy use nationwide, and is a key component of the National Climate Action Plan 2019-2024. Hear more about this exciting new initiative in DLR & change the way your community thinks about energy. Registration for the webinar closes at 5:00pm on Friday June 13th. To REGISTER, please click here.

If there is interest in this topic, we can set up a group in the Residents’ Association’s area, or in the greater Goatstown area. Please get in touch if you wish to help with this.
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Quick Note Regarding our Membership
Thank you to all who have already renewed or joined the Association by paying the €20 annual subscription. We’ve put Stripe on our website, so you can now pay online by card. You can also pay by EFT. (See https://www.roebuckresidents.com/pay-now/ for options.)

If you wish to pay your subscription in cash and don’t know who to give it to, please contact us for details of your nearest committee member. You can put the cash in an envelope with your name and address (house number & road).
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National Biodiveristy Week
Sorry we missed last weekend’s Backyard Bioblitz to celebrate National Biodiversity Week. Thanks to the resident who sent in an email about it, and apologies that we weren’t on the ball this time! However you can still find some kids’ activity sheets on their website.There is also lots of good stuff on the Biodiversity Ireland website for kids and adults alike. You can submit sightings, view information etc. There are also some really good identification booklets for trees, insects etc. in the Shop section. If any residents are interested in setting up a group to promote greater biodiversity in the area, please get in touch.
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Community Games
Thanks to another resident who sent in an email about the Community Games, again we weren’t quick enough to get an email out about it! (Apologies. Stern words were had…) The Community Games aren’t on this year, as you would suspect, but they did have a certain number of online games/competitions. However they didn’t give a lot of time, and the closing date was yesterday.

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Airfield Roebuck Residents’ Association Offer
Did you know that as a member of the Residents’ Association you get a special deal from Airfield when buying an Annual Pass? More details on this leaflet from them. They are now opening for Annual Pass holders on an appointment basis. The Farmers’ Market is also back up and running at the weekend, and they are doing some takeaway food options from the restaurant (highly recommend the BBQ takeaway, book in advance).
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Art on a Traffic Light Box
Fancy seeing your artwork on a traffic light junction box? DLR, partnering with Dublin Canvas, are extending their public art project to some locations in Dundrum. If you’d like to submit a design, you can find details here. Deadline is June 22nd.
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CEO’s Report on Pre-Draft Submissions for the New County Development Plan
You may remember we made a submission to the pre draft of the new County Development Plan for the DLR area. Well the CEO has now made her report on these submissions. You can see the CEO Report on the DLR website. It’s basically a list of comments by DLR on the submissions that were made, and it will go towards the next step in creating the new County Development Plan. You can also see the list of submissions that were made here. A couple that are interesting are the submissions made by the Department of Education, and by the Land Development Agency. (Search for A0134 and A0112 in the Ceo’s Report to find the CEO’s responses to these submissions.) The Department is asking the Council to do more to identify and protect future school sites, and to protect school land. This proactive planning is a new departure for the Department, and one that the Council will hopefully support. The Land Development Agency is asking the Council to remove or change the Institutional Objective. Remember the zoning type that applies to OLG, and also applies to the Central Mental Hospital site? The one about a minimum 25% open space among other things (see here, Section 2.1.3.5). So it will be very interesting to see what the Council does about all this. Will it remove or strengthen these protections? It is also worth nothing that the County Councillors will be voting on these matters. So if you have something to say about all this, contact your local Councillors and let them know what you think.