The National Children’s Hospital residents monitoring committee are currently in the process of developing a set of protocols for construction projects in Dublin’s city centre.
The committee, which was established over two years ago, hopes to create “some sort of best practice model that can be used across the wider area”, said People Before Profit councillor Tina MacVeigh, who was a key player in setting up the committee.
The committee is comprised of representatives from the local residents associations, the construction company BAM, the hospital itself and Dublin City Council. They meet roughly every six weeks in the offices of the NCH where discussions can be held regarding issues locals have and any other business.
Currently they are working on developing a set of building site protocols, MacVeigh said “things like washing the wheels of construction vehicles on site to keep the locality clean, construction management processes and consultation with the local community regarding working hours and so on.”
Management of the gates is another concern that will be discussed by the committee. “Down at Mount Brown the trucks are massive and when they’re coming in and out of the gates, they are taking up the whole junction,” said MacVeigh.
Mismanagement of the gates can lead to potentially dangerous situations for other motorists as well as cyclists and pedestrians.
A 34-year-old cyclist, Neeraj Jain, was killed in a collision with a cement truck at the rear of St. James’ Hospital on the South Circular Road, Brookfield Road junction on November 1st.
Mr Jain’s family have since come out to say they believe it’s time for Ireland to do something about the safety of cyclists that no other family should have to feel the devastation they are experiencing.
The junction where the collision occurred is located nearby the National Children’s Hospital and has been described by locals as extremely dangerous. This danger is heightened due to the massive amount of construction traffic navigating it as the hospital’s development continues.
Although the committee is focused on continuing to discuss and develop these protocols, it’s primary concern continues to be communication and conflict resolution between the hospital and the local community.
Residents living in close proximity to the development utilise the service to voice any concerns they may have, “we’ve had all issues from noise and dust to more serious concerns,” said MacVeigh.
An issue that crops up time and time again is construction hours which are meant to be 7am to 6pm, Monday to Friday. However, builders may occasionally apply to work longer hours in order to meet deadlines.
The committee raises this issue at their meetings and an agreement will be negotiated as to how many extra hours are acceptable.
Out of hours work impacts the daily lives of local residents in a number of ways including flood lights shining into peoples homes late at night, high noise levels early in the mornings, a lack of available parking and constant traffic congestion.
If any locals have complaints they wish to bring forward via the monitoring committee they can visit the website residentsalliancegroup.com/monitoring or alternatively you can contact your local residents association and they will direct you on how to proceed.
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