Reply To: Positive changes at An Taisce

Originally posted by asdasd
It’s also fundamentally unfair that the Burghers along the Luas line get to see their property values increase at the cost of National taxes taken from everybody for what is decidedly not a national railline.

I think that Dubliners can never spot the plank in their own eye.

( I suspect that many one off houses are built along roads with existing powerlines).

LUAS serves a population of c150,000 and a workforce of probably 80,000 as well, so all in all it provides a potential service to about 230,000 people not to mention tourists who number about 6m annually.

A non-national road upgrade to serve 5-10 houses typically costs about 50-100k a splinter in comparison to the 800m luas cost but this 50-100k is replicated 1000’s of times over accross the country making it a massive sum probably in excess of 100m per year. Luas was built and is now considered a ‘permanent way’ it will make money with the government receiving large amounts of VAT and in time corporation tax.

It also lessons the amount of roads required to transport large numbers of people, I welcome the reopening of the midleton rail line and hope that higher density settlements are built along its route at the stations.

I would also welcome a commuter service with new stations on the Ennis-Limerick line and on The Galway-Athenry line with a potential service from Galway to Gort possibly connecting to Limerick.

The vast sums spent subsidising one off houses in inappropriate areas will ensure that our regional cities will not grow in an orderly and efficient manner. The roads are just another symptom along with

Water
Waste water
Post
ESB
Telecoms
Distance travelled to School
Multi-car families leveraging their finances at 12-20% apr

That is forgetting about the environment and the tourist industry

Originally posted by asdasd
Still waiting for the debate about Howth head, an area of national beauty which is still being built on.

The first Address to An Taisce by Preagar in 1948 set about a list of properties the trust wished to acquire included in this list were

Howth Head

The Old Head at Kinsale

Glendalough

The Sugar Loaf

Mount Errigal

The Burren