Victory for Residents as Council U Turn on Oldcourt Houses

Cllr John Brady and members of the Olcourt Residents Action Group holding a section of roofing which had been removed by contractors from the house behind them

Sinn Féin Councillor John Brady has welcomed the complete u turn by
Bray Town Council in relation to the fire safety works in the Oldcourt
Estate. After a number of weeks of pressure on the council by Cllr
Brady and the Oldcourt Residents Action Group the council has started
to remove the old flat roofs from the houses in the estate as
recommended in the 2007 fire safety audit.

Speaking after inspecting a number of the houses which are undergoing
the refurbishment work Councillor Brady said "I am delighted that the
penny has finally dropped with the council and they have eventually
taken on-board the concerns of the Oldcourt residents and actually
started removing the old flat roofs from the attic space in the
Oldcourt houses.  Since this work commenced in the estate on a number
of houses the council have been trying to dress the works up as an
energy efficiency scheme. The council had been adamant from the outset
that they would not be removing the original flat roof structure which
contains the highly flammable bitumen from the attic space. Huge
amounts of pressure have been exerted on the council by myself and the
Oldcourt Residents Action Group, this group had been established to
campaign for the houses in Oldcourt to be made safe in accordance with
the councils own fire safety audit which in 2007 listed a essential
works to be carried out"

Cllr Brady continued "Whilst i welcome the energy efficiency work that
will be carried out on the houses in Oldcourt which will see new
windows and doors, insulation boards fitted internally on the external
walls and new central heating systems, i firmly believe this is just a
pretext for the council to try address some of the serious fire
related problems in the houses without them putting their hands up and
admitting liability. At the last council meeting a large protest was
held and the views of the residents were articulated loud and clear
and this was followed up on Tuesday when officials from the council
along with the consultant engineer for the refurbishment project Mr.
Donal Higgins from Hayes Higgins Partnership met with residents from
Oldcourt to answer questions relating to the houses and to hold a
lottery to see what houses would be done first. At this meeting and
all along it has been stated that the flat roofs would not be removed
with officials stating it would be too inconvenient for the residents.
The Oldcourt Residents Action Group at that meeting stated that it
essential that the flat roofs be removed and the houses made safe once
and for all and they handed Mr Donal Higgins a letter of protest
out-ling what works needed to be done as was laid out in the fire
safety audit"

Brady went onto say "On Wednesday morning i got a tip off that the
contractors who are currently in Oldcourt working on a number of the
houses had been contacted by the council and informed that they had to
start the process of removing the flat roofs from the houses. The
contractors who have been working in the houses now for a number of
weeks where nearing the end of the works in these houses and in fact
have painters and decorators working in the houses, up until they got
word on Wednesday morning the removal of the flat roofs was not in
their contract, so its quite clear that the pressure on the council
from the Oldcourt Residents Action Group and myself has forced the
council into a complete u turn on this serious issue"

"This u turn by the council has to be welcomed and is a victory for
the residents whose  simple demand is to live in houses that a safe
and that the issues identified in the 2007 fire safety audit are fully
implemented. The decision by the council to start the process of
removing the fire hazard old flat roofs vindicates everything i have
being saying over many years about the houses and shows that ordinary
people can when they stand together make a huge difference because the
council had been hell bent on keeping the residents in the dark and
pushing through another botched job on the houses that didn't address
all the issues in the houses" continued Brady

Brady continued "The Oldcourt Residents Action Group should be very
proud of their victory which will go along way towards making the
Oldcourt houses safe once and for all and improving the quality of
life for everyone. However the group nor myself are not planning on
going away, nearly 30% of residents in the estate have bought their
homes in good faith from the council and the scheme must also be
extended to them. We also need guarantees that when the €1 million for
the 32 houses in phase 1 of the works is spent more funding will be
forthcoming to complete the entire estate"

Large quantities of the old flat roofing still containing Bitumen felt which has been removed from the attics and ready for removal  

Sinn Féin set to honour Wicklow Town Republican at their Annual Dinner

The annual Wicklow Sinn Féin dinner dance will take place on Saturday
24th November in the Royal Hotel, Bray and this years special honoree
is Wicklow republican Eamonn Long.

Announcing the details of the dinner dance Sinn Féin Councillor John
Brady said " I am delighted to announce the details of the Wicklow
Sinn Fein dinner dance which will take place on Saturday 24th November
in the Royal Hotel, Bray. Every year we have a special honoree and
this year there was unanimous agreement that it should be Wicklow
republican Eamonn Long"

"Eamon is a life long republican was was elected onto Wicklow Town
Council on his first attempt in 2004. He earned a reputation for
standing up for people and communities in Wicklow Town. Eamonn was
reelected onto the council in 2009 and increased his vote in the
process. Unfortunately due to personal circumstances he had to retire
from the council in 2011 and the seat was subsequently taken by his
Sinn Féin colleague Gary O'Reilly who was co-opted onto the council"

Cllr Brady continued "The dinner dance is set to be a great occasion
and its the first time it will be held in Bray in the excellent Royal
Hotel. We are expecting a huge turnout on the evening from Sinn Fein
members from across Wicklow and also Eamonn friends and people and
groups he helped out over the years, we will also have a special guest
speaker on the evening. There are a limited number of tickets
remaining and if interested people can contact Marie Gavaghan
087-6558429"

Sinn Féin Vice President Mary Lou McDonald to attend public meeting in Bray

Sinn Fein vice president Mary Lou McDonald will be the guest speaker
at a public meeting in the Esplanade Hotel, Bray tomorrow evening,
Thursday 15th November @8pm. She will outline Sinn Féin's alternative
to austerity and what ordinary people and communities can do to effect
change.

Speaking ahead of the visit Sinn Féin Councillor John Brady said "We
are delighted to have Mary Lou McDonald in Wicklow on Thursday, she
will be our guest speaker at a public meeting in the Esplanade Hotel
in Bray entitled 'Help build the real Alternative'. The meeting is
open to everyone that's looking for a real and credible alternative to
the policies of this Government which are having a detrimental impact
on people and communities across Wicklow"

"I would encourage everyone who has an interest in listening to the
alternative to cuts and austerity to come along on Thursday or you
want to get involved in making a real difference in your community.
The meeting is due to commence at 8pm"

Public meeting to Defend Rural Wicklow

Wicklow Sinn Féin as part of their Defend Rural Wicklow Campaign has
organised a public meeting which will be held in Germaine's Hotel,
Baltinglass on Wednesday 14th November at 8pm.

Speaking ahead of the meeting Sinn Féin Councillor John Brady said
"Rural Wicklow has been hit hard with by the austerity policies of
Fine Gael and the Labour Party. Rural schools and police stations are
closing. New septic tank charges are being imposed and unemployment
and emigration is decimating the very fabric of rural life. As part of
our Defend Rural Wicklow Campaign we have organised a public meeting
which will be held on Wednesday 14th November at 8pm in Germaine's
Hotel, Baltinglass"

Cllr Brady continued "Under the austerity policies the courthouse in
Baltinglass is under scrutiny and is at risk of been redeployed
elsewhere. Sinn Fein is the only party standing up and fighting back
for rural Ireland and rural Wicklow".

"I urge people and community groups to come along on Wednesday to
listen to the solutions and what can be done to reverse the direction
this Government is taking us" concluded Cllr Brady.

Wicklow Sinn Féin Launch comprehensive Jobs Plan

Wicklow Sinn Féin has launched its jobs plan which demonstrates that,
with political will, the government can deliver 156,000 additional
jobs.

Wicklow Sinn Féin County Councillor John Brady was joined by party
colleagues, Cllr Rossa Murray, Cllr Gary O'Reilly, Oliver O'Brien and
James Charlton for the launch in Ernie's public house in Wicklow Town
Cllr Brady said that the plan has been fully costed and provides a
socially responsible way to reduce the deficit and create and retain
jobs.

“In the last four years Ireland has shed more jobs than any other
western state per capita since the Great Depression”.

“Sinn Féin has identified €13billion which can be used to create jobs,
increase productivity and improve competiveness. This money would be
sourced from the European Investment Bank, incentivised investment
from the private pension sector and the National Pension Reserve Fund.

“Investment on this scale would retain 15,000 jobs and create about
156,000 jobs.

“Our jobs plan will invest in essential infrastructure; help
entrepreneurs by removing obstacles to doing business and supporting
them to retain and create new jobs; exploit the potential of existing
and new state enterprises particularly in broadband roll-out,
renewable energy and eco-tourism and invest in agri-food and rural
communities. In Wicklow we would create jobs by proceeding with the
N11 dual carriageway between Rathnew and Arklow, we would put in place
a Social Housing Development Programme. We would also invest in new
schools and primary care centers.

“Wicklow would also benefit from a new emphasis on agri-food and
seafood sectors as well as sustainable tourism.

Cllr Brady concluded “As an opposition party we will be pushing the
government to adopt these proposals to reverse the spiraling
unemployment and emigration that has plagued this county for years.”

The plan can be viewed at http://www.sinnfein.ie/files/2012/SF-Jobs-Doc-web.pdf

Residents demand Bray Town Council end the Cover-up relating to the Oldcourt Estate in Bray

Sinn Féin Councillor John Brady has called on Bray Town Council to end
their cover-up regarding the structural defects in the Oldcourt estate
in Bray and to ensure that the issues highlighted in the 2007 Fire
Safety Audit, which was carried out independently for the council are
addressed in the current refurbishment scheme in the estate. The
Councillor was speaking after 120 residents from the Oldcourt estate
staged a protest outside the Bray Town Council monthly meeting on
Tuesday evening.

Speaking after joining the Oldcourt residents protest Cllr Brady
stated "Its unfortunate that residents must organise protests outside
council meetings to try ensure their homes are made safe once and for
all and that the council listens to them. On Tuesday over 120
residents from the Oldcourt estate in Bray had to take their concerns
to the councils monthly meeting. The newly formed Oldcourt Residents
Action Group held the protest to make the council sit up and ensure
the homes in the Oldcourt estate are made safe once and for all"

The Sinn Féin councillor stated "Bray Town Council must end the
cover-up in relation to the Oldcourt estate and take responsibility
for the problems within the houses. The Oldcourt estate was built in
the 1970's as a temporary solution to the then housing crisis. However
the serious problem in the houses started after a botched
refurbishment scheme in the estate in the late 1980's. The old flat
roof structure was simply built around and the original flat roof was
left in the attic space of the refurbished houses. Since the
refurbishment their have been 15 serious house fires in the estate
which have resulted in the loss of 8 lives"

Cllr Brady continued "During the summer this year an announcement was
made that €1million in funding was being allocated towards a
refurbishment scheme for the Oldcourt estate. I originally welcomed
this as i was under the impression that the problems that had been
identified in 2007 by a team of independent fire safety experts
working on behalf of the council were going to be addressed. In that
audit the experts identified serious problems with the electrics, the
lack of fire breaks and the presence of the highly flammable bitumen
felt in the cavities and on the original flat roofs which was retained
in the attic space. The report stated that the bitumen would result in
an increased fire loading in the event of a fire which would increase
the heat and smoke production allowing the fire spread through wall
cavities. They recommended all the houses be rewired and the bitumen
contained in the walls and in the attics be removed. The issues in
Oldcourt really leave Priory Hall in Dublin in the shade, however the
powers to be acted to ensure the residents safety came first in
Dublin, that is something that is seriously lacking in the Oldcourt
situation"

Cllr Brady went on to say "Unfortunately now that the work has started
the council have dressed the works up as a 'Energy efficiency scheme'
It has been very difficult to get any information as to exactly what
works where to be carried out on the houses, the residents have been
completely kept in the dark. The residents recently formed the
Oldcourt Residents Action Group to try get answers about the extent of
the works and to ensure that all the houses in Oldcourt, both council
owned and private are included in the scheme"

"Around 120 locals turned up to the council meeting on Tuesday after i
had managed to ensure the Oldcourt issue was on the agenda. They
staged a protest firstly outside the meeting before filing into the
chamber to voice their concerns to the council.The confidence of the
residents and myself of the scheme was shattered however when the town
engineer confirmed that the main problem in the houses which is the
old flat roof will not be addressed in the scheme, he stated that it
will not be removed nor will the highly flammable bitumen that's on
it. Some of the work has to be welcomed but it does not go far enough
to solving all the problems and instilling confidence in the minds of
the residents" continued Brady

Cllr Brady concluded "The council must end the cover-up of the
problems in Oldcourt. Bray Town Council is responsible for the botched
refurbishment job on the houses that's resulted in so many lives being
lost in the estate. They must now hold their hands up and take
responsibility and ensure that all the houses are brought up to the
highest safety standard and this includes the privately owned houses
which were bought from the council in good faith, but unfortunately
for the owners the council failed to come clean about the serious
problems that existed within them. I call on all elected
representatives to start listening to the concerns of the residents
that they claim to represent and to be a little bit more respective of
them and that includes turning off sky sports on their laptops in
council meetings when residents are trying to put across their
concerns" Ends

Work to Secure the walls of Carnew Castle finally begins

Sinn Féin county councillor John Brady has welcomed the work that has
commenced to preserve the perimeter walls of Carnew castle. The castle
dates back to the 16th century and has in recent years fallen into a
poor condition with sections of the perimeter wall collapsing onto the
Main St in Carnew posing a serious threat to the safety of the public.
Since Cllr Brady first raised the issue last year a grant has been
secured from the Heritage Council and the work has recently started.

Cllr Brady welcomed the work and said “I first raised this issue of
Carnew castle over a year ago, the castle which is located on the Main
St. in Carnew is a listed building and it is on the listed monuments
register. Unfortunately over the last number of years it has fallen
into poor condition. The main castle needs extensive work and the
perimeter wall was collapsing onto the Main St. An application to the
Heritage Council under their grant scheme was successful and
thankfully the work has recently commenced”.

Cllr Brady continued "Carnew castle dates back to the 16th century, it
was built by the O'Tooles of Leinster and has a lengthy history.
During the Rebellion of 1641 about 160 settlers were besieged in the
castle for 22 weeks, by a force of around 1,000 Irish Rebels led by
the Mastersons, Byrnes and Donal Kavanagh of Ballingate. The castle
was held by the Knockloe O’Byrnes until 1649, when it was taken by Sir
Richard Talbot. Two years later the castle took a pounding from
Cromwell’s Roundheads under the command of Colonel Hewson during the
course of which the roof was destroyed. It fell into disuse in the
early 18th century. In the mid 18th century a large number of English
Protestants settled in Carnew and the area became a Royalist
stronghold throughout the 19th century. During the 1798 Rebellion,
Carnew Castle was used as a British garrison and 38 United Irishmen
prisoners were taken from the castle on the morning of 25th May 1798
and executed by firing squad in the nearby handball alley as a warning
to the local population."

Cllr Brady went onto say "The castle has a huge historical
significance both locally and nationally and the restoration work is
to be welcomed. Sections of the castle wall which had fallen onto the
footpath in 2009 and had remained there resulting in it being cordoned
off. Large sections of the wall were very unstable and were also at
risk of collapsing. This work when complete will ensure that it’s
preserved for future generations and the footpath will again be
reopened to the public”.

Cllr Brady concluded "In the future I would like to see the castle
opened to the public as I believe it has the potential to be a big
tourist attraction in the south Wicklow area.  The funding this year
from the Heritage Council is welcome; however more substantial funding

will be needed to ensure the castle reaches its full potential”. Ends