The city manager is recommending the drawing up of a local area plan for Ballsbridge. Public representatives can make an input at that stage.
The next item is No. 393, Europe’s World newsletter which is noted. No. 394 is the GLOBE-Net newsletter which is also noted. No. 395 is an urban policy research paper on the urban “underclass” from the European Urban Knowledge Network which is noted, as is No. 396, a European Water Partnership newsletter.
No. 397 is a proposal to establish an international court for the environment. There was a presentation today on the subject of "An International Court for the Environment: an idea whose time has come" . The correspondence is noted.
No. 398 is a list of decisions taken at the Joint Committee on European Scrutiny which is noted. No. 399 is a letter from the Local Government Auditor, including a copy of his activity report, following his appearance at the committee. The correspondence is noted. Members are free to study the report and make individual comments.
No. 400 is a ministerial press release on the nuclear free local authorities seminar which is noted, as is No. 401, a ministerial press release on restrictions on the destruction of hedgerows from 1 March. No. 402 is a newsletter on environmental issues from Globe International.
No. 403 is a letter from An Bord Pleanála in response to a further letter sent by the committee expressing its dissatisfaction at the original reply from An Bord Pleanála on the matter of costs in the case of the Usk landfill site in County Kildare. We will circulate the letter to those involved at local level, as well as to the local public representatives. In its letter An Bord Pleanála sets out the cost of defending the case as €221,850, comprising the costs paid to the legal representatives of Usk and District Residents Association — €157,043 — and the costs of An Bord Pleanála — €64,807. This would have been an extraordinary burden for the local residents association to carry and because it succeeded, An Bord Pleanála ended up paying its costs. I think the local community will be anxious to receive that information. A further case is up for judicial review; it went back through the planning process and is again before the courts.