Foxrock South Resi​dents Association

 Recent News
2023 Association Subscription Collection
Membership of the FSRA is open to all residents living in the Foxrock South area. The subscription for 2023 is €25 per household. This is our first collection since 2019 (due to Covid) and the increase in subscription is the first in many years and reflects the many and varied challenges facing our area. There are 2 ways to pay:

1. Submit your subscription to the association electronically, details as follows:-

    IBAN: IE09 AIBK 9333 9244 9590 37 (BIC: AIBKIE2D)
    ACCOUNT NAME: Foxrock South Residents’ Association

Please make sure to include your name & Eircode in the narrative line so we can identify you - please make sure you don't exceed the allowed character limit in your online form or it may be difficult to identify your transfer.

2. By returning the distributed envelope with cash/cheque (cheques made out to Foxrock South Residents’ Association) and returned to the allocated Committee member named on the envelope you have received.

Thank you for your continuing support.

Neighbourhood WhatApp Group
We are currently setting up a Neighbourhood Watch whatsapp group - more information here

Security
With the welcome improvement in our spring weather and the longer days our security can become lax. Yet these are ideal times for burglars to take advantage of us. Therefore, we must remain vigilant. You can download a Home Security checklist issued by the Garda Siochana to help secure your family, your property and our neighbourhood.
If you see something suspicious contact Cabinteely Garda Station at 01 6665400.The Station is open to the public 7am - 9pm every day, and the phone is manned 24/7. Patrol cars operate from the station on a 24hr basis. Remember: Call the Gardai first - Never endanger yourself.

The long-standing crime prevention programme aimed at getting local communities actively involved in observing and reporting suspicious activities is Neighbourhood Watch. This programme involves creating a partnership between the Gardai and the community, and is designed to prevent crime and help create a more secure environment. While Neighbourhood Watch is not a universal remedy, it does have great potential in preventing certain types of crime, most notably burglary. Neighbourhood watch depends on local coordinators who keep an eye out for suspicious activity on their roads. We need more people to get involved and if you are interested contact us
info@FSRA.ie

Roads and Footpaths
We have updated our survey of footpaths needing repair in the area and have alerted Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council to incidences of road and footpaths which require repair. An acknowledgement has been received and repairs are in progress. We will continue to monitor and report this problem where it arises.

Sewers and Drains
Do you know that there are two separate drains serving your house? One set of pipes is for foul sewerage from WCs, sinks, basins, washing machines etc. The second set is for rainwater run-off from our roofs and paved surfaces. The foul sewers link up with the main sewers in the road and ultimately flow to the sewage treatment plant at Shanganagh. The surface water only receives primary treatment before being released into the sea.
It is important for environmental and health reasons that these two sets of pipes are kept separate, but it seems that a lot of people are not aware of this and there are cross-connections throughout the area where people have built extensions or plumbed new equipment into the nearest available pipe. Lately the County Council and Irish water have become quite concerned about this and have carried out joint inspections of houses in our area. Where mis-connections are detected, the householders are required to rectify the situation. This can be a costly exercise, so be warned – if building an extension or installing a new toilet be aware of the different sets of pipes. Don’t let your builder persuade you to connect to the nearest pipe on grounds of cost. It could be a lot more costly to rectify the situation in the long run.

Landscaping
The Association has liaised with the County Council Parks Department over the last number of years in relation to the maintenance of the open space at Kerrymount Green. Work carried out to date includes removal of dangerous and unsightly trees, additional planting including groups of semi-mature oak and birch trees, the reinstatement and widening of the pathway across the Green, the planting of spring flowers and the installation of a seat, all of which have added to the attractiveness of the area. 
The beautiful drifts of daffodils and crocuses over the past couple of Springs have drawn much favourable comment from passers-by and have given our residents a great lift in difficult times. On the other hand while the Autumn leaves can be beautiful on the trees, they can be hazardous to pedestrians when they fall to the ground, particularly while wet. It is the County Council's job to clear these leaves but they have been quite slow about it this year. We are chasing them.

Rats and Mice
Just like ourselves our furry friends like a bit of comfort and tend to come indoors into our houses and make themselves at home in our attics and under our floors. So as far as possible you should rodent proof your home, for example by making sure that outside doors are kept closed, holes for service pipes are well sealed around and under-floor vents are in good repair.

Annual Clean-up Day
A clean-up day was held earlier in the spring.
We intend to promote further clean- up days and look forward to great co-operation from our members.
The idea is for as many as possible (young and not so young) to come together to focus on untidy areas around the Green and Gort na Mona area. We look forward to seeing as many as possible on these days. In the meantime, we can all do our bit by making a special effort to tidy our hedges, grass verges and front gardens. Any unkempt areas take from the whole estate. We ask residents to pay special attention to clearing the leaves on the footpaths outside their properties in autumn, The weeding of the joints in the kerbs and between the kerbs and the road is another area that needs constant attention.
The association
will have prizes for the best cut hedge and the best front garden at the end of summer. Competition will be fierce, but everyone stands a chance of winning!

Cornelscourt Village
Our local village of Cornelscourt has the potential to be an attractive and vibrant social hub for the area. However it suffers from a number of on-going and potential environmental problems. Some years ago the village traders and residents set up an association whose objectives were the improvement and enhancement of the Village but unfortunately
the group has not been active. Our association will liaise with village residents and businesses to reestablish it.

Home Energy Grants
The Sustainable Energy Association of Ireland (SEAI) is open for applications for grants which are
available to home owners towards the cost of installing various upgrade measures in houses built prior to 2006. The incentive is in the form of a Cash Grant but the work must be carried out by a SEAI registered Contractor. The upgrade measures include external wall insulation, solar panels, heat pump installation etc.
Further information on the grant scheme can be obtained by visiting the SEAI website at https://www.seai.ie/grants/home-energy-grants / A number of houses in the area have recently had external insulation applied. We also note an increase in the number of roofs sporting solar panels. We would be delighted to get some feed-back from the experience of these intrepid householders. Contact us at info@FSRA.ie

Broadband
This is a subject which is causing a great deal of anguish among our members and is a subject on which your committee has spent a lot of blood, sweat and tears without much progress. Currently most houses in our area labour with speeds of the 5-10mpbs.
Unfortunately the service relies on copper cables from the fibre activated cabinet on Cornelscourt Hill to individual houses within the estate; the quality of the service depends on the distance from the cabinet and the further away your house is, the worse the service. The various broadband providers cannot improve on the service as they are dependent on unsuitable copper cabling.
Given the number of people working from home, not to mention the needs of students, an improvement in our service is urgently required. The assistance of Councillor John Kennedy and Jennifer Carroll-O’Neill T.D. in this and other issues has been invaluable, and the Association wishes to acknowledge the work undertaken by them on our behalf.

Local Property Tax
The annual self-assessed tax (LPT) charged on the market value of residential properties in the State came into effect in 2013 and is being administered by Revenue. The valuations set in 2013 held good for a number of years but were required to be updated in the returns due in November 2021.
Revenue have sent out to some residents an estimate of amount payable for 2022, basing the value of the properties in Band 8 (€700,000 to
€787,500). For this band the basic amount of LPT payable is €765, but this is reduced to €650 as Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown gave a 15% discount for 2022 and propose to repeat this in 2023. The valuation selected for 2022 will also be applied for 2023, 2024 and 2025
The law requires each individual house holder to make an honest assessment of the value of their own house. You are responsible for ensuring that you choose the correct value band for your property, taking into account extensions and improvements that you may have carried out.
If in doubt you may choose to obtain a valuation from a competent professional valuer.
If you have purchased your property or obtained a professional valuation in recent years, you may use this valuation and adjust for any change in property values in the area since the date of this valuation. You can also go online and consult the register of residential property sales published by the Property Services Regulatory Authority.Some prices obtained over the past two years for properties in the local area as published in the property price register are noted below. (Variations in prices for similar properties can be explained by extensions/alterations carried out and the level of maintenance / upkeep that has gone into the house). On the whole though it is apparent that prices are rising beyond the valuation band ascribed by Revenue in 2021.

  -  Hainault Grove    €822,000
  -  Cornelscourt Hill    €835,000
  -  Hainault Drive    €820,000 – €972,500
  -  Kerrymount Rise    €915,000

Planning
There are a number of development proposals or sites with development potential within the general area which we have been monitoring. The principal sites are as follows:

1. Dunnes Field (beside Cornelscourt AIB). We have objected to various proposed developments of this field over the years. We are not opposed to development but it needs to be the right development with appropriate density and scale for the area.

The latest fast-track planning application by Cornel Living Ltd. in December 2021 under the Strategic Housing Development (SHD) process, The development is for 419 built-to-rent units (~70% one-bedroom apartments) in blocks from 4 to 12 storeys high. ​Appeals on behalf of F.S.R.A. and other local residents Associations were submitted to An Bord Planala, however planning permission was granted. Our neighbouring Willow Grove residents Association have challenged this decision by way of Judicial Review proceedings which are ongoing.  Our association has undertaken to assist them financially, as approved by our members at our most recent AGM.


2. The Mart (Formally Sextons). A planning application for demolition of all existing buildings on site and the construction of a mixed use development comprising 1 no. block up to 5 storeys in height, consisting of 2 no. retail units and 20 no. residential units, was submitted by Susan De Nardo (nee Sexton) in December 2021. Following objections from several parties, including your Association, planning
permission was refused by the County Council. The refusal was appealed to Bord Pleanala by the applicant and a further objection was submitted to the Bord by the Association. A decision from the Bord was expected early in the year but so far there has been no further development.

3. The Magic Carpet site. The only pub in Cornelscourt Village was put up for sale during the year. It was acquired by Dunnes Stores, who closed down the pub, and transformed it into a convenience store, a change of use which didn't require planning permission. There have been no further changes since, but given that the premises sits on a residential zoned site of about 2.5 acre to the rear, accessed from Gort Na Mona, the potential is obvious, so it is unlikely that this story is finished.