Dublin is now the seventh most expensive place in the world to build and Brexit uncertainty will not prevent costs rising 7% this year, a recent report on international cities has found. The international construction market survey by global professional services company Turner & Townsend said Dublin is the third most expensive city in Europe […]
92 homes have been or are currently being refurbished in Cork city center due to the ‘Living Cities’ initiative. The city centre’s population increased 19% during the last census and residential vacancy decreased by 26%. 69 properties are on course to be refurbished or have been refurbished since 2015, delivering 92 residential units. Fifteen applications […]
Cork City Council and Cork County Council have launched a public awareness campaign aimed at the 85,000 citizens living in the parts of the county that are due to transfer to the city. Areas such as Ballincollig, Blarney, Tower, Glanmire, Douglas, Donnybrook, Grange, Frankfield, Rochestown and Togher are to transfer from Cork County Council to […]
The Committee on Climate Action recently launched its landmark report that the committee’s chairperson says “marks a new era for climate policy in Ireland”. Speaking On April 16th, Hildegarde Naughton TD said that the 40-plus topline recommendations in the ambitious report will “frame climate policy in Ireland for the next 15 years”. The Committee signed […]
Japanese knotweed was introduced to Ireland as an ornamental all-weather plant in the 19th Century, but its deep and extensive root system which can undermine building foundations and roads, has seen it become one of Europe’s most hated weeds. Killing Japanese Knotweed is notoriously difficult and can require repeated treatment over several growing cycles. Spraying […]
CIT Blackrock Castle Observatory in Cork will be heading the celebrations of the 50thAnniversary of the Apollo 11 Moon landing. There will be a number of different activities throughout the weekend such as a “Moon Walk”, planetarium shows, workshops, and guest speakers like Leo Enright, Dr Niall Smith and Dr Niamh Shaw. RTÉ are broadcasting […]
Although Sustainable Urban Drainage systems have been official policy since 2005, the practise of integrating drainage design into urban landscapes has been interminably slow in terms of implementation. What are the barriers to the widespread adaptation of SuDS in Ireland? SuDS make use of landscape and natural vegetation to control the flow of surface water […]
Procurement digitisation seems to be on every Chief Project Officer’s (CPO) agenda nowadays. But too many CPOs tell us of frustration at digitisation projects that take too long, cost too much, and produce results that are too slow and meager. To get the most from procurement digitisation, leaders must raise their ambitions along with their […]
High Friction Surfacing (HFS) refers to a surface treatment approximately 3-5mm thick which provides very high skid resistance for drivers to brake under emergency conditions at hazardous locations. Recently there have been moves to design this out of Irish road-building projects and replace with an unproven alternative called High PSV Asphalt (HPSVA). Council Journal is
An Irish delegation attended the EU Digital Frontrunner (D9) meeting which took place in Amsterdam recently. The D9 group is made up of digital frontrunner countries comprising Ireland and Nordic, Benelux and Baltic states. Its focus is on delivering strategic oversight on the optimal application of digital policy and on acting as a forum for […]
The country’s largest Approved Housing Body (AHB) closed on the purchase of two schemes, delivering almost 100 social houses across Galway and Cork. In both cases, Clúid worked with a number of stakeholders to deliver high-quality, long-term housing solutions for people on local authority housing waiting lists. “Our entire team is committed to delivering sustainable […]
Drone technology has become quite the buzzword of late in industry. Many companies and public bodies have sought to realise the productivity, cost saving and safety benefits of using drones to assist with their work. Colm Keena, an instructor with FlyRyte Drone Academy writes on what to consider when you looking at integrating drones into your […]
Are you thinking about a return to education? The Whitaker School of Government and Management at the Institute of Public Administration (IPA) will provide almost 70 part-time undergraduate and postgraduate programmes this autumn, all designed for adult students. As we turn toward summer, people can be forgiven for being more concerned with holiday plans than with […]
The South Dublin County Council (SDCC) have initiated a proposal that could deliver up to 4,500 new homes in areas throughout South Dublin. The €1 billion investment will be delivered in the coming years through a combination of traditional design and build and joint venture solutions. It is part of the Council’s plan to show […]
A new study, conducted by Trainers’ Learning Skillnet and the Irish Institute of Training and Development, was launched earlier this week regarding innovation training in Irish companies. The study showed that 69% of organisations do not have specific innovation training and 8% did not know whether or not their company provides training.The research was shouldered […]
As part of the Velo-City 2019 cycling conference held at the Convention Centre Dublin last week, the Smart Dublin initiative put forward the Smart Pedal Pitch challenge. Companies were given the task of pitching market ready and innovative tech solutions for smart cycling in cities. Smart Dublin is a programme put on by the four […]
Council Journal looks at paradoxical dilemma of getting a digital strategy that doesn’t get bogged down in inertia and becomes another public policy chore. If there’s one thing a digital strategy can’t be, it’s incremental. The mismatch between most public service delivery models and digital futures is too great—and the environment is changing too quickly—for […]
The Donegal Road Safety Working Group (DRSWG) is working with Donegal Sports Partnership to remind road users that keeping the road safe is ] everyone’s responsibility. Cyclists, motorists, pedestrians, and motorcyclists alike all need to be alert and actively working to keep the streets safe. With excessive speed being one of the main threats on […]
Just as our waistlines accumulate flab, and ships collect barnacles, organisations need ongoing “maintenance” and “scrubbing” to stay “fit.” Get a Workout! One of the best “physical fitness” programmes for organisations is a methodology known as the GE Workout. Developed at General Electric during the Jack Welch¹ era, Workout provides an approach for confronting the […]
A recent report by leading global consultancy McKinsey, dealt with the difficult question of why many public policy implementations struggled to deliver on their promises. The McKinsey Center for Government (MCG) is a global hub for research, collaboration, and innovation in government productivity and performance. MCG is part of McKinsey’s Public and Social Sector