Sir, – Hugh Linehan’s observation that Dublin feels as if it were designed by people who despise its inhabitants resonates with many of those very inhabitants (“Derelict Dublin: Too often, it feels like a place designed by people who despise its inhabitants”, Opinion & Analysis, February 9th). There is little sense of civic pride in our capital, and our national politicians – particularly those from outside Dublin – reflect this indifference, often expressing outright hostility toward the city.
Dublin has suffered neglect since the foundation of the State, and to reverse this, it needs a directly elected mayor, someone with vision, drive, and, most importantly, an unwavering pride in being a Dubliner. National politicians must take responsibility for making this happen and ensuring the role is properly funded so that the office has real power to drive the change the capital deserves. – Yours, etc,
CHRIS GARVEY,
Glasnevin,
Dublin 9.
Sir, – Your editorial “The Irish Times view on dereliction in Dublin: a blight on the city landscape” (February 9th) omitted any mention of the two major obstacles facing our capital city and indeed some of us would say the country: the Department of Housing and Local Government and the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform.
Ending the crushing power of both is key to a progressive, positive and vibrant future. This is not a new analysis – just one never implemented. – Yours, etc,
DERMOT LACEY,
Donnybrook,
Dublin 4.
Sir, – Did I read this correctly? “A council site . . . vacant since a terrace of houses [on Shaw Street] was demolished to make way for the construction of the loop line rail bridge in 1889″ (News, February 10th). Vacant for 136 years and “the project has not progressed”. Is this what urgency in a housing crisis looks like? – Yours, etc,
MAUREEN ROWAN,
Ranelagh,
Dublin 6.
Planning and development
Sir, – No, it is not individual objectors who stand in the way of the “common good” (Stephen Collins, “The country’s legal culture threatens its infrastructural needs”, Opinion & Analysis, February 7th). Your columnist blames an “utterly dysfunctional planning system which allows individual objectors to stand in the way of the common good”.
The planning system defines the common good by only granting planning permission for projects that conform to “proper planning and sustainable development”; nothing else. Individual observers may say what they want, but it is the planning authority itself that makes the decisions, as to what is, or is not, in the interest of the common good.
The planning system became dysfunctional due to changes made at the behest of the property industry that completely undermined confidence in it. Now it appears to be the turn of the court system.
There is no legal culture underpinning frivolous objections, nor is there any willingness by any courts to allow judicial reviews on trivial grounds.
To state that is to undermine the trust in the legal system, on top of the already destroyed trust in the planning system. To now blame the Greens, as Stephen Collins says Ministers have done, for neutering the ability of the citizen to hold power to account is, frankly, shocking. Were it not for the support of the Greens, the Planning and Development Act 2024 (incidentally, never in the programme for government) would not have been enacted.
The fact that it is grossly overcomplicated, in its attempts to centralise power and to disenfranchise the citizen, will come back to haunt it in the future.
Our inability to provide proper infrastructure is due to the failures of successive governments, not the citizen. Until we recognise this, we will never get the infrastructure that we need. – Yours, etc,
ROBIN MANDAL,
Chair,
Dublin Democratic Planning Alliance,
Blackrock,
Co Dublin.
Second-hand schoolbooks
Sir, – It is with growing frustration that as I prepare for the next academic year with two teenagers in senior cycle, I find myself dumping a vast number of perfectly good school books into the green bin.
After trying to sell these books online, I quickly discover that this is a futile exercise. The e-codes required are no longer valid. To purchase a new e-code is similar to the actual cost of the new book (including e-code). While I appreciate that publishers need to make a profit, this is grossly wasteful.
In a world where we were should be promoting sustainability, why does the Department of Education permit this?
This practice is indefensible for this reason alone, never mind the additional expense that parents are unduly burdened with. The department should insist that the e-codes can be transferred. – Yours, etc,
DAVID MAGUIRE,
Dublin 14.
Ending rent pressure zones
Sir, – Finally, the penny has dropped ( “Taoiseach signals major policy shift on housing with possible end to rent pressure zones and more reliance on private sector”, News, February 10th).
The introduction of rent pressure zones was an unfortunate own goal – this “populist” move chased landlords out of the market at a rate of knots, reducing supply and giving tenants higher rents (on new properties) along with shrinking availability.
Existing landlords were confronted with static rents and spiralling costs, causing a huge exit, leaving the way for corporate entities to make huge profits on new builds.
There were few winners in this scenario but plenty of losers, most notably the hapless tenants who received “notice of termination” correspondence (evictions letters to you and me) from property investors who were weary of strangling legislation and high taxation.
If rent pressure zones were dropped, it should encourage more investment, ultimately assisting tenants by providing more choice in a competitive market.
Hopefully it is not too late. – Yours, etc,
NEVILLE SCARGILL,
Bray,
Co Wicklow.
Sir, – The potential removal of rent pressure zones is a stark declaration of whose interests this Government truly serves. There is, and never will be, an alignment of interests between tenants and the shareholders of institutional landlords. To pretend otherwise is to ignore reality.
For those of us who have rented long-term, rent pressure zone protections have at least placed some limit on relentless rent increases. My rent has still increased by over 10 per cent during my five years in my institutional investor-owned apartment. I cannot claim to have received a similar salary rise or improvement in apartment quality in that time. If rent pressure zones are abolished, landlords will no doubt seize the opportunity to “harmonise” rents to current, extortionate market levels, forcing many tenants out of their homes and into an even more precarious situation.
There is a false narrative that long-term tenants have somehow been getting a better deal at the expense of new renters who enter the market at significantly higher rates. This is a deliberate distraction. The real issue is not that some tenants have had relative stability, but that rent inflation has been allowed to spiral unchecked, pricing new entrants out of secure housing. The solution is not to punish long-term renters but to ensure that rents across the board are fair and affordable.
The Government cannot hide behind the Housing Committee or any other advisory body. It is not a neutral arbiter between landlords and tenants. It must decide which side it stands on. Right now, it is making its position clear: siding with the interests of large investors over the people who simply need a place to live. – Yours, etc,
GLENN FITZPATRICK,
Dublin 12.
‘Ghost buses’ and commuters
Sir, – When people complain about ghost buses, Go-Ahead produces an answer that refers to “extra routes” and “maintenance issues” that is meant to sound vaguely sympathetic, but also sounds like “not their fault” (“Bus operators hit with €5m in penalties as Go-Ahead draws fresh complaints over ‘ghost buses’”, News, February 6th). What people are complaining about primarily is the situation where the GPS tracking system shows a bus to be three or four minutes away then the particular bus just disappears off the system and doesn’t arrive. This has nothing to do with extra routes or maintenance. I think most people would prefer a reply along the lines of “We recognise the problem and will commit to fixing it.” – Yours, etc,
DAVE ROBBIE,
Booterstown,
Co Dublin.
Sir, – London has achieved an excellent, if somewhat overcrowded, citywide bus network. As an energetic octogenarian, my daily bus journeys (Monday to Friday after 9am and all day at weekends) enable me to be self-sufficient and independent. The services are frequent and the bus lanes extensive. I don’t always agree with our London mayor but, in this instance, he’s got it right. – Yours, etc,
BRIAN HUTCHINSON,
London.
Galway music – in at the deep end
Sir, – It was interesting to see the lack of a concert hall in Galway mentioned in Derek Scally’s article “Irish star conductor David Brophy on his big new job in Germany: ‘You only become competent when you’re 60′” (Music, February 9th): “Artists are expected to “don the green jersey” for minimal fees while the national symphony orchestra, when it goes on tour, still plays in Galway’s Leisureland swimming complex.”
It is difficult to comprehend how a city of this size and with such a rich cultural heritage lacks such a venue. Music for Galway, since its foundation over 40 years ago, has brought many renowned international musicians to the city yet when the national symphony plays in Galway it does so in the Leisureland complex, the nostrils of the musicians and audience assailed by the smell of chlorine. – Yours, etc,
MARY O’FLYNN MOORE,
Galway.
Career breaks and Civil Service
Sir, – Your article “538 public servants are on career breaks. One has lasted 12 years” (News, February 10th) lacks context. Civil servants on career break do not draw a salary, nor do they receive their increments. In a workforce of tens of thousands, does a single individual on a longer than normal career break really warrant a dedicated headline? Career breaks in the Civil Service are an opportunity for staff to engage in educational or other pursuits, and then to bring back new skills and perspectives to inform better delivery of services to the public, at effectively no additional cost to the taxpayer. I wish that the discussion was more nuanced, and reflected the value career breaks can add to public service delivery. – Yours, etc,
NIALL McGLYNN,
Dublin 6.
Electricity and standing charges
Sir, – The most recent announcement from Paddy Hayes (“ESB chief executive rows back on claim cost of Storm Éowyn may be borne by consumers”, News, February 7th) will no doubt be welcomed by those of us whose annual electricity bills amount to almost €600 without a light switch having been flicked, due to ever-increasing standing charges. – Yours, etc,
RITA O’BRIEN,
Lucan,
Co Dublin.
Ageing – knowing the signs
Sir, – Tony Ryan lists some signs of ageing (Letters, February 10th).
I find it takes an ever-longer scroll down the years to find your year of birth when filling out online forms. – Yours, etc,
JOHN ROGERS,
Rathowen,
Co Westmeath.
Sir, – I’ve just been rummaging in my email junk folder, hoping for news on a delayed beer delivery, only to discover some startling revelations about myself. According to my emails, I’m now a Trump supporter, I have dementia, a large prostate, nerve pain, and cholesterol levels that should concern us all. They also seem certain that I’m a senior citizen. How they cracked that code, I’ll never know.
Though I was less alarmed by the health diagnoses than by the Trump endorsement. But given my supposed memory issues, perhaps I just forgot I signed up. – Yours, etc,
ENDA CULLEN,
Armagh.
Sir, – A letter writer (February 10th) outlines his routines now that he is getting on in years. I’m sure he’s noticed that the patient wait he endures for the green person to light up at signal-controlled crossings is actually longer than the time he gets to traverse said crossing once the green person appears. In no time at all, the lights begin to change once more and impatient drivers, itching to accelerate on the amber light, nudge their cars forward. As for cyclists at these crossings, they all appear to be colour-blind. Often in these situations a pedestrian’s only option is to break into a run which can be tricky enough when your legs aren’t what they used to be. – Yours, etc,
BRIAN AHERN,
Clonsilla,
Dublin 15.
Artificial intelligence
Sir, – European leaders are meeting to discuss the future of artificial intelligence (AI), and to determine how best to regulate it (Business, February 10th). If AI is as good as they say it is, can’t it regulate itself? – Yours, etc,
PETER DECLAN O’HALLORAN,
Belturbet,
Co Cavan.
