Monaghan County Council update on moving to Level 3 under Ireland’s Plan for Living with COVID-19

Press Release
6th October 2020
Monaghan County Council update on moving to Level 3 under Ireland’s Plan for Living with COVID-19

The government has decided from midnight tonight, 6th October, all remaining counties will be placed on Level 3 under the Plan for Living with COVID-19, until midnight on 27th October 2020, at which point the situation will be reviewed by the government, based on the status of the virus and public health advice.

Monaghan County Council’s Management Team have reviewed the implications of the new measures on the delivery of Monaghan County Council’s essential services and operations.

With the exception of the Motor Taxation Office which is temporarily closed, Monaghan County Council’s public offices will remain open throughout the duration of Level 3 restrictions. While public office opening hours remain unchanged, we would urge customers, as much as possible, to continue to conduct their business with the Council via email to info@monaghancoco.ie or eolas@monaghancoco.ie or by contacting us by phone at the following numbers:

Housing Emergency Repairs 047 30515

Environment 042 9661240

Housing 047 30502

Roads 047 30597

Planning 047 30532

Local Enterprise Office 047 71818

Finance 047 30589

Human Resources 047 30586

Monaghan MD 047 73777

Motor Tax 047 81175

Ballybay Clones MD 047 51018

Carrickmacross Castleblayney MD 042 9661236

 

With effect from Wednesday 7th October, all public libraries in the county will be closed to the public. However, the library service will revert to the ‘Contact & Collect’ service model. A home delivery service will also be available for those who are cocooning, self-isolating or restricting their movements. Monaghan County Museum and the Arts Office at the Market House, Monaghan will also be closed to the public.

Public playgrounds and parks in the county will remain open. Users of playground facilities are required to ensure compliance with HSE guidelines on social distancing and hand-sanitizing.

The response to this situation from our community and voluntary sector has been overwhelming and Monaghan County Council would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your continued support in these challenging times.

For accurate and up-to-date information on coronavirus, please consult the Health Service Executive’s website at https://www.hse.ie/coronavirus

Monaghan County Council
info@monaghancoco.ie

Monaghan County Council – Motor Tax Office Temporary Closure

Press Release: 1st October 2020

Monaghan County Council – Motor Tax Office Temporary Closure

 

Monaghan County Council regret to advise that the Motor Tax office located at Market Street, Monaghan is temporarily closed to the public until further notice

 

The temporary closure is a necessary precautionary measure, taken in the interests of our customers and staff, due to a member of the Motor Tax staff testing positive for Covid 19.

The Motor Tax Service can still be accessed via:

–               www.motortax.ie (except new or newly purchased goods vehicles, vehicle conversions and trailers)

–               the postal service, Market Street, Monaghan H18 D721

–               front door post box front door facility, Market Street, Monaghan H18 D721,

–               by email motortax@monaghancoco.ie

Monaghan County Council will issue further notification on the resumption of normal services as soon as possible.

Monaghan County Council regrets any inconvenience caused.

For accurate and up-to-date information on coronavirus, please consult the Health Service Executive’s website at https://www.hse.ie/coronavirus

Message from Monaghan County Council and the HSE

Message from Monaghan County Council and the HSE.
 
The HSE Monaghan- Community Healthcare Organisation Area 1 are reiterating its appeal to everyone living and working in County Monaghan to continue with their efforts to stop the spread of the COVID-19 virus. It is vital that we heed this advice as recent figures published by NPHET show that that the number of cases being reported across the county is increasing at an alarming rate.
 
‘’We appeal to communities across Monaghan to step up to the mark, reduce the contacts, abide by the restrictions and do all that you can within your own individual power so that as a county we can collectively work together to change the tide, reduce the numbers and contain the spread of this virus. We know it’s difficult and we have all Covid fatigue but we need to maintain the united front and realise that our decisions and actions can have a result in curbing this growth in cases.’’
Message from Monaghan County Council and the HSE.

N2 Ardee to Castleblayney & N2 Clontibret to Border Road Schemes- Emerging Preferred Route Corridor Public Consultation

N2 Ardee to Castleblayney & N2 Clontibret to Border Road Schemes

Emerging Preferred Route Corridor Public Consultation

Emerging Preferred Route Corridors have been published and a period of public consultation is underway for these road schemes.

Meetings with members of the project continue continue in the Nuremore Hotel, Carrickmacross until the 2nd October 2020. Anyone affected by or with an interest in the project is encouraged to speak to a project team member – phone 087 340 3786 to make an appointment.

Submissions in relation to Public Consultation 3 – Emerging Preferred Route Corridor should be made by Monday, 5th October 2020.

A feedback form can be downloaded from www.N2MonaghanLouth.ie.

Submissions can be made electronically via the virtual consultation experience accessed from  the project website www.N2MonaghanLouth.ie,

by email: ArdeeCastleblayney@N2MonaghanLouth.ie / ClontibretBorder@N2MonaghanLouth.ie

or by Freepost;

FREEPOST N2 Ardee to Castleblayney Road Scheme, Monaghan County Council, County Offices,

The Glen, Monaghan, H18 YT50

FREEPOST N2 Clontibret to Border Road Scheme, Monaghan County Council, County Offices,

The Glen, Monaghan, H18 YT50

Monaghan County Council: Notice of Passing of Resolution To Vary Basic Rate of Local Property Tax

Monaghan County Council

Notice of Passing of Resolution To Vary Basic Rate of Local Property Tax

The Finance (Local Property Tax) Act 2012 (as amended), makes specific provision that the Elected Members of a local authority may pass a formal resolution to vary the basic rate of the Local Property Tax for their administrative area by a percentage known as the Local Adjustment Factor. Article 10 of the Local Property Tax (Local Adjustment Factor) Regulations 2014 requires a local authority that has decided to vary the basic rate of the local property tax within its administrative area to give public notice of that decision.

In pursuance of the provisions of section 20 of the FINANCE (LOCAL PROPERTY TAX) ACT 2012 (as amended), I the undersigned hereby notify the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government of the passing of a resolution at a meeting of Monaghan County Council on 7th September 2020 to the effect that the basic rate of local property tax should be varied upwards by fifteen percent (15%) for the year 2021 in respect of relevant residential properties situated in the local authority’s administrative area.

Signed: Eamonn O’Sullivan

Chief Executive

Dated: 17th September 2020

Monaghan County Council’s Age Friendly Programme: Come back Cocooners Initiative

Monaghan County Council’s Age Friendly Programme is delighted to launch our new Come back Cocooners Initiative which is aimed at supporting businesses to increase footfall back to their business and encourage older people who have been cocooning to safely return to shopping in their local towns. Come back Cocooners will run during October 2020.

Monaghan Age Friendly Programme:
•Invites businesses to put in place promotions/events/offers to encourage those who have been cocooning to return to shopping in the town centres.
•Come back Cocooners promotional booklet will be distributed to older people in the community and publicise in local medial outlets.
•Participating businesses will receive Come back Cocooners promotional posters for display.

To get involved please contact
Bernie Bradley
Age Friendly Programme Manager
087 6443332 or bbradley@monaghancoco.ie

Monaghan County Council’s Age Friendly Programme: Come back Cocooners Initiative

New online support service available for Leaving Cert students 

In response to the new system of calculated grades, Youth Work Ireland Cavan Monaghan will be offering online support and advice to students receiving their Leaving Cert results this September.

Youth Work Ireland Cavan Monaghan is part of the new Youth Information Chat service, which will be open from 12pm to 9pm on Monday 7th and Tuesday 8th September during the Leaving Cert results, and 12pm to 9pm on Friday 11th when the CAO offers are released.

The Youth Information Chat is an easy to use chat service that works just like Whatsapp or Facebook Messenger. It helps provides students and parents with advice and answers to their questions during these unprecedented times. The service is staffed by trained Youth Information Officers, who can help students and parents discuss their situation and talk through their options.Youth Information Chat Service is operated in partnership with SpunOut.ie, Irelands Youth Information Website.
The chat service can be accessed at www.ywimonaghan.ie/chat/.

 

The chat service connects young people or parents with a professional Youth Information Officer who can provide them with personalised information. The service is a great way for young people to get more information, learn about their opportunities, and talk through their own situations with someone who can help.

The Youth Information Chat service is also available every Monday to Friday, 4pm to 8pm or you can leave a message outside of those hours and receive a reply by email. The service is open to 16 to 25 year olds, parents, and people who work with young people. Go to www.ywimonaghan.ie/chat/ to get started.

N2 Ardee to Castleblayney and N2 Clontibret to Border Road Schemes- Third Public Consultation on ‘Emerging Preferred Route Corridors’ is launched

N2 Ardee to Castleblayney and N2 Clontibret to Border Road Schemes

Third Public Consultation on ‘Emerging Preferred Route Corridors’ is launched

Emerging Preferred Route Corridors for the N2 Ardee to Castleblayney and N2 Clontibret to Border Road Schemes have now been published, and Monaghan County Council is seeking feedback from the public through a third period of non-statutory public consultation.

 

Emerging Preferred Route Corridor – N2 Ardee to Castleblayney Road Scheme;

The Emerging Preferred Route Corridor for the N2 Ardee to Castleblayney Road Scheme is Route Corridor Option A, also known as the Yellow Route Corridor. This option was one of the six Route Corridor Options presented at Public Consultation 2 (Route Corridor Options) in November 2019. The corridor predominately follows the existing N2 route for the entirety of its length.

 

Following completion of Public Consultation 2 and through the Option Selection Process, it was identified that a localised widening of the Option A (Yellow) in the Townlands of Cookstown and Charlestown, directly North-East of Cookstown Cross in Co. Louth, was required. The area is approximately 1km in length and is approximately 140m at its widest point, and the widening is required to mitigate potential impact to Cultural Heritage Sites at Cookstown Cross. This widening was not previously shown in the Route Corridor Options presented through Public Consultation 2, but has been included in the Emerging Preferred Route Corridor.

 

Emerging Preferred Route Corridor – N2 Clontibret to Border Road Scheme;

The Emerging Preferred Route Corridor for the N2 Clontibret to Border Road Scheme is a combination of the Route Corridor Options brought forward for assessment after the 2nd public consultation. Six Route Corridor Options were presented through the second Public Consultation in October 2019, and feedback received suggested combining corridors in the area north of Castleshane to provide other options for assessment.  Following consideration of this feedback, a seventh Route Corridor Option was brought forward to the Stage 2 assessment process.  This additional Route Corridor Option includes an area of land that was not previously included within the published Route Corridor Options – this area of land is shown in grey and lies within the Emerging Preferred Route Corridor.

The Emerging Preferred Route Corridor was identified using the Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) Stage 2 assessment process, with further analysis and appraisal methods used to determine the best performing option.  The Emerging Preferred Route Corridor combines sections of Option F (Green), Option E (Yellow) and Option B (Orange). This new Route Corridor is referred to as Option H (Green+Yellow+Orange).

 

What is an Emerging Preferred Route Corridor?

An Emerging Preferred Route Corridor is the route option that has been assessed to have the best combination of benefits and impacts based on the criteria to be considered for road transport projects.

The Emerging Preferred Route Corridors shown are typically 400m wide. The 400m corridors do not represent the actual width of the road scheme or the lands to be acquired – the corridors indicate the lands within which the N2 road schemes could be developed. The exact details of the land take, earthworks, junction and side road design and property impacts will be developed during the next Phase of the planning and design process.

 

Public Consultation has now commenced

A Public Consultation process is now underway and Monaghan County Council is inviting feedback on the Emerging Preferred Route Corridor for each scheme.

 

Registered landowners who have land within the Emerging Preferred Route Corridors are to receive an information pack by post on or after the 25th August 2020. The information pack will include drawings and maps of the Emerging Preferred Route Corridor, information on the Option Selection process to date and details of this third public consultation process.

A leaflet is to be delivered to properties within the Route Corridor Options on or after the 25th August 2020 advising that the Emerging Preferred Route Corridor has been identified and that the public consultation process has commenced.

Due to the threat COVID-19 poses to human health, it is not planned to hold large scale public events as part of the Emerging Preferred Route Corridor public consultation process. In response to the COVID-19 restrictions, an online public consultation experience has been developed on the project website www.N2MonaghanLouth.ie. This online public consultation experience will allow stakeholders and the general public to view maps, project information and express their opinion in a safe and accessible environment.

It is understood that online information cannot be accessed by everyone, and notwithstanding the restrictions COVID-19 presents, the project team is keen to engage with people through this public consultation. A range of options are available to speak directly with and meet members of the Project Team during the public consultation period, including:

  • During the first 3 weeks of the public consultation period, 25th August – 11th September, members of the public can arrange meetings with a member of the Project Team by phone or using digital technologies.
  • During the second 3 weeks of the planned consultation period, 14th September – 2nd October, in-person meetings will be available by appointment at venues in Monaghan Town and Carrickmacross. These in-person meetings will allow for social distancing and will adhere to all COVID-19 guidelines and restrictions to safeguard the health of the public and staff.
  • Information is available through the project phoneline, where members of the team will be available to give an overview of the project and answer general questions.
  • Email queries will be accepted throughout the public consultation period.

Anyone affected by the Emerging Preferred Route Corridors or with an interest in the schemes is encouraged to make an appointment to speak with or meet the Project Team. Please contact them on 087 340 3786, email ArdeeCastleblayney@N2MonaghanLouth.ie / ClontibretBorder@N2MonaghanLouth.ie, or book online via the project website www.N2MonaghanLouth.ie.

The third non-statutory consultation will be held between 25th August and 5th October 2020. Submissions can be made electronically or by FREEPOST up until 5th October 2020.

Following the Emerging Preferred Route Corridor public consultation, feedback and submissions will be considered by the N2 Project Team, any necessary amendments to the corridors will be made and the Preferred Route Corridors will then be finalised and published. At this stage the ‘Option Selection Report’, which includes all information relating to the assessment of the Route Corridor Options and the selection of the Preferred Route Corridors will be published. Stakeholders and the general public will be kept informed as part of Monaghan County Council’s commitment to ongoing and considered stakeholder engagement. Updates, news and details will be posted on the website www.N2MonaghanLouth.ie and through local media.