Cllr Eoin O’Driscoll – Summer Update 2026

Cllr Eoin O’Driscoll – Summer Update 2026

1. Applications open for 40 Affordable Purchase Homes in St. Laurence’s Park, Stillorgan

Applications close 5pm, Wednesday 2^nd September for 40 new affordable purchase one-bed apartments at St. Laurence’s Park, Stillorgan.

Located in the heart of Stillorgan, the development offers modern apartment living in a well-established and highly connected area. The scheme will support first-time buyers and Fresh Start applicants, helping to bridge the gap between what they can borrow and the cost of a new home.

 The development comprises 40 one bedroom apartments, designed to a high standard with a focus on sustainability, accessibility and quality of life. Prices start from €255,000.

To find out more and apply, click here.

2.      Local Property Tax 2027 – Have your say

This October, as Councillors, we will vote on the local adjustment factor for your local property tax rates.

At present, this factor is set at -15%, this means that homeowners within Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown are charged 15% less in property taxes than suggested by the national base rate. In my view, this makes sense as local residents here pay the highest local property tax rates in the country owing to high property values. This means that the Council can take more than enough funds through local property taxes without undue tax burden being placed on local residents.

I do not see a good reason to move from the -15% adjustment rate this year but whether you agree with me or not it is important that your voice is heard through the Council’s consultation on the matter. As this consultation takes place over the summer, it typically has a very low response rate which is unhelpful in meaningfully informing Councillors before we make our decision in October.

Find out more and have your say before Friday 4^th September here.

3.      Safer Communities – Operation Meacán

Operation Meacán is an ongoing high-intensity policing initiative by An Garda Síochána in the Dublin Metropolitan Region. It targets the criminal use of electric motorbikes, e-scooters, and e-bikes—including drug distribution, money laundering, firearms transport, and antisocial behaviour.

As a member of the Local Community Safety Partnership, I was updated on the seizure of a number of eScooters and eBikes over the summer. In particular they have focused on the area around Carrickmines / Leopardstown Valley / Kilgobbin. This has led to the seizure of several E Scooters and E Bikes been driven along footpaths, along LUAS tracks or been driven dangerously. Prosecutions will follow from these seizures.

In late August, as the result of several drug searches carried out this week in our area., over €47,000 worth of drugs were seized together with cash and high-powered motorbikes.

These efforts reflect increased Garda resourcing locally and an increased focus on visible, high profile policing to combat and deter criminal behaviour.

Please do get in touch if I can raise any community safety or policing matter on your behalf in my capacity as the Stillorgan representative on the Local Policing Forum and Community Safety Partnership.

4.      Draft National Strategy on Community Safety

The Government has published its First Draft National Strategy for Improving Community Safety. The strategy aims to respond to the needs and concerns of communities and help public services and communities work together in a joined-up way to make communities safer.

At a national level, feedback is being sought and can be submitted here before 5pm, Friday 11^th September.

Locally, the national strategy will inform the development of a localised Community Safety strategy for Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown. Please do get in touch directly if you have any ideas or concerns you’d like addressed in our local strategy.

5.      Have Your Say on New 30km/h Speed Limits Near Schools

Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council is asking the public for feedback on proposed changes to speed limits in urban areas across the county.

As part of a review of urban speed limits, the Council is proposing to introduce 30km/h zones outside a number of schools during school opening and closing time Over 20 schools across the county are included in the review, including schools in Mount Anville, Booterstown, Dundrum, Kilmacud, Killiney, Goatstown and Kilternan.

To find out more and have your say, before 11^th September 2026, click here.

6.      Draft Litter Management Plan 2027-29

Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council has published its draft Litter Management Plan 2027-29. The Plan sets out the Council’s objectives for preventing and managing litter across the county, built around four key priorities: Litter Prevention and Control, Community Engagement and Awareness, Operations, and Enforcement.

It is important that we get this right to ensure proper maintenance of our local communities. To that end, you are invited to feed back on the draft plan before Friday 11^th September 2026.

To find out more and have your say, click here.

New Substack

Over the summer, I have started sharing a few longer form pieces on policy as a means of feeding into broader national political conversations. I have received positive feedback so far and would appreciate any thoughts you might have. I intend to continue to write via this medium occasionally.

Here are my recent posts which may be of interest to you:

·       Average Pay, High Tax: Why Ireland’s Squeezed Middle need income tax indexation

·     Innovation and Ireland’s Future Prosperity

In the Media

• Welcome for €2.6m Cherrywood water network investment – Dublin Gazette, 27^th August 2026
• O’Driscoll welcomes €2.6m upgrade to Cherrywood Water Network – Dublin People, 26^th August 2026
• 40 Affordable Purchase Homes give route to ownership – Dublin Gazette, 20^th August 2026
• O’Driscoll encourages DLR residents to have their say on Local Property Tax – Dublin People, 11^th August 2026
• “Paying Tax in Ireland” – Irish Times, Letter to Editor, 3^rd August 2026
• VAT rate will give businesses room to breathe – Dublin Gazette, 9^th July 2026