The Weather!!!!!!!!!

[isola ciarrai]

yes, 99_OK and a special case seems to be Clonmel. My cousin bought a house in Swords, Dublin, some years ago and when he had moved in, an older neighbour living on a farm nearby said he was located on the Swords River flood plain. He moved to Cork and sold his house, and then 6 months later, the entire estate of expensive detached houses flooded by water not just flowing in, but also coming up sewer pipes etc. Another tribunal? Nothing in this septic isle would surprise me - Swords the stronghold of the corrupt Ray Burke, and houses built by one of the building firms mentioned in the tribunals.
Between getting the state apparatus to remain clean and do its job competently, there is a Herculean job ahead, sort of like the Augean stables project. And yes, it is the ordinary citizen who pays in every way, middle class and working class alike.

[Cowboy]

Is the KC fundraiser in Sober Lane for real? Amazing. Hundreds are out of their homes on the north side of the city, and Sober Lane decides the wealthiest chipper in the city merits a fecking fundraiser. Upper class ignorance alive and well in Cork City...

http://www.theblend.ie/index.php/cor...local-chipper/

Incredible.

[busby]

What are you on or what doomsday monger have you been reading?

The rainfall so far this year is still below normal although now approaching normal with the recent rainy few weeks. Up to a few weeks ago Dublin councils were worried abut reservoir levels and there are still restrictions on water use in many areas of England still in force.

It's not just planners - we have incompetent county engineers that don't understand that tarmac and concrete don't allow the earth to absorb the water falling on it. I had dealings with some of 'em some years back and my own impression is that they're now worse engineers than back then. And we have far more tarmac and concrete around these days.

Most rivers have an area adjoining called a flood plain; it doesn't take a genius to figure out the reason for the name. Now I could name a few large neighbourhoods built on such geographical features. Anyone here live in Corbally, Tobartaoscain (Ennis), parts of Bandon, Fermoy, Gort, Oranmore, etc..... Ever figure out the meaning of the The Groody? Get the msg...?

* June 1974 had a similar pattern except the rains were more intense and more concentrated around the end 10 days of the months, causing more flooding but less damage as we weren't building on flood plains in those days.

It's a completely pointless exercise complaining about planners and engineers. I would have concerns over many engineers i've encountered in this country too, but if they were working in a planning and development system like which you'd see in the Netherlands, you wouldn't be seeing this problem.

County Councillors zone land, and County Managers grant planning permission. The planning and engineering department can be totally against a development, but it can completely bypass them on orders from above. No planner or engineer was accused of corruption in the Mahon Tribunal, it was all politicians, and you can be full sure that if they looked closely at County Managers they would have found a few gems too.

And the problem with politicians is that it doesn't even need to be corruption, it can just be an attitude of development = good. They aren't qualified to make such important decisions on sustainable development. They should have an input on behalf of their constituents, but that should be the limit of it. It is farcical that we have amateur politicians zoning land for development, which is found to be unsuitable for development at planning application stage because of flood risk/traffic/etc.

When land is being zoned at development plan stage, the impacts on traffic, flooding and other issues should be well established. It would lead to a far clearer planning system in this country which would be easier to interpret. As i've said above though, the main obstacle in achieving it is the constant influence of councillors. Even when they aren't looking for an alteration to the plan, in the final few weeks of the publication of a development plan, it is common for councillors to insist on the zoning of certain lands. This is done in a time scale where proper analysis of the those lands is impossible. And that doesn't even take account of the influence of county/city managers, who are political appointments and answerable to the council.

Sadly, the alterations to this country's planning system will never come, as it will mean compromising the power of councillors who's parties are always going to be in power.

[Old Dog]

Sadly, the alterations to this country's planning system will never come, as it will mean compromising the power of councillors who's parties are always going to be in power.

In fairness to the late Greens - and in particular to Green Rat Gormley - this has already happened courtesy of The Planning and Development (Amendment) Act 2010.

Proof that this Act has actually changed things can be seen from the commitment in the Fine Gael Labour Government Programme to “...make the Planning Process more democratic by amending the 2010 Planning and Development Act to allow for detailed public submissions of zoning, and to rebalance power towards elected representatives.”

[busby]

In fairness to the late Greens - and in particular to Green Rat Gormley - this has already happened courtesy of The Planning and Development (Amendment) Act 2010.

Proof that this Act has actually changed things can be seen from the commitment in the Fine Gael Labour Government Programme to “...make the Planning Process more democratic by amending the 2010 Planning and Development Act to allow for detailed public submissions of zoning, and to rebalance power towards elected representatives.”

I don't think they'll touch it after that Mahon report to be honest, and at least Jan O'Sullivan is doing a good bit of tough talking on planning matters.

Gormley's changes are flawed because they put so much power in the hands of the Minister for the Environment to enforce action against Councils. That's fine when the minister is someone like Gormley who actually gives a rats ass about sustainable development. But when it's Micheal Lowry's best buddy then they are completely redundant. Hogan use to slate Gormley for making ministerial orders on a number of planning permissions and zoning orders, on the lazy old FG/FF excuse of 'this will bring jobs', and now he's in charge of things. Very depressing stuff.

[Thomond78]

Is the KC fundraiser in Sober Lane for real? Amazing. Hundreds are out of their homes on the north side of the city, and Sober Lane decides the wealthiest chipper in the city merits a fecking fundraiser. Upper class ignorance alive and well in Cork City...

Yeah, because Sober Lane and standing in queues outside a Douglas chipper are the home of the Merchant Princes of Cork.

Stop being daft. It's a pub seeing a chance to get some publicity, pure and simple.

[Old Dog]

That's fine when the minister is someone like Gormley who actually gives a rats ass about sustainable development. But when it's Micheal Lowry's best buddy then they are completely redundant. Hogan use to slate Gormley for making ministerial orders on a number of planning permissions and zoning orders, on the lazy old FG/FF excuse of 'this will bring jobs', and now he's in charge of things. Very depressing stuff.

It is. Regrettably, Hogan keeps Enda's balls in a a locked box in the cellar of his Kilkenny Mansion, hence he is unsackable.

I've just christened my newly registered Septic Tank "Phil" in his honour. Henceforth whenever I say "Phil is full of sh1t" I'll know that I'm speaking the truth.

[munstershane]

This weather is ****e.

Galway Volvo Ocean Race festival on and the weather is brutal.
Supposed to be going to see the Saw Doctors tonight at the docks tonight.

**** off rain.

[taz]

Is it really the 3rd of July? REALLY?

[Thomond78]

Is it really the 3rd of July? REALLY?

Yup.

I'm starting to suspect some ****er towed us south of the equator, and we're getting a second winter, free...

[Waterfordlad]

I've resisted commenting on the weather on here in the past, but this is ****ing unbelievable. Waterford is in a cloud right now, mist and rain streaming down. FFS

[99_oK?]

It's a completely pointless exercise complaining about planners and engineers. I would have concerns over many engineers i've encountered in this country too ........

Couple of (local & recent...) examples.

I live on a hill (tg...), and there is a newish estate down the road where the council stipulated storm gulleys of a certain size. Those on the main road were 6". One evening a bit of rain and the manholes and gully covers get lifted at the main drain. Why? Doesn't take a genius to figure that 2 x 8" and a 14" pipe will not be accomodated by a 6".......
You could also ask why a perfectly good (and only recently installed) water supply pipe was replaced (& is still leaking...) between Birdhill and Ballina.

In the first example a premises was flooded and the Council didn't want to know. The premises owner modified the roadway himself (to divert the water away from his premises) and also had to install valves in his own drains to prevent backup. In other countries that would result in a firing.

I take you point re. county managers though (so did Mahon....).

[Drick]

[fitzy73]

It looks as though it will be very nasty by baout 7 pm tonight for both Cork and Limerick.

[FORWARD....]

It will rain til September

Tomorrow's Daily Mail front page headline

[Thomond78]

It will rain til September

Tomorrow's Daily Mail front page headline

Oh, thank Christ.

Because if there's one reliable truth, it's that the Heil is always wrong.

[isola ciarrai]

It will rain til September

Tomorrow's Daily Mail front page headline

Let's put Carole King in charge of weather forecasting then:

It doesn't matter whether skies are grey or blue
It's raining in my heart 'cause I can't be with you
I'm only living for the day you're home to stay
So It might as well rain until September
September, September, oh
It might as well rain until September

[Thomond78]

Era, look on the bright side, lads: soft pitches mean none of this aul' Aussie ****e, and Penney's from the damp Island. 'Tis soft but 'twill be grand.

[taz]

Its fine in West Cork tonight.

[FORWARD....]

Oh, thank Christ.

Because if there's one reliable truth, it's that the Heil is always wrong.

When Sky put up the front page, that is the thought that immediately struck me. Here's hoping anyway

[Old Dog]

When Sky put up the front page, that is the thought that immediately struck me. Here's hoping anyway

But ... but ... didn't the DM front page that Sky News put up show Andy Murray? Because that's what appeared on my HD TV set.

[Thomond78]

When Sky put up the front page, that is the thought that immediately struck me. Here's hoping anyway

Nice today, isn't it?

[the plastic paddy]

Think the whole of Munster is due to get what we have had in Somerset for the last 24/36 hours, is it time to start thinking about putting blood on the doors?

[lahinch_lass]

Glorious sunshine around/in Ennis this afternoon pity the street festival was nearly over by the time the weather caught up with the athmosphere being induced by the music.

[FORWARD....]

But ... but ... didn't the DM front page that Sky News put up show Andy Murray? Because that's what appeared on my HD TV set.

The Daily Mail, Express, Sun, Mirror--all the quality papers look the same to me. Whatever, it was one of the top class rags.

[FORWARD....]

Nice today, isn't it?

No rain here-all day.

[fitzy73]

About 3 inches of rain overnight in London. So heavy right now it's knocked out the Sky dish ...

[Boo-boo]

There is nothing on met eireann about the torrential rain that has been falling in Dublin the last 3 hours and only getting heavier. There will be flooding.

[i_like_cake]

About 3 inches of rain overnight in London. So heavy right now it's knocked out the Sky dish ...

Climate Change..... innit....

[fitzy73]

Climate Change..... innit....

You are lucky you left. Worst summer here ever.