81st Annual General Meeting of MMRA attended by 120 members

The 81st Annual General Meeting of the Mount Merrion Residents Association took place on Thursday 21st April 2016 the in Mount Merrion Community Centre.

The meeting was attended by about 120 members. The following is the incoming executive committee for 2016/2017:

Kate Canning, President, Redesdale Road.
Tom Fahey, Vice President, Cherrygarth.
Brendan McManus, Treasurer, North Avenue.
Pat Colman, South Avenue.
Peter Cross  Greygates.
Paul Curran, Wilson Road.
Declan Grace, The Rise.
Niall Hayes, South Avenue.
Donal Kavanagh, Greenfield Road.
Clare Kelly, The Rise.
Dave Montgomery, Foster Avenue.
Emma Scott McGrane, 60 Glenabbey Road.
Des Smyth, Greenfield Road.

A number of public representatives including Cllr Liam Dockery, Cllr Deirdre Donnelly, Cllr John Kennedy, Cllr Gerry Horkan, An Cathaoirleach Cllr Barry Saul (Fine Gael), Josepha Madigan T.D. and Shane Ross T.D. attended.

President Des Smyth presented his report for the year and handed over the Presidency to Kate Canning. The meeting paid tribute to Des following his completion of several years of very dedicated and committed service as President.

The financial report prepared by Treasurer Mr Brendan McManus showed a balance of €32,737.  Auditor Noel Larkin confirmed accounts are in order.

Garda John O’Shea gave a short presentation on Security in Mount Merrion and encouraged members to be vigilant and report anything out of the ordinary to the Gardaí in Blackrock.

There was lively discussion on the recent decision of An Bord Pleanala to grant permission for the redevelopment of the Flanagans site which surprised and perplexed local residents given that the Board’s own Senior Inspector strongly recommended against granting approval. Fear and disappointment was expressed by all speakers on the proposed plans for the Union Café site. The meeting was told that the MMRA will do all in its power to try to ensure that residents’ fears and concerns are brought to the attention of the planners and politicians.