Why form a Residents Association.

I ask the following question to all residents in our area that has been stolen from John F Kennedy's inaugural address in 1961 and modified, the question is quite apt in relation to the primary reason to setup a residents association for our area 

My fellow community members: ask not what your community can do for you, ask what you can do for your community 

Some other points to consider related to the benefits of re-establishing a residents association for our area. Circa 600 house holds

• Ensure the overall area contiues to be a desirable place to live and the overall residents of the existing housing stock are provided with the relevant information to increase or maintain the value of there properties that can compete with newer housing stock that may be of similar size but are cheaper to run and finance but may be in a less desirable location within the Dublin area

• Get to know your neighbours and build a better community within our area, and if you have an older neighbours I believe you should take some time to think about the information outlined in the following document https://www.caremark.ie/news/how-you-can-support-elderly-neighbours/

• Develop community initiatives that could be beneficial to all the residents in our area. e.g home energy upgrade solution, public EV charging points, Green space play areas, water conservation measures and harvesting measure etc 

• Gain access to grant funding from various govermental related bodies. From my research there are over 40 different types of grants that could be applied for, from the likes of DLRCC, SEAI, other goverment agencies and even EU related agencies

• Types of legal structures for a residents association that can be setup - Unincorporated Association snd Company Limited by Guarantee (I would need advice on benefits and disadvantages of one over the other)

• DLRCC grant funding allocation for communities which in 2025 is €15M. Overall DLRCC budget for 2025 €282M.

• Will our area recevie any funding for communitees from DLRCC in 2025 or has our area recieved any community related funding from DLRCC in the last 5 years. 

• Many other areas with residents associations have obtained grant funding from DLRCC for various initiaties e.g  community energy plans, play areas for children, community gardens etc.

• Could a residents association for approx 600 householders within our area help to navigate some of these challenges in the future and achieve some of the related enhancements made to other areas already implemented within DLRCC.

• Beech Park / South Park is one of the only large housing areas within DLRCC that is not supported by a residents association.

• Due to housing stock age in the estate, many of the houses built built in the 1960's and the associated running costs for some of these houses would be amongst the highest running costs in the Foxrock-beechpark area.

• The implementation of a shared community tool scheme managed by a residents association. e.g A scenario similar to the Woodies DIY advertisment "Larry" where there are a number of residents in an area calling for Larry and as the advertismant proceeds it turns out that "Larry" is a ladder that can be borrowed by residents from one particular resident in the area that is willing to lend their ladder to other residents within the area.

• There are many other things a residents association could do for our area and the community as many other residents associations are already doing within the DLRCC area. However,  the residents in the estate would need to agree that some level of participation by residents in a residents association could prove to be benefical to them, their neighbours and the overall community within the area and that a residents association could have a meaningfull impact within the area over time.

Connecting and working with existing community initiatives, associations within our area

• There are 71 other reistered entities within our defined electoral area registered in the DLRPPN

https://www.dlrppn.ie/ppn-members/

Thus you would assume some of these entities have already achieved  some of the aims a residents association would like to achieve for our area ? 

Total households included in the proposed residents association 

• Approx 600 houses 

How many households should be in a well functioning residents association and who will do the work

• If there are 600 house holds within a residents association there are most probably more requirements for house holders to participate in a meaningfull way as part of the residents association and the focus of the residents association has to be very specific in the types of initiatives or actions that can be executed each quarter. i.e no more than 5 actions that are reviewed, agreed and resourced with relevant residents association members that are fully aware of the requirements of the action, their role and responsibilities and the delivery expectations. It will be of no benefit to any of the 600 households to say the following will be done and then it turns out the task could not be delivered etc. 

• Due to the the amount of house within the residents association I believe we will require a minimum of 8 further people to specifically act as street co-ordinators which would be a conduit to feed into the main 12 commitee members. Thus unless there are 20 willing individuals who put themselves forward there will be no residents association. 

• The first year of the residents association must be broken down into 3 month periods and only actions that can be completed within the 3 month period will be considered as achieving agreed actions must be the primary goal

• A list of all residents issues and requirements will have to be collated and reviewed each quarter to be able to agree on a set of points that are to be adressed during the quarter. The key point is deliver what you say you will deliver and do not over commit yourself

• Thus all members of a residents association must understand that the residents association will try to represent all the members and cannot be the tool for members who shout the loudest so to speak. Some criteria will need to be defined to rate an issue / concern, overall community impact or benefit and the complexity and time required to identify, implement or remediate the problem or solution

• Open, honest and transparent communication within the residents association will be key for all involved 

Why do residents associations fail

• Lack of engagement and participation within the area and community 

• Not representing the overall community within the area and community 

• Not really achieving any results that benefit the overall area and community 

• Becoming a "talking shop" etc etc 

Note: It is the collective effort of the people within that community that can turn an idea and vision into a set of actions that can be implemented and achieved and thus achieve poitive results for the whole community.

Note: It is important to highlight that any opinions I have conveyed within the information contained within this initial draft website are my personal opinions only and the opinions and "voice" of the overall community contained within the proposed Beech Park Residents Association going forward should allways convey the overall opinion and "voice" of the community of the area the Beech Park residents association would propose to represent.