Thank you for your application form and map highlighting the improvements that your committee has carried out over the past year. It is good to see co-operation and contributions from all areas of the community towards your efforts in making Dalkey a more pleasant and attractive place to live. We wish you luck in your negotiations with the community council and active retirement group to join your current very small committee of two members. Congratulations must be conveyed to you in this regard for carrying out so many improvements with such a small committee. We were very happy to see the many developments already carried out in Dalkey, along with your proposals for the future.

Dalkey's streetscape looked very well indeed on the day of adjudication. The lanterns, bollards and new flower baskets have contributed greatly to the prettiness and attractiveness of Castle Street. Dalkey Pharmacy, Kings Inn, the Queens and Dalkey Arts were just some of the well maintained, nicely painted and colourful buildings we noted. We look forward to seeing the completed development of the area opposite the AIB, a landscaped, amenity area in the near future. It is wonderful to see the development of Dalkey Castle and Heritage Centre completed and to have it operating as a year-round visitor attraction in the village. It is a credit to the community and to the support that they gave to its development. The sign posting for this Centre is also excellent and we were delighted to see the bilingual nature of many of them. It would also be nice to see some attention given to the paved area beside the castle opposite where weed growth is becoming very evident. The area at Barnhill Supply Stores is in need of some work and weed management and it would perhaps benefit from a bit more colour and the seat at the Barnhill Road/Saval Park junction is in need of a repaint.

Particular praise must be given to the grounds of the Church of Ireland which looked very well on the day of adjudication, there is some lovely shrubbery evident here. The flowers at the entrance to the Church of the Assumption car park looked very well and the flower baskets on Castle Street and flower boxes at the entrance to the village add great colour and freshness to the area. The grounds of the Catholic Church are beautifully kept. The area at the end of Barnhill Avenue, where it meets Barnhill Road, would benefit from some new planting. Some landscaping is badly needed at the poster site opposite the garage on Hyde Road.

Dalkey is located in a wonderful setting and the walks available along the seashore are delightful, the Slí na Slainte signs are welcome. We look forward to seeing the clean up of Bulloch Harbour as parts of it look quite unsightly and strewn with litter at present. This is a terrible shame for such a wonderful amenity - we hope that your negotiations with the local fishermen in this regard prove to be successful and that you can get their support behind this project. Coliemore Harbour looked well, despite the nearby developments.

Litter control in general was good, particularly along Castle Street and Coliemore Road, but there are some areas in the village that still need your attention. There was much unnecessary littering in the carpark of SuperValu where the development is currently taking place. Some litter was also evident along Leslie Avenue and the bin there was overflowing. There was quite a bit of rubbish to be seen behind the railings along Ardeevin Road and there were a number of beer cans strewn around the DART station car park. This should be given attention in your ongoing negotiations with Irish Rail. Your anti-litter campaign in local schools is commendable and should be continued.

Overall, we found the tidiness of Dalkey to be good but again, some vigilance is needed where graffiti and messy kerbs are evident in the village. The kerbs and grass verges along Ardeevin Road and Corrig Road need attention and the rusty signposts and weeds at the entrance to Killiney Hill, opposite Saval Park Road need work. Graffiti was evident on Dalkey Avenue, on the ESB boxes on Saval Park Road and Coliemore Road, on the bench on Leslie Avenue and also at the end of Sorrento Road. There is some development and building work currently taking place in the village which is obviously difficult to control but where possible the untidiness generated should be kept to a minimum. The development beside Coliemore Harbour has proved quite effective in this regard.

The residential areas around Dalkey looked very well with nicely maintained gardens and plenty of colourful flowers and nice shrubbery everywhere. The garden competition is obviously helpful in this regard. There are many magnificent houses and wonderfully maintained residences around the village. Only incidental litter was to be seen and minimal kerb management is required. We noted that the area to the left of this entrance to Craiglands estate has been dug up recently. We look forward to seeing some landscaping of this area in the future. There was also litter to be found around this particular spot, which was otherwise a very well-maintained and pretty estate.

The proposed development and renovation of Cuala GAA park on the approach road into Dalkey is very welcome as it currently does not give a good first impression as you enter the village. The area at Barnhill Supply Stores still needs some work in order to also improve this entrance point. There was some kerb control needed on a number of the connecting roads and some incidental litter there which must be watched - please ensure that back streets and laneways are given the same consideration and attention that is given to the main streets in Dalkey. Signage was good on the approach roads and throughout the village. The proposals for improved access to Killiney Hill via the Cats Ladder and the Metals are welcome as this is a wonderful natural amenity for that area.

The overall appearance of Dalkey is impressive and the work already carried out by such a small committee and the future developments proposed deserve our congratulations. We look forward to seeing improvements in the areas highlighted in this report for next year.