A new Cherry Orchard Implementation Board has been set up to focus on providing and co-ordinating supports for the community after a surge in anti-social behaviour and attacks.
It is understood that the board will include representatives from the HSE, Gardai, TUSLA, local authorities, and the community. The board will be similar to the Drogheda Implementation Board, which has helped improve safety and wellbeing in the area.
This week, Justice Minister Simon Harris confirmed in an update that the board has been set up to help the local community. He described violent scenes that happened earlier in the year in Cherry Orchard as "troubling" and that they do not reflect the mast majority of people in the area.
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Minister Harris said: "We are increasingly seeing that communities need specific local responses that include a range of Government actors, ranging from health to education, youth service and policing. Community safety requires a whole-of-Government response.
"Scenes that unfolded in Cherry Orchard last year were troubling but not reflective of the vast majority of those living and working in the area, and my Department is committed to supporting those hard-working people to develop and maintain the strong community, and to ensure nobody lives in fear of criminal or anti-social behaviour."
He described Cherry Orchard as a "proud, strong Dublin community" and said that he is confident that the board will prove to be a great help for the community like. Local councillors and TDs have welcomed the establishment of the board.
Green Party TD Patrick Costello welcomed the news, saying that Cherry Orchard has seen "a surge in anti-social behaviour and attacks on members of An Garda Síochána" in the space of a year. He said: "These events are not acceptable and are not representative of the vast majority of people who live in the area.
"Law-abiding citizens are essentially under siege from a small minority of individuals who wish to cause harm and disorder. Today’s announcement is a welcome one from Minister Harris. The area has for too long been ignored by government."
The Cherry Orchard Implementation Board is being funded by Dublin City Council, and the Department of Justice through existing resources. The board's first meeting is expected to take place in the coming weeks.
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