Chairperson Joan MacArthur began with a statement of the aims of the association that was founded in 1963 to seek the protection of Sandymount and Merrion Strand and their environs. She thanked all those who had helped out on the Community Day and said that this year the Christmas tree in the Green would be lit up on Friday 7th December at around 5:30pm. Joan McArthur also thanked all those who had been out dropping leaflets for both SAMRA and the Combined Residents against Incineration, CRAI. She thanked Francis Corr for seven years work in opposing the Incinerator. She pointed out that objection fees to An Bord Pleanala had increased to €220 and said that most of the expenditure went on planning matters.

Treasurer Liam Handy spoke and said that the accounts were better this year with over €3,000 more in the kitty. There is a fighting fund of €10,453, almost double what it was two years ago.

The Secretary, Catherine Cavendish, addressed the gathering and read the minutes of the last AGM. She then read this year's report and drew attention to the method of postal ballot this year for the election of officers for the Association. She said that Dublin City Council had proposed back in 2002 a Charter of Customer Care to liase with community groups such as the residents associations but it had failed to make much progress with it.

Catherine reported complaints from the residents of Seabury about trucks striking the roundabouts at St John's road and Strand road, complaints about dog dirt on the footpaths and graffiti and a mention about the post box on Park Avenue. She said that there were complaints about tree felling at Irishtown Garda Station and on the Dodder. She explained that the seaweed on the Strand would break up and disperse in due course and that using machinery such as JCBs to clear it would damage the beach.

Lorna Kelly the planning officer got a round of applause for the success in getting the Fabrizia development rejected. She showed slides of a new docklands development scheme and these included a barrage across the bay with the reintroduction of the eastern bypass. She then moved on to points about the preservation of the village and about the imminent decision on the Incinerator against which the association had objected and attended every day of the oral hearing with An Bord Pleanala.

Councillor Dermot Lacey, Labour said that the new proposals from the City Council management regarding the barrage had not been adopted and would not be passed. He said that the Poolbeg came under the Docklands Development Authority and that the next big problem would be the proposal to house thousands of people on the Poolbeg.

Chris Andrews, the new Fianna Fáil TD for Dublin South East, wished to thank all his supporters and reminded the meeting of his European complaints about the Incinerator, and the recent ruling from the Commission about preserving Sandymount Strand and the unsuitability of the location for the Incinerator.

Newly-elected TD Lucinda Creighton thanked everyone for all the support they had given her. She said she had a deluge of complaints about the smell from the wastewater treatment plant and told of the works under way to contain the odour. She then spoke about the Incinerator and said it was unfortunate that the new Government had not set out a clear position on the issue.

Joe McCarthy, who became known publicly for his advice about e-voting, spoke about the Incinerator and asked the public to look at his website www.fiasco.ie for information.

The Minister for the Environment John Gormley TD said that he was conducting an enquiry about the sewage works and would be making an announcement shortly. He said he is as committed as ever to preventing the go ahead of the Incinerator and his stance had not changed but that he was precluded from interfering with the planning process and that it was even a criminal offence to interfere.

He said that he favoured mechanical and biological treatment rather than incineration and said that there was 400,000 tonnes left over to be dealt with after reduction and recycling. He said it was wrong for public/ private partnerships involved in incineration to have a guaranteed waste stream for burning and said that as there were land fill levies that there should be levies also for incineration. “I have outlined a very clear change in policy,” he said.

The following committee officers were returned, Joan McArthur, Ann Jordan, Fergus Murray, Des Flynn, Lorna Kelly, Cathal Stanley, Catherine Cavendish, Kieran Best, Liam Handy, Malachy Ryan, Tom Ponsonby and John McAlinden.