Tag: street

EV charging solutions needed for inner city households

Current rules for on street charging are preventing inner city homes from making the switch to electric vehicles (EVs), the Lord Mayor of Dublin has said.

Councillor Ray McAdam has called on the Minister for Climate, Environment and Energy, Darragh O’Brien, to prioritise legislation to address restrictions in Ireland’s private wires rules, which are currently preventing electric vehicle charging for households without driveways.

The call comes as cities across Europe and the UK are introducing safe cross pavement charging solutions that allow residents to charge electric vehicles directly from their homes where they rely on street parking.

In many older neighbourhoods of Dublin, particularly across the inner city, homes open directly onto the street and do not have private driveways. As a result, many residents who would like to switch to electric vehicles are effectively locked out of home charging and must rely on public charging infrastructure.

“The transition to electric vehicles must work for everyone. Across the inner city of Dublin there are thousands of homes where residents park outside their front door on the street and those households cannot safely connect a charger from their home.

“In other cities, like Plymouth, we are now seeing pilot programmes where discreet cable channels are built into pavements, allowing residents to safely charge their vehicles from their homes while maintaining safe and accessible footpaths.

“We need guarantees that the private wires legislation will allow electricity to be supplied from a private home to a car parked on the street.”

The Lord Mayor said that a clear legislative framework would allow local authorities such as Dublin City Council to pilot safe cross pavement charging systems in appropriate streets and neighbourhoods.

“This is a practical, common-sense change that would help thousands of Dublin households participate in the transition to cleaner transport.

“It would mean that a household in Ballybough, Stoneybatter, Phibsborough or the Liberties could purchase an electric vehicle knowing they have a reliable way to charge it at home.

“As Lord Mayor, my goal is to ensure that the move towards cleaner transport is something all Dubliners can participate in. Ensuring the private wires legislation guarantees on street charging would be a small but important step that could unlock practical EV charging solutions for thousands of homes across our capital city.”

The Lord Mayor said he would be raising the issue with the Minister for Climate, Environment and Energy and the relevant departments in the coming weeks with a view to enabling pilot schemes in Dublin.

State Street Officially Opens its New Kilkenny Office

State Street Corporation (NYSE: STT) one of the world’s leading providers of financial services to institutional investors, today marked the official opening of its new office building in Kilkenny.

State Street established its Irish operations in 1996 and has grown to become one of the largest international financial services employers in Ireland. With a presence in Kilkenny for over 20 years, State Street was the first company in the International Financial Services Centre (IFSC), to establish a regional base outside of Dublin. Today’s opening ceremony, hosted by the Minister for Finance, Michael McGrath, T.D. and by State Street chairman and chief executive officer Ron O’Hanley, signifies a major milestone in the firm’s ongoing commitment to the region and to Ireland.

“Our new office and global cybersecurity centre reflects State Street’s commitment to Ireland and our confidence in the South-East region’s exceptional talent pool” said Ron O ’Hanley, chairman and chief executive officer of State Street. “We are grateful to the Irish government for its support in our continuing journey to enhance our operational capabilities by leveraging Ireland’s exceptional workforce and its strength as a fund domicile and ecosystem.”

The availability of relevant and skilled technology talent from universities in the South-East region, alongside the need to support global operations outside of the US, are two of the key reasons for the firm to select Kilkenny as its regional base.

Welcoming the news, Minister for Finance, Michael McGrath said: “I want to congratulate State Street on this important milestone for their regional operations in Ireland. The Kilkenny operations are a vital element in the development of the international financial services sector in the South-East region and the cybersecurity centre is a testament to links they have developed with the third level institutions. State Street is one of the largest employers in financial services and I want to wish all the team in Kilkenny the very best and continued success as they build out their exciting new cybersecurity global business in the new offices.”

Located at IDA Ireland Business and Technology Park, the new state of the art building is also home to State Street’s recently established global cybersecurity centre of excellence, the only dedicated cybersecurity hub outside of the US, supporting the needs of its employees in over 200 geographic markets worldwide.

Terri Dempsey, country head of Ireland, added: “The establishment of this new office will amplify the work State Street has been doing in Kilkenny for over twenty years, deepening our connections to local community, businesses and institutions to nurture growth and innovation. Kilkenny’s thriving talent pool and dynamic innovation landscape make it an ideal base for our established cybersecurity fusion centre and enables us to actively promote female participation in the tech industry. Government policies and the continued support from the IDA have laid a solid foundation for State Street to grow together with the people of Kilkenny and for the prosperity of the region.”

State Street was recognised as the leading provider of fund administration services and custody services, and transfer agent in Ireland in The Monterey Insight 2023 report. Together with State Street Global Advisors, State Street’s asset management business, the firm has grown over the years to become one of the largest international financial services employers in Ireland.

In addition to its strategic importance to the firm, the modern building also reflects State Street’s strong commitment to environmental responsibility, including energy management systems, photovoltaic panels, and rainwater harvesting achieving BER A3 rating. The building has also integrated biodiversity elements and prioritised employee well-being with Fitwel certification, ample bicycle parking, walking trails, beehives, fitness hubs and diverse accessibility features to create a sustainable and employee-centric environment.

Tech Review – Sharp XParty Street Beat (PS-949)

The Sharp XParty Street Beat (PS-949) is a large speaker that can get several jobs done at once and ideal for street parties and more hence the name and it is still portable too, given that it is not too heavy but it comes ready to move like a suitcase either way which is really handy. This is one of the biggest speakers I have checked out recently and it certainly makes a statement when it comes to sound let me tell you, if like me you have neighbours playing all kinds of rubbish on their tinny sounding speakers this one just comes out and takes over them all.

What is also cool with this is the lighting effects on it so it is no one trick pony and to add to it there is a mic built in and not is only that loud the speaker is loud and comes with some cool presets too which is ideal for the street party or if you fancy doing a bit of dj work and so on.

The speaker is well built and has several inputs and outputs on it too which is covered by a rubber flap on the rear, this is where you plug in the mic and it also has two USB – A ports and a regular 3.5mm socket, you can connect your device that way or via Bluetooth which is how I used it and is probably the best way, not only that you have an app to go with it which matches the top deck which is super cool and makes life much easier if you are in control of the speaker.

The controls are simple to use and laid out nicely on top with a disc type wheel for volume etc,, this gives you the real dj effect which I am not by any stretch but it is fun to use and the controls again straight forward and it is easy to switch between modes and sounds. Also up to is a spot to rest your phone or tablet.

The sound is excellent from this speaker and being big gives you big sound, the bass is excellent and the EQ settings are also excellent with a notable difference between them unlike other speakers I have tested asides the sound the light show it emits is also great which takes the boring effect from a speaker with no RGB effects, there was also no lag latency noted on this speaker and it certainly packs a punch when it comes to banging out the tracks and dwarfs most home speakers your neighbours might have.

Finally there is also around 13 hours of battery life so no matter where you go with it you have power on the go and it will last the day and you can charge your mobile phone with it too should you run low on juice.

The App

 

Check the full video review below for more and see how it works and most importantly how it sounds, you will take over any party in the home, back garden or street with this one.

BUY

Video Review

HMV opening new store on Henry Street Dublin

HMV will open its first store in Ireland for almost a decade with a return to Henry Street in Dublin. The new store will mark the opening of its first flagship outside the UK. The store is planned to be open by mid-July 2023.

Although it has 120 shops across the UK at present, this is the first foray into Ireland for hmv under its new owners – Doug Putman’s Sunrise Records and will take up the 18 Henry Street address.

The 6,000 square foot space, let from Irish Life, will play host to three floors of the latest pop culture merchandise and become a destination for lovers of music and music technology. It will also offer performance spaces to create the city’s latest live music venue, hosting shows and signings from some of the country’s biggest artists, alongside global stars.

The announcement of a return to Dublin represents the latest sign of a dramatic turnaround of the hmv business under Canadian owner Doug Putman, who first took the reins in 2019. Under his tenure, the business has evolved its concept to centre on a fan and community-orientated offer. Under its previous owners hmv was forced to finally shutter its last Irish stores in 2016.

Doug Putman said: “Our return to Ireland marks the culmination of the team’s hard work having established a new hmv shopping experience across the UK. We are now in a position to expand that concept into Europe.

“While fans will be able to get their hands on the latest and limited release vinyl and the hottest audio technology, truly indulging their love of music, they will also be able to express their passion for pop culture with ranges that can’t be found anywhere else in Dublin under one roof.

“We want Henry Street to become a home for a new community of fans to come together. What’s more, we hope that once we’ve got our feet back under the table in Ireland, further hmv shop openings will follow.”

Sarah Coyle, Irish Life Investment Managers, said: “We are delighted to partner with hmv on the opening of their new store and would like to welcome them back to Ireland. We are seeing very strong demand from tenants looking to locate in premier retail locations like 18 Henry Street, with footfall having bounced back strongly to pre-pandemic levels.”

hmv Dublin will offer fans a choice of over 15,000 different products and will include over 5,000 different vinyl albums and 5,500 different CDs. The shop will also stock over 3,000 pop culture products and 1,000 different t-shirt designs.

In the past year, hmv stores have welcomed artists such as Charli XCX, Stormzy, Shania Twain, Raye and Ellie Goulding for signings, and the Dublin shop is expected to draw names of similar quality. It’s also set to stage performances from up-and-coming acts through the hmv Live&Local programme which has been established to showcase local acts and give a platform for fresh talent.

Huckletree to open UK’s first workspace tailored for Web3 companies and innovation

Huckletree, a UK and Ireland workspace innovation business is expanding its London presence with a new hub on Oxford Street themed around Web3 and the metaverse – the first of its kind in the UK. This milestone will mark Huckletree’s fifth opening in the capital and grow its footprint to 175,000 sq ft.

Jubilee House, comprising 22,000 sq ft, will be transformed into a new workspace concept, bringing together Web3, creatives and investors in one place. This announcement also comes at a record time for Huckletree as the company announces its intention to double its footprint across the UK whilst recording occupancy rates at an all-time high of 94 percent at group level.

Huckletree has a track record of building communities and will look to mimic the successes of its existing themed co-working spaces, such as its VC hub in Soho and Govtech hub in Westminster.

The expansive new office features spaces specifically designed and curated for businesses operating in the Web3 world, including an NFT Creator Gallery, VR/Gaming pods and decompression zones. The hub will also support new ways of flexible working with a range of spaces designed for different modes of work as well as breakout areas for collaboration, socialising and wellbeing, including a rooftop open terrace.

Huckletree, as part of its curated membership model, is targeting anchor tenants actively working in Web3 and the metaverse space. The remaining available workspace will be open to complementary sectors, with memberships set to open for enquiries in August.

As part of its commitment to the ecosystem, Huckletree has established an advisory council to oversee businesses moving into the space, with representatives across venture capital firms seeding European unicorns, Web3 entrepreneurs and the digital fashion space

The decision to locate the new hub on Oxford Street was influenced by the changing behaviours of office workers and subsequent demand for offices in central, convenient, and destination-like locations. According to CBRE, office take-up in the West End has reached 4.9m sq ft in the second quarter of this year, an increase of 149 per cent compared to the same period last year.

Reflecting these figures, Huckletree’s hub in Soho, which opened in 2019, has seen the strongest demand in the Huckletree group over the past 12 months with occupancy sitting steadily over 90 percent.

This demand is due to the area emerging as a key destination for businesses and investors thanks to its unrivalled lifestyle offering, including a buzzing alfresco dining and bar atmosphere as well as brilliant connectivity, thanks to the opening of the Elizabeth Line Crossrail.

Gabriela Hersham, Co-founder and CEO at Huckletree, said: “This latest opening for Huckletree not only marks a major milestone in our journey but also demonstrates our commitment to innovation and our ambition to back the most transformative emerging thinkers and players in the ecosystem. Web3 and the metaverse have the potential to transform every industry as we know it, and the community working behind the scenes, be they on the investment or business side, are in need of a space to call home that can also be a platform for funding, deal-flow, ideas, talent, and togetherness. 

Oxford Street is an iconic address in London that has suffered financially and culturally. We want to help drive the re-imagination of the area, to create a vision where emerging hybrid communities meet heritage and tradition.” 

Huckletree was advised by Situu.