COMHAIRLE CONTAE ÁTHA CLIATH THEAS
SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

MEETING OF SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

Monday, November 12, 2007

MOTION NO. 8

MOTION: Councillor E. Tuffy

That this Council re-affirms its commitment to promoting safe cycling in the County, compliments the Manager and the Roads Department on the ongoing programme of installing cycling lanes, recognises that a deterrent to the use of bicycles is the unavailability of secure storage/parking in public places such as shopping centres, and requests the Manager to explore the possibility of requiring Planning Applications for Shopping Centres to include provision for a certain number of secure cycle parking areas including bicycle lockers and locked covered bicycle sheds.

REPORT:

It is a strategic objective of the South Dublin Development Plan 2004-2010 to ‘promote and facilitate the development of cycling and pedestrian facilities in the county for all users’, (Section 7.4.i, p. 104). Development Plan policy also states ‘that provision be made in new shopping developments for secure parking for cyclists’, (Policy S.12, p. 97).

The Council encourages the provision of secure bicycle parking facilities in town, district and local centres, at all public facilities such as schools and libraries and in all new, extended or refurbished developments. Current Development Plan standards require that “secure covered cycle parking facilities be provided for new office blocks, apartment blocks, shopping centres, hospitals, transportation nodes, etc. and that such facilities should be within 25 metres of a destination for short term parking, (shops), and within 50 metres for long term parking, (school, college, office)” (Section 12.7.6.i. of the Development Plan, p.220).

More recent local plans that have been prepared for specific areas apply more prescriptive standards for different land uses with regard to bicycle parking.

The Tallaght Town Centre Local Area Plan 2006 acknowledges that safe and secure bicycle parking is an essential component of any cycle network and sets out the following standards in relation to bicycle parking;

Development type	Bicycle Parking Standards
Residential Unit, (apartment/duplex)	1 space per unit
Retail/Office/Crèche	1 space per 100 sq metres gross
Primary Schools	1 space per 10 pupils

Table 1. Tallaght Town Centre Local Area Plan 2006 Cycle Parking Standards

The Clonburris Proposed SDZ Planning Scheme and Proposed Local Area Plan 2007 sets out a sustainability target that, ‘All retail, office and other commercial and employment premises with a gross floor space of 1000m2 or more shall incorporate secure cycle parking, and changing, shower and storage facilities for cycle users within their premises’. (p. 95). The following table from the Clonburris Proposed SDZ Planning Scheme and Proposed Local Area Plan sets out the minimum cycle parking standards for different types of land uses;

Development type	Bicycle Parking Standards
Residential units	1 space per dwelling
Retail	1 space per 100 sq. m gross floor area
Employment (office/high tech industry)	1 space per 100 sq. m gross floor area
Secondary school	1 space per 5 pupils
Primary school	1 space per 10 pupils
Major parks	1 space per 0.2 hectares
Crèches	1 space per 100 sq. m gross floor area
Community centres	1 space per 30 sq. m gross floor area
Leisure centres	1 space per 100 sq. m gross floor area
Rail and metro stations	1 space per 5 sq. m gross floor area. A minimum of 20% of provision should be in the form of secure lockable cycle

Table 2. Clonburris Proposed SDZ Planning Scheme and Proposed Local Area Plan 2007 Cycle Parking Standards.

Detailed minimum standards are also applied in the Adamstown Strategic Development Zone Planning Scheme 2003 which states that ‘secure bicycle parking to comprise covered or semi-covered space with locking bars shall be provided throughout Adamstown’. The standards for cycle parking that are applied in Adamstown are as follows;

Development Type	Bicycle Parking Standard
Residential *Apartments	1 per dwelling
Commercial Retail Office/high tech industry (employment)	1 space per 100 square metres gross 1 space per 100 square metres gross
Community / Leisure Secondary School Primary School Major Parks Crèches Community Centres	1 space per 2 pupils 1 space per 10 pupils 1 space per 0.2 hectares 1 space per 100 square metres gross 1 space per 30 square metres gross

Table 3. Adamstown Strategic Development Zone Planning Scheme 2003 Cycle Parking Standards.

Current approaches and standards will be examined and reviewed during the forthcoming review of the South Dublin County Development Plan 2004-2010.