COMHAIRLE CONTAE ÁTHA CLIATH THEAS
SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

south dublin county council crest

MEETING OF TALLAGHT AREA COMMITTEE (2)

Monday, April 28, 2008

HEADED ITEM NO. 11

Heritage Plan for South Dublin County

Heritage Officer

Dr. Rosaleen Dwyer was appointed the Council’s Heritage Officer on 3rd March 2008.  Dr. Dwyer, whose education and background is in natural heritage, had previously been Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council’s Bio-Diversity Officer.

Heritage Plan

The Heritage Act 1995 defines heritage as including monuments, archaeological objects, heritage objects, architectural heritage, flora, fauna, wildlife habitats, landscapes, seascapes, wrecks, inland waterways, geology, heritage gardens and parks.  Heritage is therefore all around us, reflecting that which we have inherited from preceding generations. 

A County Heritage Plan is a way to reach consensus on how local heritage can best be conserved and managed on a partnership basis, offering a broad context within which the efforts and initiatives of local groups and state agencies can operate.  It is an opportunity to identify heritage issues and needs at a local level, and to address them locally, within a regional and national framework. 

A Heritage Plan is a cross-agency strategy for the county, facilitating the identification, protection, conservation, management, enhancement and interpretation of heritage.  It seeks to integrate the various aspects of heritage, looking at the historic, natural, cultural and social environments as a whole.  It is an agreed, realistic, and costed action plan, with reference to delivery and monitoring mechanisms.  It is, therefore, both a strategic statement about what the county wants to achieve in terms of heritage management and conservation over a 5 year period, while also being a list of achievable actions which will be undertaken to achieve strategic aims and objectives.

A Heritage Plan is not to be seen as an isolated document.  It works within the framework of other plans and objectives, both at a local and a national level.  At a county level, the actions listed in a Heritage Plan aspire to inform the decision-making process with regard to the policies of the County Development Plan and Local Area Plans.  It can also overlap with Local Agenda 21 Plans or complement the work of the County Development Board in its strategy for economic, social and cultural development.  A detailed local Biodiversity Plan for the county is also generally seen as one of the actions of the Heritage Plan.

Heritage Plan Programme

The Heritage Officer’s primary role and priority task for this year and for early 2009 is the production and launch of the county’s first Heritage Plan.  This Heritage Plan is expected to cover a five year period with actions on targets and objectives to commence later in 2009.  The Plan will focus on a number of heritage themes.  These are -

A first draft of the Heritage Plan is expected by next November/December.  Following a second phase of public and Council consultation on the initial draft Plan, final amendments are expected in Spring 2009.  A public launch of the Plan is projected for early/mid summer of 2009.

Once the Heritage Plan has been adopted the Heritage Officer will oversee the implementation of the actions and objectives set out in the Plan.  It is also envisaged that the Heritage Officer will provide assistance/advice on the heritage aspects of the County Development Plan Review and of the SEA process, which has to be undertaken in conjunction with the preparation of the new County Development Plan. 

Next Steps

This Report is also being presented to the Area Committees of the Council – Lucan- Clondalkin, Tallaght and Terenure-Rathfarnham - and to the Environment SPC and the Economic Development and Planning SPC.

To initiate the process of preparing the Plan and to progress work on the Plan, a Heritage Forum is required to be established.  This Forum will have 3 or 4 Working Groups.  These Working Groups organised around the broad heritage themes - natural environment, archaeology, architecture and culture - will assist in the preparation of the Plan, with public consultation and with the assessment of public submissions. 

A report on the establishment of the Heritage Forum will be brought to the next Organisation, Procedure and Finance Committee on Thursday 22nd May.