COMHAIRLE CONTAE ÁTHA CLIATH THEAS
SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

MEETING OF DEVELOPMENT PLAN MEETING

Thursday, June 18, 2015

MOTION NO. 190

MOTION: Councillor P. Gogarty

On page 82, amend the South Dublin County Retail Hierarchy, splitting Level 3 into Level 3(a) and Level 3(b). Level 3(a) to include “Adamstown SDZ District Centre (planned)” and “Clonburris Major District Centre (planned), with the Categories and Types of Services to read as follows: “These SDZ District Centres will reflect the higher density SDZ urban centre environment and will cater for a varied range of comparison shopping, including the possibility of anchor department stores on main shopping streets, some leisure activities and a range of cafés and restaurants and other mixed uses. They should contain at least one supermarket and ancillary foodstores alongside financial and other retail services. Major District Centres should generally cater for a settled population of 20,000-45,000 people.”

The new Level 3(b) to replicate the existing Level 3 description, but without the SDZs already transferred to Level 3(a).

Co-sponsored by Cllrs Liona O’Toole, Deirdre O Donovan, Guss O’Connell, Francis Timmons, Francis Noel Duffy

REPORT:

The Retail Strategy for the Greater Dublin Area 2008 - 2016 sets out a five-tier Retail Hierarchy for the Greater Dublin Area. The South Dublin County Retail Hierarchy in Table 5.1 is derived from and follows the five tier hierarchy of the Retail Strategy for the Greater Dublin Area 2008 – 2016.

The Chief Executive does not recommend the subdivision of Level 3 into 3(a) and 3(b). The subdivision would indicate that the Level 3(a) centres are above the Level 3(b) centres in the County and this contradicts the overall aim of the retail policies in the CE Draft Plan.

The CE Draft Plan establishes Clondalkin Town Centre as a primary urban centre in the Urban Hierarchy and as a Level 3 retail centre in the Retail Hierarchy (only below Tallaght and Liffey Valley) with a policy (and supporting objectives) to enhance the retailing function.

The inclusion of the SDZ centres as a specific Level 3(a) would enable the development of the Clonburris and Adamstown SDZ District Centres to a scale and type that would supersede Clondalkin. It is considered that the design, quality and density of the SDZ centres are addressed in R2 Objective 3 and the approved Planning Schemes and do not require an additional new Level in the retail hierarchy, which is not provided for in the Regional Retail Strategy.

The motion proposes the following text:

“The SDZ District Centres will reflect the higher density SDZ urban centre environment and will cater for a varied range of comparison shopping, including the possibility of anchor department stores on main shopping streets, some leisure activities and a range of cafés and restaurants and other mixed uses. They should contain at least one supermarket and ancillary foodstores alongside financial and other retail services. Major District Centres should generally cater for a settled population of 20,000-45,000 people.”

The text outlined in the motion above is generally recommended for inclusion in the plan in Section 5.3.0 Additional Retail Floorspace.

Recommendation

It is recommended that the motion be adopted with amendment and the following text be inserted in Seciton 5.3.0 Additional Floorspace

The SDZ District Centres will reflect the higher density SDZ urban environment and will cater for a varied range of comparison shopping, including the possibility of anchor department stores on main shopping streets, some leisure activities and a range of cafés and restaurants and other mixed uses. They should contain at least one supermarket and ancillary foodstores alongside financial and other retail services. SDZ District Centres should generally cater for a local population catchment of 10,000-40,000 people and be developed in accordance with the approved Planning Scheme.