COMHAIRLE CONTAE ÁTHA CLIATH THEAS
SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

MEETING OF DEVELOPMENT PLAN MEETING

Thursday, February 04, 2016

MOTION NO. 91

MOTION: Councillor F.N. Duffy

On page 75  After Policy 8  Include additional Objective 6: As environmental heritage is an important amenity upon which tourism depends and that it can be enjoyed and cherished by future generations protect, conserve and enhance them, strictly control development that might be detrimental  and ensure that enforcement procedures are adhered to and that developments are appropriate in scale and balance having  regard to pertaining environmental conditions and sensitivity and are sited and designed to a high standard, be clustered to form a distinct and unified feature in the landscape, utilise suitable materials and colours, and be readily absorbed in its surroundings by taking advantage of existing vegetation and/or topography, and be satisfactorily assimilated into the landscape so that they do not have an undue negative impact on the countryside or general amenities, natural and archaeological heritage features, areas of special amenity, appearance and character of landscapes NHAs, wildlife and environmentally sensitive areas, scenic or visual amenities an along designated Scenic Routes and or degrade or alter the natural environment. Facilitate infrastructure for water-related activities providing that it is consistent with natural and recreational values of the water body and any heritage designations. The Council will use its statutory procedures to ensure that natural amenities remain visually unspoilt.

REPORT:

The Landscape Character Assessment of South Dublin County 2015 highlights the high value and sensitivity of rural hinterland areas of the County, given the proximity to Dublin. The protection of these landscapes and, in particular, environmentally sensitive high amenity areas is a priority of the Development Plan.

With regards Heritage, Policy HCL1 of the Draft Plan states that ‘It is the policy of the Council to protect conserve and enhance natural, built and cultural heritage features, and to support the objectives and actions of the County Heritage Plan’.

Policy HCL 1 Objective 1 seeks;

‘To protect, conserve and enhance natural, built and cultural heritage features and restrict development that would have a significant negative impact on these assets’.

Policy HCL 7 states that ‘It is the policy of the Council to preserve and enhance the character of the County’s landscapes particularly areas that have been deemed to have a medium to high Landscape Value or medium to high Landscape Sensitivity and to ensure that landscape considerations are an important factor in the management of development.

HCL 7 Objective 1 seeks:

‘To protect and enhance the landscape character of the County by ensuring that development retains, protects and, where necessary, enhances the appearance and character of the landscape, taking full cognisance of the Landscape Character Assessment of South Dublin County (2015)’.

HCL 7 Objective 2 seeks:

‘To ensure that development is assessed against Landscape Character, Landscape Values and Landscape Sensitivity as identified in the Landscape Character Assessment for South Dublin County (2015) in accordance with Government guidance on Landscape Character Assessment and the National Landscape Strategy’.

With regards water related activities Policy HCL 11 Objective 2 seeks ‘To facilitate the development of the Grand Canal as a recreational route for walking, cycling, nature study and water based activities including fishing, canal boating, rowing and canoeing/kayaking, subject to appropriate environmental safeguards and assessments’.

It is considered that the intent of the proposed motion is provided for under the policies above and others within the Draft Development Plan e.g. Rural Housing Design (Section 11.3.4), Agriculture & Rural Enterprise (Section 11.3.7) and Appropriate Assessment (Section 11.8.2). The wording of the proposed motion is not succinct and would result in a significant degree of duplication within the Development Plan. This may lead to difficulties and confusion in the application of the Plan and therefore the proposed wording cannot be supported.

Recommendation

No amendment required to the Draft Development Plan 2016 – 2022.