COMHAIRLE CONTAE ÁTHA CLIATH THEAS
SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

MEETING OF DEVELOPMENT PLAN MEETING

Thursday, February 04, 2016

MOTION NO. 170

MOTION: Councillor F.N. Duffy

That on page 138 Include additional Objectives:

1  In partnership with NPWS, local Wildlife Rangers, WI, community groups and other relevant stakeholders, provide, preserve, promote, support, encourage, develop, facilitate, increase and improve public access to and around lakes, rivers, canals and navigational and non-navigational waterway corridors(together with rivers and streams and valleys) to provide amenities and recreational facilities the provision of land-basedrecreational activities, includingwalking, cycling, mountain biking, horse riding, wildlife/bird watching and other non-noise generating activities for visitors and locals and focusing on linear features such as canal and river banks and walking paths. Reserve land adjacent to river and canal banks and lakeshores to facilitate these activities.

2  Protect, enhance and improve existing public rights ofway,where appropriate, and investigate the provision of additional rights of way to inland lakes canal banks and waterways to facilitate the creation or expansion of walking/cycling routes.

3  Require that developments along rivers, canals, lakes and other watercourses provide for set aside land for walking/cycling routes and to provide, promote and facilitate the creation of waterside linear parks and an interconnecting network of green open spaces to link with existing fragmented green spaces existing parks and open spaces with towns and other settlements in their vicinity and extend to adjoining counties forming inter-county tourism links, in cooperation with their councils.

4  In co-operation with WI, NPWS and community groups, encourage, promote and use the potential of canal towpaths for designated walking and cycle routes, both as recreational and tourism amenities and the promotion of links with any designated walking, cycling routes, existing or proposed.

REPORT:

The Chief Executive Report on Draft Plan Public Consultation (December 2015) notes the content of the submission and is summarised as follows;

Requested that additional objectives be added to Section 8.2.0 to include the improvement of public access (public rights of way, where appropriate) to the County's waterbodies and courses; to provide amenities at these locations; to encourage linkages with adjoining counties and the GDA region; to require management plans for particular areas to address compatibility with the GI network (sets out how this compatibility can be met); the consultation with specific stakeholders, including the community; to protect the amenity value of the Grand Canal corridor by managing development along it and that flood protection/alleviation works take place.

 It is considered that the content of the proposed motion is provided for under the following policies/ objectives in the Draft Development Plan 2016 – 2022;

ET9 Objective 1:

To support and facilitate sustainable agriculture, horticulture, forestry and other rural enterprises at suitable locations in the County.

ET9 Objective 4:

To support sustainable forestry development at suitable locations in the County, subject to the protection of the rural environment, sensitive areas and landscapes.

Policy HCL16:

It is the policy of the Council to continue to promote and improve access to high amenity, scenic, and recreational lands throughout the County, including places of natural beauty or utility, for the purposes of outdoor recreation, while avoiding environmental damage, landscape damage and impacts to Natura 2000 sites.

HCL 16 Objective 1:

To promote the preservation of public rights of way that give access to mountain, lakeshore, riverbank or other places of natural beauty or recreational utility such as parklands, geological and geo-morphical features of heritage value and to identify and map such public rights of way as they come to the attention of the Council.

HCL 16 Objective 2:

To promote and facilitate the creation of Permissive Access Routes and heritage trails that will provide access to high amenity, scenic and recreational lands including rural areas, forests, woodlands, waterways, upland/mountain areas, the Grand Canal, the Dodder Valley, the Liffey Valley and between historic villages (utilising modern technology), in partnership with adjoining local authorities, private landowners, semi-state and other public bodies such as Coillte and the Forest Service.

HCL 16 Objective 3:

To promote and facilitate the continued development of the Dublin Mountains Way and the Wicklow Way in association with the Dublin Mountains Partnership, particularly Permissive Access Routes that provide access to regional and local networks of walking, running, hiking and mountain bike trails and other recreational facilities. The routing of new trails and rerouting of existing trails off public roads is encouraged.

HCL 16 Objective 4:

To promote and improve access, in partnership with the relevant landowners, to all the historic sites in the County and seek to maximise their tourism potential in partnership with the relevant landowners.

HCL 16 Objective 5:

To bring mountain amenities closer to residential communities by promoting the establishment of a network of formal footpaths, off-road paths and cycleways that facilitate casual walkers and cyclists.

Policy G3 Objective 2:

‘To maintain a biodiversity protection zone of not less than 10 metres from the top of the bank of all watercourses in the County, with the full extent of the protection zone to be determined on a case by case basis by the Planning Authority, based on site specific characteristics and sensitivities. Strategic Green Routes and Trails identified in the South Dublin Tourism Strategy, 2015; the Greater Dublin Area Strategic Cycle Network; and other government plans or programmes will be open for consideration within the biodiversity protection zone, subject to appropriate safeguards and assessments, as these routes increase the accessibility of the Green Infrastructure network’.

Policy ET6

'It is the policy of the Council to support and facilitate the development of an integrated network of Greenways and Trails along suitable corridors, including natural linear open spaces such as river banks and canals, with local connections to villages and attractions to take account of the environmental sensitivities along these corridors.

ET6 Objective 1:

To support and facilitate the development of an integrated network of Greenways and Trails along suitable corridors, including the River Liffey, Dublin Mountains Way, Grand Canal, River Dodder and Slade Valley

As the intent of the proposed motion is provided for under the policies / objectives referred to above, it is considered that the wording of the proposed motion is not warranted within the Draft Development Plan. The wording of the proposed motion is not succinct and would result in a significant degree of duplication within the Development Plan. The proposed wording is also protracted and difficult to decipher. 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.