COMHAIRLE CONTAE ÁTHA CLIATH THEAS
SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

MEETING OF DEVELOPMENT PLAN MEETING

Thursday, February 04, 2016

MOTION NO. 201

MOTION: Councillor W. Lavelle

Weirview - RPS

To support submission DRAFTDEVPLAN0182 by Weirview Residents Association to reverse the proposed removal of 20 properties at Weirview Cottages from the Record of Protected Structure, on the basis of their historic and cultural importance and previous enforcement issues.

Co-sponsored by Cllr. Casserly

REPORT:

Previous Motion

The proposed removal of Weirview Cottages from the Record of Protected Structures (RPS) and inclusion within an extended Architectural Conservation Area (ACA) for Lucan was subject to Motion that was on the agenda of the June 2015 County Development Plan Meeting (No. 306 -ID 45119) and, subsequent to the response of the Chief Executive, the motion was withdrawn.

ACA Designation

The proposed ACA designation and RPS removal has been informed by the ‘Appraisal of Candidate Architectural Conservation Areas’ (2015), which was carried out as an independent assessment of groups of structures of special interest within the County as part of the County Development Plan Review. This informed the ‘Review of Record of Protected Structures 2014/15’ (2015).

The ACA Appraisal advises that ACA designation will provide a more appropriate level of protection for terraces or groupings of dwellings that were designed and built as distinct entities. It is further advised that where such terraces are designated as protected structures (such as Weirview Cottages), these should be removed from the RPS in recognition of the nature of their special visual interest or value and the appropriate level of protection that will be provided under ACA designation.

This approach is in line with the recommendations of the Architectural Heritage Protection Guidelines for Planning Authorities 2004, which recommends that ACA designation should be used to protect the setting and exterior appearance of structures that are of special interest where their interiors do not merit protection and that deletions from an RPS will take place where it has been decided that a more appropriate method of protection is through inclusion within an ACA.

ACA designation will continue to afford statutory protection to the special interest of Weirview Cottages under Planning and Development Legislation, namely the external appearance and coherent visual setting created by these structures and negates the need for inclusion in the RPS.

Removal from the RPS will provide flexibility for residents to carry out internal improvements and renovation without the need to apply for planning permission. This is considered to be appropriate in the context that Weirview Cottages consists of vernacular workers cottages where their special interest lies in their external appearance and not to their interiors.

The retention of Weirview Cottages within the RPS would also be inconsistent with the proposed removal of Millbank Cottages from the RPS, which are located in the same proposed ACA extension area and are similar in style, age and appearance to Weirview Cottages. The proposed motion would place an inequitable and unnecessary burden on existing and future residents of Weirview Cottages compared to the residents of Millbank Cottages and other groups of dwellings within the County that are proposed for ACA designation.

Recommendation

It is recommended that this motion is not adopted.