COMHAIRLE CONTAE ÁTHA CLIATH THEAS
SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

MEETING OF SDZ, LAPS AND PLANNING PROJECTS

Friday, January 26, 2018

MOTION NO. 73

MOTION: Councillor E. Higgins

That Section 2.2 should provide for the operation of shuttle buses (be they public or private) to link communities, existing and new, to key transport arteries.

Cllrs Emer Higgins, William Lavelle, Vicki Casserly, Kenneth Egan, Paula Donovan, Brian Lawlor and Conor McMahon

REPORT:

Response

The intent of the proposed motion to provide for bus services that will link existing and new communities with each other and public transport arteries is provided for under the Draft Planning Scheme and the Transport Assessment and Strategy that accompanies the Draft Planning Scheme. This includes planned local bus routes that will connect both railway stations and planned core bus routes.

The NTA’s Transport Strategy for the Greater Dublin Area 216 – 2035 provides for a Core orbital bus routes between Tallaght and Blanchardstown vis the SDZ land and it is indicated that this services will run along the Fonthill Road North connecting with the Clondalkin-Fonthill Railway Station. In addition to this core service, a proposed Tallaght-Liffey Valley Secondary Orbital Route together with a Lucan-Park West Route and a Grange Castle-Liffey Valley local bus routes are proposed to serve the trip demands of the Draft Planning Scheme. This network of routes will connect existing and planned communities with each other, with both the Kishoge and Clondalkin-Fonthill Railway stations and with the planned Lucan Luas.

Details of the planned bus routes are provided for under Chapter 7 of the Transport Assessment and Strategy that accompanies the Draft Planning Scheme. A submission from the NTA on the Draft Planning Scheme confirms that the NTA is committed to deliver theses bus routes in accordance with the Transport Assessment and Strategy, which indicates that they will be operating by 2026. The submission of the NTA states that it is intended to complete the BusConnects Programme by 2019 including aspects that will cater for the demands of the SDZ Planning Scheme. Further to additional correspondence (January 2018), the NTA advises that it intended to provide the new orbital service through the SDZ lands linking Blanchardstown to Tallaght in the short term.

Section 2.2 of the Draft Planning Scheme ensures that the planned open ended street network has been designed for the planned core orbital and local bus routes in terms of routing and required carriageways. Details of the operation of the bus routes is outside the scope of the Draft Planning Scheme.

In the context that the intent of subject motion has been fulfilled by the Draft Planning Scheme and Transport Assessment no amendment to the Planning Scheme is required in this regard. It is therefore not necessary to further amend the Draft Planning Scheme.

Recommendation

It is recommended that this motion is not adopted.

Strategic Environmental Assessment of Chief Executive’s Recommendation

No interaction with Strategic Environmental Objectives.

Appropriate Assessment Screening of Chief Executive’s Recommendation

No likely significant effects on European sites within the SDZ’s zone of influence are predicted.