COMHAIRLE CONTAE ÁTHA CLIATH THEAS
SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

South Dublin County Council Crest

MEETING OF SDZ, LAPS AND PLANNING PROJECTS

Thursday, January 23, 2020

MOTION NO.49

MOTION: Councillor P. Gogarty, Councillor L. O'Toole, Councillor F. Timmons, Councillor Alan Edge

Tallaght LAP Special meeting

Re. 3.2 The Centre

That the Landbridge outlined in the 2006 - 2011 and the 2011 - 2018 plans be reinstated.

REPORT:

The Council is committed to providing improved pedestrian and cycle facilities across the N81 between the Town Centre, the Park and the Stadium and surrounding areas. The details shown in the LAP are indicative only and serve only to acknowledge the need for interventions to facilitate the role of Tallaght as a Town Centre, particularly in relation to cycle and pedestrian movements. In addition, through its public realm functions and in conjunction with the provisions outlined above, the Council proposes to implement a landscape plan for the N81.

Allied to this, a number of submissions were made as part of the public consultation process requesting a landbridge, a tunnel and a number of other interventions. The Council is very much aware that the N81 is a National Secondary Route and of the need to retain its traffic capacity. Submissions from TII and the Office of the Planning Regulator strongly reference this issue. Attention is drawn to recommended Chief Executive amendment No. 2, page 19 of the CE Report which proposed to add the following text:

The N81 National Secondary Route traverses the LAP lands. It is an objective of the plan to provide cycle and pedestrian routes which facilitate ease of access across the N81 between the Town Centre and Sean Walsh Park, surrounding residential areas, The Stadium and ultimately the Dublin Mountains. Any future proposed works shall be agreed with TII and the NTA and are required to comply with Section 28 Guidelines 'Spatial Planning and National Roads Guidelines for Planning Authorities (2012).

Any future interventions on the N81 arising from its location within the expanded town centre will need to be subject to detailed traffic analysis  and any works will be subject to agreement with TII, complete with a requirement to ensure compliance with the 'Spatial Planning and National Roads Guidelines for Planning Authorities (2012)’. The Council has commissioned a detailed traffic study which addresses these issues and is due to commence shortly.

RECOMMENDATION:

It is recommended that the motion and recommended Chief Executive amendment be amended and adopted as follows:

Include the following text and objective in Section 2.2.1:

The N81 National Secondary Route traverses the LAP lands. Any future proposed works shall be agreed with TII and the NTA and are required to comply with Section 28 Guidelines 'Spatial Planning and National Roads Guidelines for Planning Authorities (2012).

It is an objective of the plan to provide cycle and pedestrian routes which facilitate ease of access across the N81 between the Town Centre and Sean Walsh Park, surrounding residential areas, The Stadium and ultimately the Dublin Mountains. Alternative options to be assessed, including the provision of a landbridge, subject to a detailed traffic study and subject to agreement of Transport Infrastructure Ireland, National Transport Authority and landowners, where relevant.