COMHAIRLE CONTAE ÁTHA CLIATH THEAS
SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

South Dublin County Council Crest

MEETING OF TALLAGHT AREA COMMITTEE

Monday, September 28, 2020

MOTION NO. 2

MOTION: Councillor Liam Sinclair

This Area Committee agrees that the areas in Tallaght being managed for biodiversity be increased, and ask that a report be compiled with suitable areas, including roundabouts and roadsides, not currently being managed for biodiversity marked out for consideration.

REPORT:

The Council's Public Realm Section is currently managing 136 hectares of wildflower meadow across the county and 93 ha of these are in the Tallaght area at Tymon Park, Dodder Valley Park, Kiltipper Park, Sean Walsh Park and other locations. The Council has engaged an independent ecologist to survey the existing biodiversity areas, this has being arranged by the Council's heritage officer.  The Public Realm Section is awaiting the results of the survey as it will inform us as to future wildflower meadow plans.

A number of pollinator friendly planting schemes have taken place in recent times such as planting schemes in Firhouse and Rathfarnham Villages in 2020 as well as a pollinator friendly hedge which was planted in Sean Walsh Park in 2018.  We are currently considering the implementation of two pollinator friendly planting projects in the Tallaght region for inclusion on the 2021 Public Realm Improvement Works Programme, these will be similar to the Firhouse and Rathfarnham Village planting schemes carried out this year.  A planting scheme in Tallaght Village at the large constructed planter at the junction of  Main St and Old Bawn Road is being considered, while a scheme to plant wildflowers and bulbs is being considered for Sean Walsh Park adjacent to the N81 on the embankment close to the pedestrian bridge.  It will be important to liaise with the capital projects team in relation to the second proposal, to ensure that it does not clash with the proposals under the larger N81 landscaping improvements scheme.  It is hoped that these schemes will be presented to the elected members on the draft improvement works programme in January 2021.  These schemes if they proceed would enhance the local visual appearance of the landscape as well as providing much needed food to the local pollinators.

SDCC plan on providing an educational video to residents associations and tidy towns groups to provide further knowledge to local residents about the benefits and importance of pollinators and this video is being developed at present. The Public Realm Section is prepared to consider proposals from residents groups who want to see wildflower meadows developed within their estates, it will be necessary to establish however that they have support across the local community for these.

In addition to this the Council has been asked to examine a proposal to plant a small stepping stones forest within Sean Wash Park, as submitted by the Litter Mugs group.  Stepping Stone forests are very small (100-200 sqm), dense, rapid-growing plantations of entirely native species in an urban setting.  Some benefits of a stepping stones forest are :