COMHAIRLE CONTAE ÁTHA CLIATH THEAS
SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

MEETING OF CLONDALKIN AREA COMMITTEE

Wednesday, October 21, 2020

QUESTION NO. 7

QUESTION: Councillor F. Timmons

"That the Chief Executive issue a report into what happened to the Rathcoole Local Area Plan 2002? Why was it not renewed by Council? How come no LAP has ever followed for Rathcoole?"

REPLY:

A Local Area Plan encompassing a number of land parcels in Rathcoole was adopted by the Council in April 2002. Those lands had been zoned A1 in the 1998 County Development Plan. Development occurred on most of the lands zoned in that LAP and the plan withered in 2008.

A masterplan process is underway for one of the remaining areas of land zoned RES-N and which is owned by the Council.

The County Development Plan 2016 - 2022 outlines what Local Area Plans will be prepared during its 6 year lifetime. Under this Plan, Rathcoole is not an area which will be subject to the preparation of a Local Area Plan (LAP).

The Local Area Plan Guidelines for Planning Authorities (2013) advise that the decision to make a Local Area Plan should take cognisance of the degree to which major development is anticipated such as to justify the preparation of a standalone plan, the resource implications and the need to focus resources in using the local area plan process for areas where major alterations to the built environment are anticipated. In this context and having regard to the established nature of the Rathcoole area, it is considered that the County Development Plan is an appropriate policy context for Rathcoole.

Furthermore, the Chief Executive outlines that the LAP process requires resources and the priority for these resources has been in completing the Tallaght Town Centre LAP, continuing the formulation of a Framework/LAP for the Naas Road area, implementing the Planning Schemes and LAP for Clonburris, Adamstown, Fortunestown and Ballycullen – Oldcourt respectively and commencing the new County Development Plan.