COMHAIRLE CONTAE ÁTHA CLIATH THEAS
SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

MEETING OF CLONDALKIN AREA COMMITTEE

Wednesday, December 16, 2020

QUESTION NO. 8

 

"To ask the Chief Executive what the results are of the initial stage of the Green Infrastructure project involving collation of all available data sources such as survey works, investigations, environmental assessments and plans that exist at a local level and if he will report on the four research strands which provide the foundation and evidence base on which to build both the GI Strategy and the POS Strategy and when will they start?"

REPLY:

This work is currently on-going; the information gathering stage is underway to develop very detailed mapping and develop an understanding of the existing Green Infrastructure and Parks and Open Space in the county. It is important to note that this work is still ongoing; for instance habitat mapping is only about half way through completion. The Councils Green Infrastructure Working group, comprising staff from all departments, are reviewing the work of the consultants and providing feedback to guide the development of the Strategy to the draft stage.

The four research strands detailed below were designed to provide the foundation and evidence base on which to build both the GI Strategy and the POS Strategy. This work has been ongoing since September.

1: Collation of Best Practices

A detailed review of existing resources, plans and surveys to comprise the following elements:

• A desktop review of relevant GI and POS Policy from across Europe and internationally to identify best practices and case study examples from which new ideas and innovative solutions to the integration of GI principles into planning policy can be gleaned.
• A desktop study on policy/plan exemplars at a national level with a specific focus on County Development Plans and GI policy, particularly those of adjoining counties.
• The output of this best practice review will be a knowledge bank of best practices and methods that can be referred to throughout the strategy preparation process.

2: Qualitative and quantitative Surveys of GI, Parks and Public Open Space

Qualitative and quantitative surveys are ongoing in a number of  areas with GI and a sample of the county parks and open spaces and recreational facilities. This work will include user surveys within parks.

3: Land Cover Mapping

This involves an extensive mapping exercise capturing land cover types across the County to including Habitat Maps, layers including existing parks, amenities, pitches, street trees and the County’s cycle track network.

Using a combination of aerial imagery and mapping resources the consultants will then seek to quantify the extent of land cover across the County that can be classified as GI.

4: Critical Appraisal of Current Policy Documents and Existing Resource Base

A critical review of the GI and Open Space aspects of the South Dublin County Council Development Plan 2016-2022, Climate Action Plan 2019, the Biodiversity Plan, SDCC Tree Policy, the Councils Pollinator Plan, SDCC SUDS guidance documents, SDCC Play Policy, SDCC Tourism Strategy and SDCC Sports Pitch Strategy 2020-2035.

The review will guide the development of both the GI Strategy and the POS Strategy. Drawing on learnings from EU and national best practices the project team will assess the baseline performance of SDCC in terms of planning for, managing, investing in, and maintaining its PGI and parks and open space assets. It will also examine the policies and objectives set out within the current Plan in terms of how effective these are in supporting the designation and provision of POS and recreational facilities in new developments.