COMHAIRLE CONTAE ÁTHA CLIATH THEAS
SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

MEETING OF DEVELOPMENT PLAN MEETING

Wednesday, January 27, 2021

MOTION NO. 238

MOTION: Councillor Alan Edge

That greater use is made of both tree mapping and tree preservation orders backed up with more rigorous enforcement of the protections given to trees and hedgerows.

REPORT:

A Green Infrastructure strategy is being prepared for the Development Plan, and as part of this, vegetative land coverage including trees within the County will be examined. The CE Recommendation ‘Prepare a Green Infrastructure Strategy as an integral part of the draft Plan preparation, to ensure that the ecological, economic, and social benefits to the County can be integrated into relevant policy and objectives through natural solutions’ reflects this. 

In terms of tree mapping, it should be noted that the Biodiversity Action Plan includes for actions to map trees and hedgerows with a view to assessing carbon sequestration. UCD has mapped street trees within South Dublin and other Dublin counties and this data is being used in the GI Strategy preparation. 

Section 205 of the Planning and Development Act 2000, as amended, makes provision for a planning authority to make a Tree Preservation Order for reasons of amenity or the environment. The process for making a TPO is a separate procedure to the Development Plan process.  The current Development Plan lists TPOs for informational purposes and it is the intention that the new Development Plan will also do this, as per the CE Strategic Recommendation ‘Include a list of existing Tree Preservation Orders in the Development Plan’.  A review of the Council’s Tree Management Policy ‘Living with Trees’ is scheduled to commence in 2021 and will consider Tree Preservation Orders and their role in preserving trees of significant value. 

While enforcement per se is not within the remit of the Development Plan, it will contain policies and objectives for the protection of trees and hedgerows, as provided for under CE Strategic Recommendation ‘Ensure that the Development Plan provides for appropriate protection of trees and hedgerows, where possible, recognising their value to our natural heritage, biodiversity and climate action and encourage tree planting in appropriate locations’.   

Recommendation: It is recommended that this motion is adopted with amendment to recognise that this type of objective is overly detailed for this strategic stage but could be considered as part of the draft plan preparation on foot of the strategic direction provided under the CE Recommendation:  

‘Ensure that the Development Plan provides for appropriate protection of trees and hedgerows, where possible, recognising their value to our natural heritage, biodiversity and climate action and encourage tree planting in appropriate locations’.