COMHAIRLE CONTAE ÁTHA CLIATH THEAS
SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

MEETING OF DEVELOPMENT PLAN MEETING

Tuesday, March 01, 2022

MOTION NO. 22

MOTION: Councillor G. O'Connell, Councillor P. Gogarty, Councillor L. O'Toole

Motion in the names of Cllr Liona O'Toole, Guss O'Connell, Paul Gogarty Re: submission SD-C195-151 (AshPark) That this committee does NOT accept the CE recommendations as stated against submission SD-C195-151 page 187

REPORT:

The motion proposes to reject the CE Recommendation to rezone the subject land at Ash Park Court from Objective OS – Open Space to Objective RES – Existing Residential.  

This issue was also submitted to the Draft Plan through the public consultation period under submissions SD-C195-151 and the Chief Executive responded under Chapter 2 Core Strategy and Settlement Strategy –  Residential and Zoning Submission , pg184-185. Having examined and considered the content of the motion, the view of the CE remains unchanged for the following reasons: 

It would appear that the subject lands in question serve as vacant and idle space adjoining residential development of Ash Park Court. The subject lands provide for a site c. 7m wide, are heavily vegetated and walled which marks a distinct separation between the Ask Park Court Development and the vacant lands. It is noted that the land is currently in private ownership and does not currently form part of the open space for Ash Park Development. The lands were originally zoned Objective RES as part of previous Development Plan in 1998. In this regard, it is considered that the subject land comprises of a narrow tract of incidental or ‘left-over’ strip of land after the residential development was designed. It should also be noted that the Draft Plan specifically states that “Inhospitable and inaccessible open space comprising narrow tracts, backlands, incidental or ‘leftover’ strips of land should be designed out of all schemes.”   

Furthermore, Policy COS5 Objective 17 seeks to ensure that incidental areas of open space which do not function as useable open space and/or are not clearly visible from the public realm, are designed out of a proposed scheme.  

It is also worth noting that the Draft Development Plan under section 8.7.3 Quantity of Public Open Space table 8.2 Public Open Space Standards sets a requirement for new residential lands to provide for a minimum of 15% of the site area as public open space. The subject Ash Park development was permitted under Planning Reg. Reference S98A/0200 and S99A/0019 on a site area of c. 8000sqm. The development currently provides for an open space area to the north adjoining the Ash Park Grove Development measuring c. 1239.5sqm which equates to c. 15.5% which exceeds the standards set out in under table 8.2 of the Draft Plan.  

While it is noted that mature trees are located adjoining the subject lands, should an application be submitted to redevelop the lands such issues would need to be sensitively incorporated and addressed through mitigation measures to avoid damage to the adjoining lands through appropriate design and layout. In this regard the provisions of section 3.3.6 Protection and Trees and Hedgerows should also be noted in particular NCBH11 Objective 3 where it is an objective of the plan ‘To protect and retain existing trees, hedgerows, and woodlands which are of amenity and/or biodiversity and/or carbon sequestration value and/or contribute to landscape character and ensure that proper provision is made for their protection and management taking into account Living with Trees: South Dublin County Council’s Tree Management Policy (2015-2020) or any superseding document and to ensure that where retention is not possible that a high value biodiversity provision is secured as part of the phasing of any development to protect the amenity of the area’. 

It is considered that the recommendation of the CE to change the subject lands from OS (Open Space) to Res (existing residential) for this small area of land would provide for a more efficient use of the lands which are in private ownership within the wider Ash Park development, not available to the wider public and are currently lying idle.   

CE Recommendation:  It is recommended that this motion is not adopted and that the subject lands are zoned RES (existing residential) from their current OS (Open Space) zoning.