COMHAIRLE CONTAE ÁTHA CLIATH THEAS
SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

South Dublin County Council Crest

MEETING OF LUCAN / PALMERSTOWN / NORTH CLONDALKIN AREA COMMITTEE

Tuesday, February 22, 2022

MOTION NO. 14

MOTION: Councillor L. O'Toole

As we continue to prepare our development plan, the proposed policy/wording below is part of Environmental Assessment/Built Environment study. They relate to reuse of appropriate buildings. This committee requests that the Chief Executive explains the meaning / result of these studies, what the findings mean for the two mentioned policies below.  To also discuss how the Shackleton Mill discussion with Fingal Co Co is progressing. Given the lack of progress for the Liffey Valley Monitoring Committee a long period has lapsed with no collaboration for both councils for sometime in this official capacity. NCBH 7 Objective 9 To facilitate the reuse of an appropriate existing building in Lucan and Palmerstown as a tourist amenity and educational/interpretive centre. Potentially Negative Environment Effects (B, LSG, W, CH, LV, MA) Yes NCBH 7 SLO 1 To investigate the potential of collaborating with Fingal County Council for the re-use of Shackleton's Mill as a tourism destination given its location in proximity to Lucan Village. Uncertain Environment Effects (B, W, CH, LV)

REPORT:

The motion relates to environmental assessments undertaken as part of the Draft Plan to objectives within the Plan and to actions and considerations which may have been taken to date by the Economic Department in relation to the objectives. It should be noted that the objectives relate to the Draft Development Plan which has not been adopted and which will not come into effect until mid August 2022.

Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA), Appropriate Assessment (AA) and Strategic Flood Risk Assessment (SFRA) has been undertaken for all policies and objectives of the South Dublin County Draft Development Plan 2022-2028 as required by the relevant Directives and legislation.  The outcome of the SEA, AA and SFRA assessments are part of the documentation contained in the suite of documents associated with the Draft Plan, available on the Development Plan website Environmental Reports - SDCC.

The motion relates to the SEA assessment. SEA is carried out for every policy and objective of the Draft Plan as they relate to identified environmental objectives which are set out in the SEA Directive as:

In relation to NCBH7 SLO 1 the assessment identifies ‘uncertain effects’. The text of the Environmental Report (SEA) indicates that:

Chapter 3: NCBH 7 SLO 1: ‘To investigate the potential of collaborating with Fingal County Council for the re-use of Shackleton’s Mill as a tourism destination given its location in proximity to Lucan Village’. While the intention of the objective is positive, depending on the requirement for works and the nature of those works, such development may have potential for impacts on biodiversity, water, heritage and landscape.

In relation to NCBH 7 Objective 9 (reuse of building) the assessment identifies potential negative effects to a number of environmental objectives.

However, Section 9 of the Environmental Report (SEA) deals with Mitigation and states ‘The mitigation process which is set out in Table 9.1 will ensure that implementation of the Plan will have a neutral to positive impact on the environment as a whole’.  Table 9.1 : Mitigation Measures- List of Protective Policies and Objectives in the Draft Plan sets out the mitigation which is within the Plan through the inclusion of different policies and objectives.

As a result of comprehensive mitigation policy and objectives in the Draft Plan which have been identified by the Environmental Report, the uncertain effects identified for Shackleton Mills (NCBH7 SLO1) and the potential negative effects of the re-use of a building in Lucan (NCBH7 Objective 9), will ensure that negative effects do not occur.

It is also noted in Section 8.2 Environmental Assessment, that a number of the policies and objectives have a potential uncertain effect and a small number have a potentially negative effect. The potentially uncertain and potentially negative policies and objectives will be mitigated using protective policies and objectives included in the Draft Plan. As highlighted above, Chapter 9 Mitigation Measures and Table 9.1 list protective policies and objectives included in the Draft Plan.

The identification of these potential effects will not compromise the implementation of the objectives given that the mitigating policies and objectives in the Plan, when adopted, will ensure that any potential negative impacts will be appropriately mitigated.

Discussion on the Shackleton Mills with Fingal County Council will be a matter for the Economic Department. However, it is noted that this is an objective in the Draft Plan which will not come into effect until August 2022.