AN TAISCE was last night labelled a secret society as councillors demanded that the Minister for the Environment delist the organisation under the Planning Acts.
At the adjourned May meeting of Clare County Council, councillors adopted a motion calling on the Minister, Phil Hogan, to delist An Taisce under planning legislation.
Currently, local authorities are required to refer certain planning applications to An Taisce for its observations. However, at last night’s meeting, Cllr Joe Cooney (FG) said it was a disgrace the way An Taisce was objecting to and subsequently appealing to An Bord Pleanála over applications for one-off housing in the county.
Cllr Cooney said: “Young people are seeking to build a home for themselves and An Taisce are appealing decisions at the last minute to An Bord Pleanála.”
Cllr PJ Kelly (FF) said An Taisce was a secret society and that the organisation should make its membership public, remarking that its members may contain representatives of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). Fine Gael councillor, Joe Arkins said An Taisce objects to developments in Co Clare without properly researching planning applications “and as a consequence of that, they have lost credibility”.
Mr Oliver Garry (FG) said that he was supportive of the motion, stating that An Taisce objects to everything.
However, Green Party councillor Brian Meaney said An Taisce had been unfairly vilified with “inflammatory and dangerous language used”. Mr Meaney said councillors would find it beneficial by positively engaging with An Taisce.
The motion to request Mr Hogan to delist An Taisce was carried with Mr Meaney and Patricia McCarthy (Ind) dissenting.
Last night, chairman of An Taisce Charles Stanley-Smith said he was disappointed by the council’s action.
“The councillors fail to understand An Taisce’s role. We are not a decision-making body. We are not anti-rural or anti-development.” Mr Stanley-Smith said An Taisce “is there to protect the common good. We try to make sure that the laws of the country are adhered to”. He also rejected the claim that the organisation is a secret society.“Anyone can join and the members of the governing body of An Taisce are well known.”
He said that on average An Taisce appealed 300 decisions per year to An Bord Pleanála. “We don’t appeal for the sake of appealing.
“We do tend to win with 80 per cent of decisions going our way as An Bord Pleanála is guided by the planning laws in making its decisions.”
Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
Thursday, 26 May 2011
Hearing into Luas red and green line link-up opens
DUBLIN’S CROSS-CITY Luas line linking the existing red and green lines could be completed ahead of the 1916 centenary celebrations if there was “timely Government approval” of the project, An Bord Pleanála has heard.
A public planning hearing on the railway order for the “missing link” between the two Luas lines began yesterday, although there is no current Government commitment to fund the project.
Minister for Transport Leo Varadkar last month said only one of the “big three” transport projects – Metro North, Dart Underground and the Luas interconnector – would go ahead in the next five years. A decision on which project would succeed would be made next September.
The Railway Procurement Agency (RPA) told the hearing it had received recent confirmation from the National Transportation Authority that, due to finances, the three projects would not be implemented simultaneously.
Michael Sheedy, the RPA’s director of light rail, said it was not, therefore, possible to give timing of the implementation of the Luas project.
The RPA was aware it was the Government’s intention to decide in the autumn which project would be selected, but if Luas was chosen to proceed at an early date the line could be finished before 2016, avoiding conflict with the Rising commemorations.
The proposed 5.6km line, to be called Luas Broombridge, would run from the terminus of the green line at St Stephen’s Green through the city centre, via Dawson Street, College Green, Westmoreland Street and O’Connell Street, where it would connect to the red line.
It then would run northwest to Broadstone, Grangegorman and Phibsboro via the disused midland railway line before terminating at Broombridge Station in Cabra. On its return the line would bypass O’Connell Street and use Marlborough Street to access a new Liffey bridge to Hawkins Street, before meeting back with the northbound line at College Green.
The line would initially have 13 stops, with a 14th planned for Grangegorman once the DIT campus has relocated to the former mental hospital site. The route has also been designed to allow an extension to Finglas.
The construction of Metro North, which is also under the remit of the RPA, was not a suitable or cost-effective solution to linking the existing Luas lines, Mr Sheedy said. Although the metro is also intended to run from St Stephen’s Green across the city, it would not provide the same degree of “city centre permeability”.
A property owners’ protection scheme would not be put in place for the Luas construction phase because no structural damage to property was envisaged, RPA contracts manager Ciaran Browne told the hearing. The construction work would be similar to normal road and utility works, and it was the RPA’s experience on previous Luas projects that there was no structural damage to buildings, Mr Browne said.
An Bord Pleanála sent 91 letters to those who made objections to or submissions on the Luas line, inviting them to attend the hearing. Fewer than 20 parties attended the opening of the hearing yesterday.
Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
A public planning hearing on the railway order for the “missing link” between the two Luas lines began yesterday, although there is no current Government commitment to fund the project.
Minister for Transport Leo Varadkar last month said only one of the “big three” transport projects – Metro North, Dart Underground and the Luas interconnector – would go ahead in the next five years. A decision on which project would succeed would be made next September.
The Railway Procurement Agency (RPA) told the hearing it had received recent confirmation from the National Transportation Authority that, due to finances, the three projects would not be implemented simultaneously.
Michael Sheedy, the RPA’s director of light rail, said it was not, therefore, possible to give timing of the implementation of the Luas project.
The RPA was aware it was the Government’s intention to decide in the autumn which project would be selected, but if Luas was chosen to proceed at an early date the line could be finished before 2016, avoiding conflict with the Rising commemorations.
The proposed 5.6km line, to be called Luas Broombridge, would run from the terminus of the green line at St Stephen’s Green through the city centre, via Dawson Street, College Green, Westmoreland Street and O’Connell Street, where it would connect to the red line.
It then would run northwest to Broadstone, Grangegorman and Phibsboro via the disused midland railway line before terminating at Broombridge Station in Cabra. On its return the line would bypass O’Connell Street and use Marlborough Street to access a new Liffey bridge to Hawkins Street, before meeting back with the northbound line at College Green.
The line would initially have 13 stops, with a 14th planned for Grangegorman once the DIT campus has relocated to the former mental hospital site. The route has also been designed to allow an extension to Finglas.
The construction of Metro North, which is also under the remit of the RPA, was not a suitable or cost-effective solution to linking the existing Luas lines, Mr Sheedy said. Although the metro is also intended to run from St Stephen’s Green across the city, it would not provide the same degree of “city centre permeability”.
A property owners’ protection scheme would not be put in place for the Luas construction phase because no structural damage to property was envisaged, RPA contracts manager Ciaran Browne told the hearing. The construction work would be similar to normal road and utility works, and it was the RPA’s experience on previous Luas projects that there was no structural damage to buildings, Mr Browne said.
An Bord Pleanála sent 91 letters to those who made objections to or submissions on the Luas line, inviting them to attend the hearing. Fewer than 20 parties attended the opening of the hearing yesterday.
Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
RPA says building cross-city Luas line will not hurt businesses
THE CONSTRUCTION work for Dublin’s cross-city Luas line would have an insignificant or “no effect” on city centre businesses, the Railway Procurement Agency (RPA) has claimed.
Metro North, which is also an RPA project, would have significantly greater impact on the operation of businesses during its construction phase, a Bord Pleanála hearing on the proposed Luas line was told.
The Luas Broombridge, which would provide the “missing link” through the city centre between the existing red and green Luas lines, would have long-term benefits for businesses greatly outweighing any impact of construction, Simon Clear, a town planner engaged by the RPA, said.
“In a city over 1,000 years in existence and which has continuously evolved, developed and changed over that time, the building period is relatively insignificant,” he said.
Mr Clear, a former senior inspector with An Bord Pleanála, said it was accepted that constant development maintenance repair and renewal was a normal part of the functioning of a city. There would be “inevitable physical impacts” during construction.
Accessibility to some businesses may be reduced, there could be a decrease in passing trade due to temporary fencing and pedestrian diversions, and deliveries may be disrupted because of the temporary relocation of loading bays.
However he said there would be no effect on businesses on O’Connell Street, while access to businesses on other streets would be maintained at all times.
“While it is acknowledged that for some businesses close to works there will be some – albeit insignificant – effects, for most businesses there will be no effects.”
The construction of Luas Broombridge would have a less significant impact on businesses than the metro construction at St Stephen’s Green and at Westmoreland Street.
“A very significant structure is permitted at Westmoreland Street in conjunction with Metro North, more so affecting the west side of the street than Luas Broombridge.”
The planning hearing continues at the Gresham Hotel Dublin.
The proposed 5.6km line Luas line would run from the terminus of the green line at St Stephen’s Green through the city centre, via Dawson Street, College Green, Westmoreland Street and O’Connell Street, where it would connect to the red line.
It then would run northwest to Broadstone, Grangegorman and Phibsboro via the disused midland railway line before terminating at Broombridge Station in Cabra.
On its return, the line would bypass O’Connell Street and use Marlborough Street to access a new Liffey bridge to Hawkins Street, before meeting back with the northbound line at College Green.
The line would initially have 13 stops, with a 14th planned for Grangegorman once the DIT campus has relocated to the former mental hospital site. The route has also been designed to allow an extension to Finglas.
Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
Metro North, which is also an RPA project, would have significantly greater impact on the operation of businesses during its construction phase, a Bord Pleanála hearing on the proposed Luas line was told.
The Luas Broombridge, which would provide the “missing link” through the city centre between the existing red and green Luas lines, would have long-term benefits for businesses greatly outweighing any impact of construction, Simon Clear, a town planner engaged by the RPA, said.
“In a city over 1,000 years in existence and which has continuously evolved, developed and changed over that time, the building period is relatively insignificant,” he said.
Mr Clear, a former senior inspector with An Bord Pleanála, said it was accepted that constant development maintenance repair and renewal was a normal part of the functioning of a city. There would be “inevitable physical impacts” during construction.
Accessibility to some businesses may be reduced, there could be a decrease in passing trade due to temporary fencing and pedestrian diversions, and deliveries may be disrupted because of the temporary relocation of loading bays.
However he said there would be no effect on businesses on O’Connell Street, while access to businesses on other streets would be maintained at all times.
“While it is acknowledged that for some businesses close to works there will be some – albeit insignificant – effects, for most businesses there will be no effects.”
The construction of Luas Broombridge would have a less significant impact on businesses than the metro construction at St Stephen’s Green and at Westmoreland Street.
“A very significant structure is permitted at Westmoreland Street in conjunction with Metro North, more so affecting the west side of the street than Luas Broombridge.”
The planning hearing continues at the Gresham Hotel Dublin.
The proposed 5.6km line Luas line would run from the terminus of the green line at St Stephen’s Green through the city centre, via Dawson Street, College Green, Westmoreland Street and O’Connell Street, where it would connect to the red line.
It then would run northwest to Broadstone, Grangegorman and Phibsboro via the disused midland railway line before terminating at Broombridge Station in Cabra.
On its return, the line would bypass O’Connell Street and use Marlborough Street to access a new Liffey bridge to Hawkins Street, before meeting back with the northbound line at College Green.
The line would initially have 13 stops, with a 14th planned for Grangegorman once the DIT campus has relocated to the former mental hospital site. The route has also been designed to allow an extension to Finglas.
Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
Objection to Luas plan heard
The State would be in breach of European legislation if it was to grant permission for the Luas line linking St Stephens Green and Broombridge, a planning hearing has been told.
Peter Sweetman, who is objecting to the proposed Luas line via Dawson Street and O'Connell Street, told a Bord Pleanála hearing that the European Court of Justice had found Irish legislation in relation to Environmental Impact Assessments was flawed.
"This hearing in not taking into account recent European Court decisions is acting illegality, the court clearly found Irish legislation on what constitutes an assessment was insufficient" Mr Sweetman said.
Mr Sweetman later told The Irish Times his argument was that environmental impact "statements" that were accepted under Irish legislation were not sufficient to meet the requirement for an environmental "assessment" under European legislation.
The Railway Procurement Agency is seeking permission from Bord Pleanála for the line, which would provide a city centre link between the existing Luas Red and Green lines, as well as extending the tram network to Broombridge in the north city.
Dublin City Council has already called for power cables for the line to be buried in the ground as opposed to hanging from adjacent buildings. However the agency has said there are a number of difficulties with underground lines.
The agency has submitted photographs of similar lines in France, which utilise underground power supplies, where snow falls have caused the network to close.
The agency also produced photographs of snowfalls in Dublin last December in which the Luas trams were able to keep moving, a factor the agency attributed to overhead power cables.
Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
Peter Sweetman, who is objecting to the proposed Luas line via Dawson Street and O'Connell Street, told a Bord Pleanála hearing that the European Court of Justice had found Irish legislation in relation to Environmental Impact Assessments was flawed.
"This hearing in not taking into account recent European Court decisions is acting illegality, the court clearly found Irish legislation on what constitutes an assessment was insufficient" Mr Sweetman said.
Mr Sweetman later told The Irish Times his argument was that environmental impact "statements" that were accepted under Irish legislation were not sufficient to meet the requirement for an environmental "assessment" under European legislation.
The Railway Procurement Agency is seeking permission from Bord Pleanála for the line, which would provide a city centre link between the existing Luas Red and Green lines, as well as extending the tram network to Broombridge in the north city.
Dublin City Council has already called for power cables for the line to be buried in the ground as opposed to hanging from adjacent buildings. However the agency has said there are a number of difficulties with underground lines.
The agency has submitted photographs of similar lines in France, which utilise underground power supplies, where snow falls have caused the network to close.
The agency also produced photographs of snowfalls in Dublin last December in which the Luas trams were able to keep moving, a factor the agency attributed to overhead power cables.
Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
Rail agency defends use of overhead cables in city centre
OVERHEAD CABLES used to power trams in Dublin city centre were once an integral part of European streetscapes and could be reintroduced without overly damaging architectural set-pieces, a planning inquiry has been told.
The Railway Procurement Agency said yesterday that overhead cables had been sensitively installed in a number of European cities including Strasbourg, the centre of which is a Unesco world heritage site. The agency is seeking permission from An Bord Pleanála to build a city centre Luas line linking St Stephen’s Green with Broombridge via Dawson Street, College Green and O’Connell Street.
Chief architect with the agency Anne Kiernan told the inquiry the Dublin tram system of the late 19th and early 20th centuries utilised poles, which exemplified the style of that period. Ms Kiernan said the agency had considered the full length of the line, from St Stephen’s Green to Broombridge, from an architectural viewpoint.
It had come up with a mix of solutions involving the overhead power supply fixed to adjacent buildings where streets were narrow, and supporting poles in a modern design – often integrated with lighting and other street furniture – where space allowed.
Ms Kiernan, who said she was also qualified in construction management and legal studies, said where architecturally sensitive buildings were encountered, a “cradle system” would be used to achieve “the longest possible span” without supporting poles, to minimise visual intrusion.
In relation to College Green, she said such a “cradle” system would be used to preserve the view of the facade of Trinity College, while keeping supporting poles a maximum distance apart.
Poles are proposed at the colonnaded facade of the Bank of Ireland, in a similar position to those used by the original tram line on the street.
Ms Kiernan said photomontages indicated “very minimal impact at this location which results from the careful consideration of the number and sighting of the poles”.
A similar cradle system would be used for the area north of Fusilier’s Arch at St Stephen’s Green, which would provide a view of the arch from Grafton Street which would be free of poles.
Outside the GPO, the design for the overhead power supply has been integrated with proposals for lighting, trees and changes to the median space. It is also proposed to use cantilevered poles and another cradle to minimise visual intrusion.
Ms Kiernan said she believed the introduction of the tram line would offer an opportunity to “significantly improve” the quality of the public realm along the route and she would be making a submission on this in due course.
However, proposals for the Luas extension have been criticised by environmental campaigner Peter Sweetman, among others. He told the inquiry the State would be in breach of European legislation if it granted permission for the line. He said the European Court of Justice had found that Irish legislation in relation to environmental impact assessments was flawed.
“This hearing, in not taking into account recent European Court decisions, is acting illegally. The court clearly found Irish legislation on what constitutes an assessment was insufficient.”
Mr Sweetman later told The Irish Times his argument was that environmental impact “statements” that were accepted under Irish legislation were not sufficient to meet the requirement for an environmental “assessment” under European legislation.
He also claimed it was wrong that parts of the application to the board were for a 15-year permit. He said this would “sterilise” the land with no commitment from Government that the line would even be built.
Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
The Railway Procurement Agency said yesterday that overhead cables had been sensitively installed in a number of European cities including Strasbourg, the centre of which is a Unesco world heritage site. The agency is seeking permission from An Bord Pleanála to build a city centre Luas line linking St Stephen’s Green with Broombridge via Dawson Street, College Green and O’Connell Street.
Chief architect with the agency Anne Kiernan told the inquiry the Dublin tram system of the late 19th and early 20th centuries utilised poles, which exemplified the style of that period. Ms Kiernan said the agency had considered the full length of the line, from St Stephen’s Green to Broombridge, from an architectural viewpoint.
It had come up with a mix of solutions involving the overhead power supply fixed to adjacent buildings where streets were narrow, and supporting poles in a modern design – often integrated with lighting and other street furniture – where space allowed.
Ms Kiernan, who said she was also qualified in construction management and legal studies, said where architecturally sensitive buildings were encountered, a “cradle system” would be used to achieve “the longest possible span” without supporting poles, to minimise visual intrusion.
In relation to College Green, she said such a “cradle” system would be used to preserve the view of the facade of Trinity College, while keeping supporting poles a maximum distance apart.
Poles are proposed at the colonnaded facade of the Bank of Ireland, in a similar position to those used by the original tram line on the street.
Ms Kiernan said photomontages indicated “very minimal impact at this location which results from the careful consideration of the number and sighting of the poles”.
A similar cradle system would be used for the area north of Fusilier’s Arch at St Stephen’s Green, which would provide a view of the arch from Grafton Street which would be free of poles.
Outside the GPO, the design for the overhead power supply has been integrated with proposals for lighting, trees and changes to the median space. It is also proposed to use cantilevered poles and another cradle to minimise visual intrusion.
Ms Kiernan said she believed the introduction of the tram line would offer an opportunity to “significantly improve” the quality of the public realm along the route and she would be making a submission on this in due course.
However, proposals for the Luas extension have been criticised by environmental campaigner Peter Sweetman, among others. He told the inquiry the State would be in breach of European legislation if it granted permission for the line. He said the European Court of Justice had found that Irish legislation in relation to environmental impact assessments was flawed.
“This hearing, in not taking into account recent European Court decisions, is acting illegally. The court clearly found Irish legislation on what constitutes an assessment was insufficient.”
Mr Sweetman later told The Irish Times his argument was that environmental impact “statements” that were accepted under Irish legislation were not sufficient to meet the requirement for an environmental “assessment” under European legislation.
He also claimed it was wrong that parts of the application to the board were for a 15-year permit. He said this would “sterilise” the land with no commitment from Government that the line would even be built.
Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
Proposed wind farm in Clare halved in size
THE DEVELOPERS of a proposed 400ft wind farm in west Clare have halved its size after concerns were expressed by local residents.
Last year McMahon Finn Properties lodged plans for a 12-turbine 13MW wind farm 9km from the coastal village of Quilty.
The plan faced objections from a number of locals, and now the company has relodged plans halving the number of turbines to six.
The application coincides with a separate application for a sixturbine 430ft wind farm by Seahound Wind Energy Developments at Kilmaley.
Both projects are seeking to take advantage of the aim in the new Clare County Development Plan to have a minimum target of 550MW from wind energy by 2017.
A wind farm with a capacity of 19.5MW is already built in the general area, with planning permission for six other applications at Booltiagh, Boolynagleragh, Glenmore, Cahermurphy, High Street and Kiltumper with an aggregate capacity of 85MW.
A decision is awaited from An Bord Pleanála concerning an 84MW 28-turbine farm on the slopes of Mount Callan.
Documentation lodged with the McMahon Finn proposal states: “In the event that all permitted development plus the Mount Callan project were constructed this would amount to 202MW or 81 per cent of the strategy target.”
Consultants for McMahon Finn Properties say the proposal on a landholding of 224 acres represents 5.5 per cent of the overall target. In documentation lodged with the plan they state the original planning application “was withdrawn following consultation as its proposed layout and extent were considered unsuitable”.
It states: “The revised development for Coor Shanavogh is significantly scaled down in both layout and size and comprises six turbines.”
The documents lodged with the application state that “the site is not immediately adjacent to or within, either wholly or partially, any areas designated for nature conservation”.
Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
Last year McMahon Finn Properties lodged plans for a 12-turbine 13MW wind farm 9km from the coastal village of Quilty.
The plan faced objections from a number of locals, and now the company has relodged plans halving the number of turbines to six.
The application coincides with a separate application for a sixturbine 430ft wind farm by Seahound Wind Energy Developments at Kilmaley.
Both projects are seeking to take advantage of the aim in the new Clare County Development Plan to have a minimum target of 550MW from wind energy by 2017.
A wind farm with a capacity of 19.5MW is already built in the general area, with planning permission for six other applications at Booltiagh, Boolynagleragh, Glenmore, Cahermurphy, High Street and Kiltumper with an aggregate capacity of 85MW.
A decision is awaited from An Bord Pleanála concerning an 84MW 28-turbine farm on the slopes of Mount Callan.
Documentation lodged with the McMahon Finn proposal states: “In the event that all permitted development plus the Mount Callan project were constructed this would amount to 202MW or 81 per cent of the strategy target.”
Consultants for McMahon Finn Properties say the proposal on a landholding of 224 acres represents 5.5 per cent of the overall target. In documentation lodged with the plan they state the original planning application “was withdrawn following consultation as its proposed layout and extent were considered unsuitable”.
It states: “The revised development for Coor Shanavogh is significantly scaled down in both layout and size and comprises six turbines.”
The documents lodged with the application state that “the site is not immediately adjacent to or within, either wholly or partially, any areas designated for nature conservation”.
Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
Architectural historian inspired people to cherish city's heritage
MAURICE CRAIG, the distinguished architectural historian, writer and poet, who has died at the age of 91, did much to persuade Irish people that our historic buildings were of national importance and should be saved from demolition.
Almost a lone voice at the time, his masterly, comprehensive and elegant book, Dublin 1660-1860: The Shaping of a City , was published in 1952. It took 13 years to sell the 2,000 copies of the first edition, by which time many buildings had been pulled down without comment or protest.
As Craig once wrote: “Architecture is the most accessible of the arts; yet paradoxically, it is the least noticed by people at large and is commonly thought by them to be arcane mystery.”
He was born in Belfast, the son of a successful ophthalmic surgeon, whose father had had a business in Ballymoney of ironmongery, hardware, building materials, watches and clocks. “James Craig Ballymoney” is occasionally still to be seen on clock faces.
After school at Castlepark in Dalkey, Shrewsbury in England and a few months in Paris, he took up the scholarship he had won to Magdalene College Cambridge, where he lived in the rooms Parnell once had.
Returning to live in Dublin and meeting Patrick Kavanagh in the street, he told him he was going to write a book on the poet Walter Savage Landor. Kavanagh said he should do it as a doctorate at Trinity College Dublin, and he did.
In 1952 he joined the Inspectorate of Ancient Monuments in England. He once went to No 10 Downing Street in connection with door knobs. Having finished his business, he came out of the front door, stood for a few seconds so the curious crowd could speculate on who he could be, and then put on his bicycle clips and pedalled off.
In 1969 he was appointed full-time executive secretary to An Taisce for the year that it had obtained funding.
He wrote several books including The Volunteer Earl, a biography of Lord Charlemont who built the Casino at Marino – “small, perfect and almost totally unaltered . . . it is great fun even if it is not much use.”
Others included Dublin City Churches, Classic Irish Houses of the Middle Size – which was widely acclaimed, though sometimes called Country Houses for the Middle Class – and The Architecture of Ireland from the Earliest Times to 1880. He also wrote books of poetry.
His volume Irish Bookbindings 1600-1800 came out in 1954. He was extremely knowledgeable on the subject, and had spent many hours in the Long Room at Trinity searching along the shelves on the long summer evenings with the librarian, Billy O’Sullivan, looking for special bindings.
As a child, Craig had wanted to be a painter, but he realised he could not draw. He had a great interest in music and would have liked to be a composer, but was not good at playing. At the age of 18, he fixed on becoming a writer.
He was a fine builder of large ship models – he made a magnificent model of Guinness’s SS Clarecastle. The man who had commanded her, after looking over the model very carefully, said, “It is exact.”
Another interest was motor cars, and for a time he drove a D8 4-litre Delarge with Figonie coachwork.
Among those who acknowledge his influence and inspiration is Frank McDonald, Environment Editor of The Irish Times. “Long before I met Maurice Craig, I had read his great Dublin book – Dublin 1660-1860: The Shaping of a City – and, as for so many others, it opened my eyes to the value of our architectural heritage. It’s to him that I owe the inspiration to begin writing about it myself when it was still under attack in the 1980s. I can never imagine him other than being surrounded by books.
“He was undoubtedly Ireland’s leading architectural historian and one of the most important chroniclers of Dublin’s heritage and history.”
He was married three times; to Beatrix Hurst, Jeanne Edwards and to Agnes Bernelle.
He is survived by his son Michael and daughter Catherine by his first marriage.
Maurice James Craig: born October 25th, 1919; died May 11th, 2011.
Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
Almost a lone voice at the time, his masterly, comprehensive and elegant book, Dublin 1660-1860: The Shaping of a City , was published in 1952. It took 13 years to sell the 2,000 copies of the first edition, by which time many buildings had been pulled down without comment or protest.
As Craig once wrote: “Architecture is the most accessible of the arts; yet paradoxically, it is the least noticed by people at large and is commonly thought by them to be arcane mystery.”
He was born in Belfast, the son of a successful ophthalmic surgeon, whose father had had a business in Ballymoney of ironmongery, hardware, building materials, watches and clocks. “James Craig Ballymoney” is occasionally still to be seen on clock faces.
After school at Castlepark in Dalkey, Shrewsbury in England and a few months in Paris, he took up the scholarship he had won to Magdalene College Cambridge, where he lived in the rooms Parnell once had.
Returning to live in Dublin and meeting Patrick Kavanagh in the street, he told him he was going to write a book on the poet Walter Savage Landor. Kavanagh said he should do it as a doctorate at Trinity College Dublin, and he did.
In 1952 he joined the Inspectorate of Ancient Monuments in England. He once went to No 10 Downing Street in connection with door knobs. Having finished his business, he came out of the front door, stood for a few seconds so the curious crowd could speculate on who he could be, and then put on his bicycle clips and pedalled off.
In 1969 he was appointed full-time executive secretary to An Taisce for the year that it had obtained funding.
He wrote several books including The Volunteer Earl, a biography of Lord Charlemont who built the Casino at Marino – “small, perfect and almost totally unaltered . . . it is great fun even if it is not much use.”
Others included Dublin City Churches, Classic Irish Houses of the Middle Size – which was widely acclaimed, though sometimes called Country Houses for the Middle Class – and The Architecture of Ireland from the Earliest Times to 1880. He also wrote books of poetry.
His volume Irish Bookbindings 1600-1800 came out in 1954. He was extremely knowledgeable on the subject, and had spent many hours in the Long Room at Trinity searching along the shelves on the long summer evenings with the librarian, Billy O’Sullivan, looking for special bindings.
As a child, Craig had wanted to be a painter, but he realised he could not draw. He had a great interest in music and would have liked to be a composer, but was not good at playing. At the age of 18, he fixed on becoming a writer.
He was a fine builder of large ship models – he made a magnificent model of Guinness’s SS Clarecastle. The man who had commanded her, after looking over the model very carefully, said, “It is exact.”
Another interest was motor cars, and for a time he drove a D8 4-litre Delarge with Figonie coachwork.
Among those who acknowledge his influence and inspiration is Frank McDonald, Environment Editor of The Irish Times. “Long before I met Maurice Craig, I had read his great Dublin book – Dublin 1660-1860: The Shaping of a City – and, as for so many others, it opened my eyes to the value of our architectural heritage. It’s to him that I owe the inspiration to begin writing about it myself when it was still under attack in the 1980s. I can never imagine him other than being surrounded by books.
“He was undoubtedly Ireland’s leading architectural historian and one of the most important chroniclers of Dublin’s heritage and history.”
He was married three times; to Beatrix Hurst, Jeanne Edwards and to Agnes Bernelle.
He is survived by his son Michael and daughter Catherine by his first marriage.
Maurice James Craig: born October 25th, 1919; died May 11th, 2011.
Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
Capital idea to become city of design
What are the chances of Dublin being named World Design Capital 2014? Today, a determined group of designers, architects and other professionals launches its bid, writes FRANK MCDONALD Environment Editor of the Irish Times.
INCREDIBLE AS it may seem, Dublin is bidding to be designated World Design Capital 2014. Given the unfinished state of the city, and its current penury, the bid is audacious and insouciant.
Nearly two years ago, after hearing that Helsinki and the relatively small Dutch city of Eindhoven had been shortlisted for the title World Design Capital 2012, City architect Ali Grehan floated the idea in casual conversations with other designers after a Pecha Kucha night in the Sugar Club on Earlsfort Terrace. (Pecha Kucha night is when designers get together to discuss “small ideas with big impact”.)
“Dublin? A design capital?” was the immediate response. Although it’s a city of many designers and some design achievements, Dublin hasn’t been known as a design city.
But what about its international profile in animation, computer games and graphic design? Not to mention its renowned architects?
Not only is Dublin the birthplace of internationally known businesses with strong design identities such as Ryanair, Aer Lingus, Guinness, Jameson, and home to many more, it is also where James Joyce “located his re-design of the modern novel” and is now a hub for “smart city” collaboration, according to Grehan.
Dublin is emerging as the new-media capital of Europe, according to the bid promoters. Decisions by Google and Facebook to locate their headquarters here were aided by the transformation of Dublin into a multi-national, multi-lingual city.
Úna Burke and Sorcha Ó Raghallaigh have both designed outrageous outfits for Lady Gaga, even though the flamboyant pop diva didn’t quite get Ó Raghallaigh’s name right on the Graham Norton Show (she pronounced it as O’Reilly). “So we realised there was a story to tell, but it was one we needed to tell ourselves, as well as the world,” Grehan recalls, adding that the bid was an opportunity to do that.
It drew together a variety of designers as well as representatives from Government, local authorities, the education and business sectors.
Some 100 designers met in Wood Quay Venue in March last year to discuss their hopes and fears. “It was an intense, animated afternoon of discussion, debate and dissent,” Grehan says.
Last month, a feasibility study to mount a bid for the designation set out a bold plan of action. The idea of “Pivot Dublin” was born, articulating the role Irish designers could play in meeting the fundamental challenges of a society at such a pivotal point.
The initiative attracted the support not only of the four local authorities and the Department of the Environment, but also design bodies ranging from the Crafts Council of Ireland to the Royal Institute of the Architects of Ireland and many in between, including fashion designers and advertising practitioners.
“We looked for fresh eyes and new voices,” says Grehan. “Pivot was Maria Hinds’s idea. Maria – a young graphic designer working between Dublin, New Orleans and New York, with Dublin colleagues Keith Nally and Rory McCormack – offered pivot as a word that best expressed Dublin’s unleashed potential.”
The group also designed the website, pivotdublin.com, which thrust the bid into a world of bloggers and spread the word online that Dublin was serious.
The lavishly illustrated bid document, designed by Areaman Productions, Red Grey Design, architect Emma Curley and Dr Linda King, is a masterpiece in itself.
“All this happened against a backdrop of unprecedented political and economic upheaval,” says Grehan. “That level of preparation, of dedication, underpins everything we have done to create this bid, and everything we want to achieve as Dublin’s World Design Capital 2014. Pivot Dublin will turn design on its head.”
Dublin is described as a paradox.
“It’s high and low, pristine and well-worn, playful and intense. Dublin provokes and engages. It’s absurd and serious, shambolic and sharp. It’s divided yet connected . . . a social city; one that is vibrant, chaotic and quirky . . . built on relationships, open to conversation, full of ideas and always ready for debate.”
The “pivot” idea is to use design as the vehicle to “turn things inside out, to become something else”. It’s also “a declaration of our intent to offer Dublin as a test bed for design solutions to local, national and global challenges . . . It’s a chance to reinvent the city, to make the undervalued valued, the ordinary extraordinary.”
The bid is focused on four themes: Connecting Cities, Making Cities Lighter, Making Cities Flow and Making Cities Smile.
Work on each of these themes starts with a seed project that takes a specific angle on the theme, such as how digital technology could be used to network isolated communities and resources.
Making Cities Lighter is about making them more environmentally sustainable, and the seed project in this category will focus on water, looking at its consumption, production, its place in our culture and its connection to a global ecology of water. It will bring together city dwellers, designers, those involved in supplying water and new technologies.
Making Cities Flow will look at redesigning the market for locally produced goods in Dublin, with the aims of stimulating micro-producers, reinvigorating local cultures of making things, and reducing wasteful distribution networks. It will also connect designers and craft makers to new technologies to stimulate innovation.
Making Cities Smile will explore how we can “reinvent” housing in Dublin by bringing difficult central urban sites into use, even by self-builders, and develop new housing models that are more sustainable, more easily achievable and more desirable. This is something Grehan is particularly keen on doing.
The design capital bid has impressive support from such people as the Dublin-born president-elect of the Royal Institute of British Architects, Angela Brady; the Government’s chief scientist, Prof Patrick Cunningham; the provost of Trinity College Dublin, John Hegarty; and the director of the National College of Art and Design, Declan McGonagle.
Others batting for it include the chief executive of the ESB, Pádraig McManus; Live Nation Ireland’s chief executive Mike Adamson; the State architect, Pat Cooney; chief executive of the Dublin Chamber of Commerce Gina Quinn; Intel Ireland’s head of corporate affairs Brendan Cannon; Irish Architecture Foundation director Nathalie Weadick; and Taoiseach Enda Kenny.
WE WILL LEARN NEXT MONTH if Dublin has been shortlisted from 55 cities competing to be World Design Capital 2014, by grace of the Montreal-based International Council of Societies of Industrial Design. Its representatives will visit the shortlisted cities during the summer and the name of the winning city will be announced in the autumn.
Dublin’s lord mayor, Gerry Breen, will formally launch the Pivot Dublin bid at a breakfast in the Mansion House this morning. The four local authorities intend to develop the seed projects and implement the Dublin bid immediately – even if Dublin is not shortlisted, according to Grehan,
Win or lose, there is no doubt that the extraordinary effort being put into the bid has forged new relationships between Dublin-based designers of every hue and type – and given them all something worthwhile to aim for in these hard times. None of them would have had the time to do it during the boom.
For more, see pivotdublin.com
Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
INCREDIBLE AS it may seem, Dublin is bidding to be designated World Design Capital 2014. Given the unfinished state of the city, and its current penury, the bid is audacious and insouciant.
Nearly two years ago, after hearing that Helsinki and the relatively small Dutch city of Eindhoven had been shortlisted for the title World Design Capital 2012, City architect Ali Grehan floated the idea in casual conversations with other designers after a Pecha Kucha night in the Sugar Club on Earlsfort Terrace. (Pecha Kucha night is when designers get together to discuss “small ideas with big impact”.)
“Dublin? A design capital?” was the immediate response. Although it’s a city of many designers and some design achievements, Dublin hasn’t been known as a design city.
But what about its international profile in animation, computer games and graphic design? Not to mention its renowned architects?
Not only is Dublin the birthplace of internationally known businesses with strong design identities such as Ryanair, Aer Lingus, Guinness, Jameson, and home to many more, it is also where James Joyce “located his re-design of the modern novel” and is now a hub for “smart city” collaboration, according to Grehan.
Dublin is emerging as the new-media capital of Europe, according to the bid promoters. Decisions by Google and Facebook to locate their headquarters here were aided by the transformation of Dublin into a multi-national, multi-lingual city.
Úna Burke and Sorcha Ó Raghallaigh have both designed outrageous outfits for Lady Gaga, even though the flamboyant pop diva didn’t quite get Ó Raghallaigh’s name right on the Graham Norton Show (she pronounced it as O’Reilly). “So we realised there was a story to tell, but it was one we needed to tell ourselves, as well as the world,” Grehan recalls, adding that the bid was an opportunity to do that.
It drew together a variety of designers as well as representatives from Government, local authorities, the education and business sectors.
Some 100 designers met in Wood Quay Venue in March last year to discuss their hopes and fears. “It was an intense, animated afternoon of discussion, debate and dissent,” Grehan says.
Last month, a feasibility study to mount a bid for the designation set out a bold plan of action. The idea of “Pivot Dublin” was born, articulating the role Irish designers could play in meeting the fundamental challenges of a society at such a pivotal point.
The initiative attracted the support not only of the four local authorities and the Department of the Environment, but also design bodies ranging from the Crafts Council of Ireland to the Royal Institute of the Architects of Ireland and many in between, including fashion designers and advertising practitioners.
“We looked for fresh eyes and new voices,” says Grehan. “Pivot was Maria Hinds’s idea. Maria – a young graphic designer working between Dublin, New Orleans and New York, with Dublin colleagues Keith Nally and Rory McCormack – offered pivot as a word that best expressed Dublin’s unleashed potential.”
The group also designed the website, pivotdublin.com, which thrust the bid into a world of bloggers and spread the word online that Dublin was serious.
The lavishly illustrated bid document, designed by Areaman Productions, Red Grey Design, architect Emma Curley and Dr Linda King, is a masterpiece in itself.
“All this happened against a backdrop of unprecedented political and economic upheaval,” says Grehan. “That level of preparation, of dedication, underpins everything we have done to create this bid, and everything we want to achieve as Dublin’s World Design Capital 2014. Pivot Dublin will turn design on its head.”
Dublin is described as a paradox.
“It’s high and low, pristine and well-worn, playful and intense. Dublin provokes and engages. It’s absurd and serious, shambolic and sharp. It’s divided yet connected . . . a social city; one that is vibrant, chaotic and quirky . . . built on relationships, open to conversation, full of ideas and always ready for debate.”
The “pivot” idea is to use design as the vehicle to “turn things inside out, to become something else”. It’s also “a declaration of our intent to offer Dublin as a test bed for design solutions to local, national and global challenges . . . It’s a chance to reinvent the city, to make the undervalued valued, the ordinary extraordinary.”
The bid is focused on four themes: Connecting Cities, Making Cities Lighter, Making Cities Flow and Making Cities Smile.
Work on each of these themes starts with a seed project that takes a specific angle on the theme, such as how digital technology could be used to network isolated communities and resources.
Making Cities Lighter is about making them more environmentally sustainable, and the seed project in this category will focus on water, looking at its consumption, production, its place in our culture and its connection to a global ecology of water. It will bring together city dwellers, designers, those involved in supplying water and new technologies.
Making Cities Flow will look at redesigning the market for locally produced goods in Dublin, with the aims of stimulating micro-producers, reinvigorating local cultures of making things, and reducing wasteful distribution networks. It will also connect designers and craft makers to new technologies to stimulate innovation.
Making Cities Smile will explore how we can “reinvent” housing in Dublin by bringing difficult central urban sites into use, even by self-builders, and develop new housing models that are more sustainable, more easily achievable and more desirable. This is something Grehan is particularly keen on doing.
The design capital bid has impressive support from such people as the Dublin-born president-elect of the Royal Institute of British Architects, Angela Brady; the Government’s chief scientist, Prof Patrick Cunningham; the provost of Trinity College Dublin, John Hegarty; and the director of the National College of Art and Design, Declan McGonagle.
Others batting for it include the chief executive of the ESB, Pádraig McManus; Live Nation Ireland’s chief executive Mike Adamson; the State architect, Pat Cooney; chief executive of the Dublin Chamber of Commerce Gina Quinn; Intel Ireland’s head of corporate affairs Brendan Cannon; Irish Architecture Foundation director Nathalie Weadick; and Taoiseach Enda Kenny.
WE WILL LEARN NEXT MONTH if Dublin has been shortlisted from 55 cities competing to be World Design Capital 2014, by grace of the Montreal-based International Council of Societies of Industrial Design. Its representatives will visit the shortlisted cities during the summer and the name of the winning city will be announced in the autumn.
Dublin’s lord mayor, Gerry Breen, will formally launch the Pivot Dublin bid at a breakfast in the Mansion House this morning. The four local authorities intend to develop the seed projects and implement the Dublin bid immediately – even if Dublin is not shortlisted, according to Grehan,
Win or lose, there is no doubt that the extraordinary effort being put into the bid has forged new relationships between Dublin-based designers of every hue and type – and given them all something worthwhile to aim for in these hard times. None of them would have had the time to do it during the boom.
For more, see pivotdublin.com
Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
Monday, 16 May 2011
Planning permission refused for Westmeath wind farm
An Bord Pleanála has refused planning permission for a wind farm at Gaybrook Demesne near Mullingar, Co Westmeath, writes EOGHAN MacCONNELL .
A number of local residents had raised concerns about the proposed development which consisted of nine 125-metre and 135-metre turbines. The application was lodged by Galetech Energy Developments Ltd.
Tom Wallace, of the Midlands Industrial Wind Turbine Action Group, expressed relief at the decision.
“These turbines would have been one and a half times the height of the Statue of Liberty and taller than the Spire in Dublin,” Mr Wallace claimed.
Suggesting alternative locations, he said: “There’s about 20,000 acres of bogs about two miles away as the crow flies.”
Galetech director Darren Sherry described the planning refusal as unfortunate. Mr Sherry doesn’t believe there is a growing resistance to wind farms. “There hasn’t been a dramatic change in terms of planning,” he said.
Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
A number of local residents had raised concerns about the proposed development which consisted of nine 125-metre and 135-metre turbines. The application was lodged by Galetech Energy Developments Ltd.
Tom Wallace, of the Midlands Industrial Wind Turbine Action Group, expressed relief at the decision.
“These turbines would have been one and a half times the height of the Statue of Liberty and taller than the Spire in Dublin,” Mr Wallace claimed.
Suggesting alternative locations, he said: “There’s about 20,000 acres of bogs about two miles away as the crow flies.”
Galetech director Darren Sherry described the planning refusal as unfortunate. Mr Sherry doesn’t believe there is a growing resistance to wind farms. “There hasn’t been a dramatic change in terms of planning,” he said.
Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
Quarry firm challenges lands' national monument status
A QUARRY company has brought a legal challenge to a decision to designate lands owned by it as a national monument after ancient burial sites were discovered.
Keegan Quarries Ltd wants to develop lands at Trammon, near Rathmolyon, Co Meath, and is seeking orders quashing the Department of the Environment’s decision to include a section of 10 acres on the register of national monuments. That decision was made after human remains were found at two separate locations on the lands.
The company claims the department’s decision is unfair and in breach of its rights. It also claims that one of the burial sites appeared to be outside the section of lands to be included on the register of national monuments.
At the High Court yesterday, Shane Murphy SC, for the company, said it was concerned at the “leisurely manner” in which the department had made its decision.
The company wants the court to quash an order made in December 2010 by then minister for the environment John Gormley to include the lands at Trammon on the register of national monuments.
Leave to bring the judicial review proceedings was granted yesterday by Mr Justice Michael Peart.
In applying for leave, Mr Murphy said his client purchased the lands, located on either sides of the R156, for €2 million in 2005. Keegan’s had intended to develop the land to include a factory, he said.
As part of its planning application, an environmental impact report was prepared, and archaeological and geophysical surveys were conducted. Human remains were discovered on the site and the company decided to cordon off two acres on the site.
Planning permission was then sought to develop part of the site, which did not include the areas where the remains were found, counsel said.
An Bord Pleanála had turned down the planning application and the company was considering its options when it discovered earlier this year the minister had made an order including the site on the register of national monuments. The department did not inform the company of that decision, he said.
After examining material in relation to its decision, it appeared one of the burial sites was outside the section of the site to be included on the register, counsel said.
Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
Keegan Quarries Ltd wants to develop lands at Trammon, near Rathmolyon, Co Meath, and is seeking orders quashing the Department of the Environment’s decision to include a section of 10 acres on the register of national monuments. That decision was made after human remains were found at two separate locations on the lands.
The company claims the department’s decision is unfair and in breach of its rights. It also claims that one of the burial sites appeared to be outside the section of lands to be included on the register of national monuments.
At the High Court yesterday, Shane Murphy SC, for the company, said it was concerned at the “leisurely manner” in which the department had made its decision.
The company wants the court to quash an order made in December 2010 by then minister for the environment John Gormley to include the lands at Trammon on the register of national monuments.
Leave to bring the judicial review proceedings was granted yesterday by Mr Justice Michael Peart.
In applying for leave, Mr Murphy said his client purchased the lands, located on either sides of the R156, for €2 million in 2005. Keegan’s had intended to develop the land to include a factory, he said.
As part of its planning application, an environmental impact report was prepared, and archaeological and geophysical surveys were conducted. Human remains were discovered on the site and the company decided to cordon off two acres on the site.
Planning permission was then sought to develop part of the site, which did not include the areas where the remains were found, counsel said.
An Bord Pleanála had turned down the planning application and the company was considering its options when it discovered earlier this year the minister had made an order including the site on the register of national monuments. The department did not inform the company of that decision, he said.
After examining material in relation to its decision, it appeared one of the burial sites was outside the section of the site to be included on the register, counsel said.
Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
Bike scheme may be extended to Galway and other cities
THE GOVERNMENT is not in a position to reverse any decision on cuts to regional airports, Minister for Transport Leo Varadkar has said.
However, the Minister said that Dublin city’s successful bike-sharing scheme may be extended to Galway and other regional cities.
Mr Varadkar was speaking in Galway yesterday, where he held meetings with Galway harbour and airport boards, and initiated plans for Galway’s bike week, which will be held as part of National Bike Week from June 18th to 26th. Asked about the future of Galway harbour and Galway airport, Mr Varadkar said the public service obligation subsidy on regional air routes – which was removed by the last government – would not be reinstated.
“The financial situation is very tough, and the money that was allotted to regional airports in the last budget was cut by 50 per cent essentially,” he said.
“The Government is not in a position to reverse any of the cuts in the last budget, so really it is a case of teasing out with the regional airports how they are going to bear those cuts.”
While he said he believed it was a “plus” to have an airport in a city like Galway, the road link between Dublin and Galway had improved considerably and this was one of the reasons for removing the subsidy.
It would “not be reinstated”, he said.
Asked about his plans for rationalising smaller ports, Mr Varadkar said he would regard Galway as being in the “medium-sized” category.
He was aware the harbour had “very ambitious plans” which he was interested to hear about – but could not yet endorse.
The harbour company, which is due to host the finish for the 2011-2012 Volvo Ocean Race, has prepared a strategic infrastructure application for a deepwater port, which it hopes to submit to An Bord Pleanála.
Speaking about National Bike Week, Mr Varadkar said cycling was a “key priority” in his department as a “sustainable, healthy and low-carbon means of travel”.
The success of Dublin’s bike-sharing scheme was such that he was in favour of extending it to regional cities such as Galway, in co-operation with local authorities.
“There is a provision in the programme for government for this,” he said, and Galway was “exactly the type of city” where the scheme would work very well.
Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
However, the Minister said that Dublin city’s successful bike-sharing scheme may be extended to Galway and other regional cities.
Mr Varadkar was speaking in Galway yesterday, where he held meetings with Galway harbour and airport boards, and initiated plans for Galway’s bike week, which will be held as part of National Bike Week from June 18th to 26th. Asked about the future of Galway harbour and Galway airport, Mr Varadkar said the public service obligation subsidy on regional air routes – which was removed by the last government – would not be reinstated.
“The financial situation is very tough, and the money that was allotted to regional airports in the last budget was cut by 50 per cent essentially,” he said.
“The Government is not in a position to reverse any of the cuts in the last budget, so really it is a case of teasing out with the regional airports how they are going to bear those cuts.”
While he said he believed it was a “plus” to have an airport in a city like Galway, the road link between Dublin and Galway had improved considerably and this was one of the reasons for removing the subsidy.
It would “not be reinstated”, he said.
Asked about his plans for rationalising smaller ports, Mr Varadkar said he would regard Galway as being in the “medium-sized” category.
He was aware the harbour had “very ambitious plans” which he was interested to hear about – but could not yet endorse.
The harbour company, which is due to host the finish for the 2011-2012 Volvo Ocean Race, has prepared a strategic infrastructure application for a deepwater port, which it hopes to submit to An Bord Pleanála.
Speaking about National Bike Week, Mr Varadkar said cycling was a “key priority” in his department as a “sustainable, healthy and low-carbon means of travel”.
The success of Dublin’s bike-sharing scheme was such that he was in favour of extending it to regional cities such as Galway, in co-operation with local authorities.
“There is a provision in the programme for government for this,” he said, and Galway was “exactly the type of city” where the scheme would work very well.
Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
City social housing scheme gets green light
THE FIRST public housing development to be built in Dublin city through public-private partnership (PPP) since the collapse of the system in 2008 has been granted permission by An Bord Pleanála.
Alcove Properties, owned by developer Seán Reilly, has been given the go-ahead for the regeneration of Dublin City Council’s Charlemont Street flat complex near Ranelagh, parts of which date back to the 1940s.
The project will involve the demolition of almost 200 flats on a five-acre site on Charlemont Street and Tom Kelly Road, most of which were built in the late 1950s apart from one block, Ffrench-Mullan House, which was built in 1944. The vacant site of the former St Ultan’s flats, demolished in 2001, is also part of the development.
Some 253 apartments will be built, 139 of which will be social housing units, 16 will be offered under the affordable housing scheme and the remaining 105 will be private apartments.
Shops, restaurants, a sports centre and a multiplex cinema will also be included in the scheme. Unlike previous social housing developments, it will have a significant office space element of about 20,000sq m.
The developer had applied to build five blocks ranging up to eight storeys in height, but in granting permission An Bord Pleanála directed that the maximum height of any block would be six storeys. The board also reduced the number of apartments permissible from 260 to 253, and ordered the alteration of five two-bedroom apartments to larger one-bed units.
The scheme must be approved by the National Treasury Management Agency before construction can proceed, but Dublin City Council said it was “very, very pleased” with An Bord Pleanála’s decision.
Local Labour TD Kevin Humphreys said the regeneration would be a great boost to the community and would create much-needed construction jobs.
“At long last this community will get the good quality homes they’ve been so long waiting for.”
The large quantum of office space and the proximity of the development to the central business district makes this development more viable than the failed PPPs which were more heavily reliant on the rising housing market. Five housing schemes, including some of the city’s most dilapidated flat complexes, were to have been redeveloped under PPP contracts with developer Bernard McNamara.
The deal with Mr McNamara collapsed in May 2008 following the downturn in the property market. Attempts were made throughout that summer to rescue the schemes but these were unsuccessful and the council formally terminated its relationship with the developer in August 2008.
The social housing in the three largest estates – St Michael’s, O’Devaney Gardens and Dominick Street – is to be rebuilt using public money only.
The other two proposed developments, at Infirmary Road and Seán McDermott Street, were not existing social housing complexes with residents needing rehousing and were shelved.
Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
Alcove Properties, owned by developer Seán Reilly, has been given the go-ahead for the regeneration of Dublin City Council’s Charlemont Street flat complex near Ranelagh, parts of which date back to the 1940s.
The project will involve the demolition of almost 200 flats on a five-acre site on Charlemont Street and Tom Kelly Road, most of which were built in the late 1950s apart from one block, Ffrench-Mullan House, which was built in 1944. The vacant site of the former St Ultan’s flats, demolished in 2001, is also part of the development.
Some 253 apartments will be built, 139 of which will be social housing units, 16 will be offered under the affordable housing scheme and the remaining 105 will be private apartments.
Shops, restaurants, a sports centre and a multiplex cinema will also be included in the scheme. Unlike previous social housing developments, it will have a significant office space element of about 20,000sq m.
The developer had applied to build five blocks ranging up to eight storeys in height, but in granting permission An Bord Pleanála directed that the maximum height of any block would be six storeys. The board also reduced the number of apartments permissible from 260 to 253, and ordered the alteration of five two-bedroom apartments to larger one-bed units.
The scheme must be approved by the National Treasury Management Agency before construction can proceed, but Dublin City Council said it was “very, very pleased” with An Bord Pleanála’s decision.
Local Labour TD Kevin Humphreys said the regeneration would be a great boost to the community and would create much-needed construction jobs.
“At long last this community will get the good quality homes they’ve been so long waiting for.”
The large quantum of office space and the proximity of the development to the central business district makes this development more viable than the failed PPPs which were more heavily reliant on the rising housing market. Five housing schemes, including some of the city’s most dilapidated flat complexes, were to have been redeveloped under PPP contracts with developer Bernard McNamara.
The deal with Mr McNamara collapsed in May 2008 following the downturn in the property market. Attempts were made throughout that summer to rescue the schemes but these were unsuccessful and the council formally terminated its relationship with the developer in August 2008.
The social housing in the three largest estates – St Michael’s, O’Devaney Gardens and Dominick Street – is to be rebuilt using public money only.
The other two proposed developments, at Infirmary Road and Seán McDermott Street, were not existing social housing complexes with residents needing rehousing and were shelved.
Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
Statues and trees to be removed for Luas
INSTALLATION OF a Luas tramline in Dublin’s O’Connell Street will require the removal of many of the statues and most of the trees on its central median, it was confirmed yesterday.
The O’Connell and Parnell monuments would be unaffected by the Luas BXD plan, although they would also have to be taken down if the Government was to proceed with the Metro North scheme.
Anne Kiernan, chief architect with the Railway Procurement Agency, said the Luas line would encroach on the central median at the northern end of O’Connell Street.
As planned, there would be a single tramline on the street, running from south to north. The north-south line would run on Marlborough Street via a new bridge over the Liffey to Hawkins Street.
Ms Kiernan said all of the existing trees on the central median of O’Connell Street – mostly silver birch and mountain ash, planted within the past 10 years – would be replaced with “more appropriate” trees.
She said the statues removed to facilitate construction of the line would be re-erected after the work is completed. These include James Larkin, William Smith O’Brien, Sir John Gray and Father Matthew.
Poles for the electric power would be located on the central median, with a single-arm cantilever, to minimise the visual impact of the wirescape on the street. Two Luas stops are planned for the street: one between the Gray and Larkin statues, the other to the north of the Spire – both located on the central median so as not to interfere with bus stops.
The design strategy would involve re-ordering the median to form linked spaces through the pattern of trees, lamps and paving, for the full length of the street.
It is understood Dublin City Council chief planning officer Dick Gleeson will object to the encroachment of Luas on the median.
At a preliminary hearing yesterday, An Bord Pleanála’s senior planning inspector said everyone who had made submissions on Luas BXD would be able to express their views at the full hearing, which opens next Wednesday.
Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
The O’Connell and Parnell monuments would be unaffected by the Luas BXD plan, although they would also have to be taken down if the Government was to proceed with the Metro North scheme.
Anne Kiernan, chief architect with the Railway Procurement Agency, said the Luas line would encroach on the central median at the northern end of O’Connell Street.
As planned, there would be a single tramline on the street, running from south to north. The north-south line would run on Marlborough Street via a new bridge over the Liffey to Hawkins Street.
Ms Kiernan said all of the existing trees on the central median of O’Connell Street – mostly silver birch and mountain ash, planted within the past 10 years – would be replaced with “more appropriate” trees.
She said the statues removed to facilitate construction of the line would be re-erected after the work is completed. These include James Larkin, William Smith O’Brien, Sir John Gray and Father Matthew.
Poles for the electric power would be located on the central median, with a single-arm cantilever, to minimise the visual impact of the wirescape on the street. Two Luas stops are planned for the street: one between the Gray and Larkin statues, the other to the north of the Spire – both located on the central median so as not to interfere with bus stops.
The design strategy would involve re-ordering the median to form linked spaces through the pattern of trees, lamps and paving, for the full length of the street.
It is understood Dublin City Council chief planning officer Dick Gleeson will object to the encroachment of Luas on the median.
At a preliminary hearing yesterday, An Bord Pleanála’s senior planning inspector said everyone who had made submissions on Luas BXD would be able to express their views at the full hearing, which opens next Wednesday.
Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
Residents complain about night-time noise
DUBLIN PORT Company’s public consultation on its 30-year masterplan has been described as a “PR stunt” by local residents who say they cannot sleep because of night-time noise from the port’s main container terminal.
The Coastguard Station Residents Group, on Pigeon House Road, said: “Dublin Port promotes expansion but disregards planning legislation, local residents and local environment for their own gain – and still the noise continues three to four nights a week.”
Residents’ spokesman Alexander Downes had complained to Dublin City Council that three huge gantries at the Marine Terminals Ltd (MTL) container port opposite their houses did not have planning permission. This was confirmed by the council last March.
However, because the development was carried out in 2002, the council’s planners said they were “statute-barred” from taking any enforcement action against MTL due to the elapse of time as such action could only be taken within seven years.
The residents maintain the development is still illegal “and the net result is that we are being deprived of our sleep” by the noise that emanates from the terminal, which was found to be in excess of guidelines set by the World Health Organisation (WHO).
A recent WHO report said noise pollution “is not only an environmental nuisance but also a threat to public health [and] leads to a disease burden that is second in magnitude only to that from air pollution”. It recommended strengthening limits on night noise.
At a meeting with Kevin Humphreys TD (Labour, Dublin South East), port company chief executive Eamon O’Reilly said it wanted to “resolve the noise issue” as it “has potential to create a bad reputation” for the port, according to minutes seen by The Irish Times.
Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
The Coastguard Station Residents Group, on Pigeon House Road, said: “Dublin Port promotes expansion but disregards planning legislation, local residents and local environment for their own gain – and still the noise continues three to four nights a week.”
Residents’ spokesman Alexander Downes had complained to Dublin City Council that three huge gantries at the Marine Terminals Ltd (MTL) container port opposite their houses did not have planning permission. This was confirmed by the council last March.
However, because the development was carried out in 2002, the council’s planners said they were “statute-barred” from taking any enforcement action against MTL due to the elapse of time as such action could only be taken within seven years.
The residents maintain the development is still illegal “and the net result is that we are being deprived of our sleep” by the noise that emanates from the terminal, which was found to be in excess of guidelines set by the World Health Organisation (WHO).
A recent WHO report said noise pollution “is not only an environmental nuisance but also a threat to public health [and] leads to a disease burden that is second in magnitude only to that from air pollution”. It recommended strengthening limits on night noise.
At a meeting with Kevin Humphreys TD (Labour, Dublin South East), port company chief executive Eamon O’Reilly said it wanted to “resolve the noise issue” as it “has potential to create a bad reputation” for the port, according to minutes seen by The Irish Times.
Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
Dublin Port wants to infill more of Dublin bay
DUBLIN PORT is considering “options” to infill a significantly larger area of the bay than previously proposed under its latest masterplan to cater for a projected doubling of throughput over the next 30 years.
An “issues paper” prepared by Jacobs Engineering also envisages infilling part of the Liffey estuary to provide more berthage as well as relocating the port’s cruise liner terminal to North Wall Quay.
It says the sequencing of development “has not yet been decided” and would be influenced by many factors, including cost and the need to minimise impact on port business and the environment.
Environmental studies, site investigations, planning approval and other consents – such as a dredging licences and foreshore permission – would all be required, and could take two years.
Two new berths for cruise liners are proposed at the western end of the port, near East Link Bridge, so that ships and their passengers would be closer to the city. This would require dredging to provide a “berthing pocket” for the liners. A new visitor centre of “good architectural quality” is envisaged for North Wall Quay.
The options paper also includes a second bridge, or tunnel, to link the north and south quays. A tunnel is favoured as its spoil “could be used in some of the proposed reclamation works within the port”.
Dredging of Alexandra Basin is flagged as requiring a licence from the Environmental Protection Agency as “it is known that the basin bed material is heavily contaminated”, according to the authors.
It is also proposed to build a high-level bridge over East Wall Road linking this area of the port with a proposed car import storage compound and the existing oil storage area, which is being retained.
New rail spurs to serve unitised freight yards are also envisaged as the authors anticipate that transfer of freight to rail “will increase steadily through the 30-year plan”.
An area of infill, roughly twice the 21 hectares (50 acres) proposed under the port’s controversial “Dublin Gateway” scheme, is included in the plan to provide six “ro-ro” (roll-on, roll-off) berths.
This would be “much less intrusive” than the scheme turned down by Bord Pleanála as none of the new berths would be located at the eastern end, significantly reducing the impact on wading birds.
On the south side of the river, the “lo-lo” terminal used by Marine Terminals Ltd would be retained and its throughput “enhanced” by investing in new container-handling equipment.
A large area of infill to the east of it would require the relocation of two tern colonies to a new site downstream from the port , where a wildlife observation platform is also proposed.
Planning consultants MacCabe Durney Barnes, in their “issues paper”, say the port’s masterplan “provides an ideal means...to influence future planning policy” by setting out the rationale for its existence.
They suggest the State-owned port company should seek to have its expansion “designated as being of over-riding national importance” to overcome issues relating to further infills of the bay.
“The port’s location in Dublin Bay raises difficult ecological issues”, the planning consultants concede, referring to the impact of conservation designations in the Tolka Estuary under the EU habitats directive.
Noting that 24-hour port activity is “not compatible with residential use”, they say the port “really has no option but to firmly resist the incursion of residential” into the Pigeon House Road area.
The public consultation process continues until May 31st. See www.dublinport.ie/Masterplan/
Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
An “issues paper” prepared by Jacobs Engineering also envisages infilling part of the Liffey estuary to provide more berthage as well as relocating the port’s cruise liner terminal to North Wall Quay.
It says the sequencing of development “has not yet been decided” and would be influenced by many factors, including cost and the need to minimise impact on port business and the environment.
Environmental studies, site investigations, planning approval and other consents – such as a dredging licences and foreshore permission – would all be required, and could take two years.
Two new berths for cruise liners are proposed at the western end of the port, near East Link Bridge, so that ships and their passengers would be closer to the city. This would require dredging to provide a “berthing pocket” for the liners. A new visitor centre of “good architectural quality” is envisaged for North Wall Quay.
The options paper also includes a second bridge, or tunnel, to link the north and south quays. A tunnel is favoured as its spoil “could be used in some of the proposed reclamation works within the port”.
Dredging of Alexandra Basin is flagged as requiring a licence from the Environmental Protection Agency as “it is known that the basin bed material is heavily contaminated”, according to the authors.
It is also proposed to build a high-level bridge over East Wall Road linking this area of the port with a proposed car import storage compound and the existing oil storage area, which is being retained.
New rail spurs to serve unitised freight yards are also envisaged as the authors anticipate that transfer of freight to rail “will increase steadily through the 30-year plan”.
An area of infill, roughly twice the 21 hectares (50 acres) proposed under the port’s controversial “Dublin Gateway” scheme, is included in the plan to provide six “ro-ro” (roll-on, roll-off) berths.
This would be “much less intrusive” than the scheme turned down by Bord Pleanála as none of the new berths would be located at the eastern end, significantly reducing the impact on wading birds.
On the south side of the river, the “lo-lo” terminal used by Marine Terminals Ltd would be retained and its throughput “enhanced” by investing in new container-handling equipment.
A large area of infill to the east of it would require the relocation of two tern colonies to a new site downstream from the port , where a wildlife observation platform is also proposed.
Planning consultants MacCabe Durney Barnes, in their “issues paper”, say the port’s masterplan “provides an ideal means...to influence future planning policy” by setting out the rationale for its existence.
They suggest the State-owned port company should seek to have its expansion “designated as being of over-riding national importance” to overcome issues relating to further infills of the bay.
“The port’s location in Dublin Bay raises difficult ecological issues”, the planning consultants concede, referring to the impact of conservation designations in the Tolka Estuary under the EU habitats directive.
Noting that 24-hour port activity is “not compatible with residential use”, they say the port “really has no option but to firmly resist the incursion of residential” into the Pigeon House Road area.
The public consultation process continues until May 31st. See www.dublinport.ie/Masterplan/
Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
An Taisce appeals against Louth County Council's decision to grant a ski resort
AN TAISCE has appealed against Louth County Council’s decision to approve plans for a ski resort next to Dundalk Racecourse, likening it to the “unsustainable” Tipperary Resort planned for Two-Mile-Borris, Co Tipperary.
The ski slope, enclosed to ensure year-round use, would be 52m (170ft) high – twice the height of the nearby racecourse stand – and forms part of a larger project “likely to include a bid to develop a Las Vegas-type casino”, according to An Taisce.
The Dubai-style Snowflex ski slope would be the largest in Europe, with a main slope 210m long and 60m wide as well as a beginners’ area. The two slopes would have combined capacity for 500 skiers.
With a total floor area of 44,246sq m (476,264sq ft), elements of the resort already approved include the ski slope as well as a bowling alley, cinema, private members gaming, an aquatic leisure centre and a 128-bed “family hostel”. The Altitude Ski Resort, planned by Innovative Leisure Systems Ltd (ILS), would also include sports-related shops, restaurants and bars, parking for 32 coaches and 791 cars and a new roundabout on the N52 Dundalk inner relief road.
“We’re over the moon to have been granted planning permission,” Sam Curran, of ILS, told the Dundalk Democrat. “Getting the go-ahead was the major thing from the point of view of investors, and leisure is one area where there is still investment.
“The appetite worldwide for leisure products is there . . . and our hope is that this resort will create spin-off opportunities for people,” he said, adding that cruise liners attracted by the resort could dock at the deep water port in Greenore, Co Louth.
In its environmental impact statement, ILS forecast that the resort would attract 1.15 million annual visits after its first phase was completed, rising to 6.2 million when the remaining phases (including the casino) were built.
But in its appeal to An Bord Pleanála, An Taisce described the scheme as “the epitome of unsustainable development”, based on a business model of “attracting millions of tourists from around the world to a modestly-sized regional Irish town . . . to go skiing”.
The trust’s heritage officer, Ian Lumley, said: “In the context of the calamitous property collapse which has occurred since 2007, it defies credulity that the local authority, the applicant and the investors could consider this proposal to have merit.”
He said the scheme was “more like a proposal from the past boom-time of Dubai than contemporary Ireland” yet it was coming concurrently with a proposal for a Las Vegas-type casino, multipurpose arena and racecourse in Co Tipperary.
“Both applications reflect the bubble stage of the Irish property boom, which has left an unprecedented debt crisis and legacy of ghost estates, excess capacity in hotel rooms and other categories of land use and the huge Nama loan portfolio,” Mr Lumley wrote.
An Taisce was basing its appeal on a recent statement by John O’Connor, outgoing chairman of An Bord Pleanála, that it was “incumbent on planning authorities” to take account of realities such as climate change, energy costs and minimising heritage loss.
It noted that the 140-acre site is located on inter-tidal grasslands and saltmarsh “immediately adjacent to and encroaching on” the Dundalk Bay Special Protection Area under the EU wildbirds directive, which was one of Ireland’s “most important wintering waterfowl sites”.
An Taisce said it would have an impact on views towards the Cooley Mountains and noted a submission from Dundalk Racecourse raising concern about its flood impact on the racecourse as well as safety, traffic and operational issues.
Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
The ski slope, enclosed to ensure year-round use, would be 52m (170ft) high – twice the height of the nearby racecourse stand – and forms part of a larger project “likely to include a bid to develop a Las Vegas-type casino”, according to An Taisce.
The Dubai-style Snowflex ski slope would be the largest in Europe, with a main slope 210m long and 60m wide as well as a beginners’ area. The two slopes would have combined capacity for 500 skiers.
With a total floor area of 44,246sq m (476,264sq ft), elements of the resort already approved include the ski slope as well as a bowling alley, cinema, private members gaming, an aquatic leisure centre and a 128-bed “family hostel”. The Altitude Ski Resort, planned by Innovative Leisure Systems Ltd (ILS), would also include sports-related shops, restaurants and bars, parking for 32 coaches and 791 cars and a new roundabout on the N52 Dundalk inner relief road.
“We’re over the moon to have been granted planning permission,” Sam Curran, of ILS, told the Dundalk Democrat. “Getting the go-ahead was the major thing from the point of view of investors, and leisure is one area where there is still investment.
“The appetite worldwide for leisure products is there . . . and our hope is that this resort will create spin-off opportunities for people,” he said, adding that cruise liners attracted by the resort could dock at the deep water port in Greenore, Co Louth.
In its environmental impact statement, ILS forecast that the resort would attract 1.15 million annual visits after its first phase was completed, rising to 6.2 million when the remaining phases (including the casino) were built.
But in its appeal to An Bord Pleanála, An Taisce described the scheme as “the epitome of unsustainable development”, based on a business model of “attracting millions of tourists from around the world to a modestly-sized regional Irish town . . . to go skiing”.
The trust’s heritage officer, Ian Lumley, said: “In the context of the calamitous property collapse which has occurred since 2007, it defies credulity that the local authority, the applicant and the investors could consider this proposal to have merit.”
He said the scheme was “more like a proposal from the past boom-time of Dubai than contemporary Ireland” yet it was coming concurrently with a proposal for a Las Vegas-type casino, multipurpose arena and racecourse in Co Tipperary.
“Both applications reflect the bubble stage of the Irish property boom, which has left an unprecedented debt crisis and legacy of ghost estates, excess capacity in hotel rooms and other categories of land use and the huge Nama loan portfolio,” Mr Lumley wrote.
An Taisce was basing its appeal on a recent statement by John O’Connor, outgoing chairman of An Bord Pleanála, that it was “incumbent on planning authorities” to take account of realities such as climate change, energy costs and minimising heritage loss.
It noted that the 140-acre site is located on inter-tidal grasslands and saltmarsh “immediately adjacent to and encroaching on” the Dundalk Bay Special Protection Area under the EU wildbirds directive, which was one of Ireland’s “most important wintering waterfowl sites”.
An Taisce said it would have an impact on views towards the Cooley Mountains and noted a submission from Dundalk Racecourse raising concern about its flood impact on the racecourse as well as safety, traffic and operational issues.
Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
Monday, 9 May 2011
National group to oversee efforts to deal with ghost estates
A NATIONAL co-ordination group is to be established within weeks to oversee action by local authorities in dealing with the most problematic ghost housing estates, according to Minister of State for Housing and Planning Willie Penrose.
Addressing the Irish Planning Institute’s annual conference in Galway yesterday, he said one of his top priorities was that “clear, decisive and proactive actions are taken to progressively resolve the issues with unfinished housing developments”.
It has emerged that the National Asset Management Agency (Nama) has 10 per cent of about 150 of the worst ghost estates that are unfinished and pose health and safety issues.
The vast majority of the ghost estates that require the most work were financed by the foreign-owned banks operating in Ireland.
About 28 per cent of the loans at Nama relate to land and development and about 16 per cent are in the Dublin area, where there is a greater demand for housing.
Mr Penrose, who is to chair the co-ordination group, said his officials were already “working hard on innovative ways to find positive uses for vacant housing, including the leasing or purchase of units from Nama” for families on local authority waiting lists.
He will shortly be receiving a report by the Advisory Group on Unfinished Housing Developments, made up of community, central and local government, professional banking, construction representatives, and planners, and he said this would be published.
Mr Penrose said the planning system should be “focusing demand in a way that will rekindle market interest in stalled developments”, while the “core strategy” approach that must now be adopted would help rationalise the “excessive zoning” of recent years.
Referring to the 2010 Planning Act, he said planning was now supported by “evidence-based requirements” and linked to the Government’s strategic plan and capital allocations for infrastructure and suitably located services.
“We are constructively tackling the legacy of over-zoning and moving towards a more co-ordinated and joined-up approach to the delivery of critical services such as schools, public transport, water services and social housing,” he said.
“We are refocusing on revitalising our city and town centres, moving against the tendency of the Celtic Tiger era to envisage extensive, even sprawling extensions of our cities and towns, drawing the lifeblood out of older, established central urban areas.”
However, the institute’s president, Gordon Daly, called for a Government policy on planning that would “set out a clear road map for the country’s physical planning over the next five to 10 years” and harness the potential of agri-food, tourism and renewable energy.
Complaining that policy in the past had been “far too dependent on the vagaries of the marketplace”, Mr Daly said: “We need to have a wider vision and this policy would achieve this by bringing a more balanced view on where we need to go for the future.”
He also moved to allay fears among councillors that the 2010 Act had shifted power to central government, saying he believed it “puts real power in the hands of councillors to make the key decisions” on population growth, housing, transport, retail and services. Referring to a reduction of 25 per cent in the number of planners in local authorities over the past two years, Mr Daly said “we must get more from less”.
The conference continues today.
Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
Addressing the Irish Planning Institute’s annual conference in Galway yesterday, he said one of his top priorities was that “clear, decisive and proactive actions are taken to progressively resolve the issues with unfinished housing developments”.
It has emerged that the National Asset Management Agency (Nama) has 10 per cent of about 150 of the worst ghost estates that are unfinished and pose health and safety issues.
The vast majority of the ghost estates that require the most work were financed by the foreign-owned banks operating in Ireland.
About 28 per cent of the loans at Nama relate to land and development and about 16 per cent are in the Dublin area, where there is a greater demand for housing.
Mr Penrose, who is to chair the co-ordination group, said his officials were already “working hard on innovative ways to find positive uses for vacant housing, including the leasing or purchase of units from Nama” for families on local authority waiting lists.
He will shortly be receiving a report by the Advisory Group on Unfinished Housing Developments, made up of community, central and local government, professional banking, construction representatives, and planners, and he said this would be published.
Mr Penrose said the planning system should be “focusing demand in a way that will rekindle market interest in stalled developments”, while the “core strategy” approach that must now be adopted would help rationalise the “excessive zoning” of recent years.
Referring to the 2010 Planning Act, he said planning was now supported by “evidence-based requirements” and linked to the Government’s strategic plan and capital allocations for infrastructure and suitably located services.
“We are constructively tackling the legacy of over-zoning and moving towards a more co-ordinated and joined-up approach to the delivery of critical services such as schools, public transport, water services and social housing,” he said.
“We are refocusing on revitalising our city and town centres, moving against the tendency of the Celtic Tiger era to envisage extensive, even sprawling extensions of our cities and towns, drawing the lifeblood out of older, established central urban areas.”
However, the institute’s president, Gordon Daly, called for a Government policy on planning that would “set out a clear road map for the country’s physical planning over the next five to 10 years” and harness the potential of agri-food, tourism and renewable energy.
Complaining that policy in the past had been “far too dependent on the vagaries of the marketplace”, Mr Daly said: “We need to have a wider vision and this policy would achieve this by bringing a more balanced view on where we need to go for the future.”
He also moved to allay fears among councillors that the 2010 Act had shifted power to central government, saying he believed it “puts real power in the hands of councillors to make the key decisions” on population growth, housing, transport, retail and services. Referring to a reduction of 25 per cent in the number of planners in local authorities over the past two years, Mr Daly said “we must get more from less”.
The conference continues today.
Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
John O'Connor regrets bad housing schemes
After 11 years at the helm of Irish planning, John O’Connor said the appeals board had rejected many such schemes, “often in the teeth of local and media criticism”, but it permitted some “which with hindsight it might have refused”.
Addressing the Irish Planning Institute’s annual conference a month before he is due to step down, he said: “Perhaps a few shopping developments that were too large or too remote from town [and] city centres got through.”
He said it was “undeniable that the centres of some of our cities and towns have been badly affected by the flight of retailing” to out-of-town centres. But the retail planning guidelines and decisions made by the board had “prevented a much worse situation”.
He described the new motorway network, much of it approved by the board despite considerable opposition, as one of the lasting benefits of the boom era and said the board had protected it against “piggyback” local development.
Mr O’Connor said many sections of Irish society were now in the process of “evaluating how things were done in the past and how matters can be improved for the future” and said planners “must participate fully in this national reappraisal”.
He said the choice of location for major public or private sector projects should have a much stronger planning input.
“Planners should be part of the site selection process and not seen as people to be brought in to make the planning application afterwards,” he said. He added that he found it extraordinary that developers and banks made significant decisions about land purchase and development without any apparent input by planners.
He said the greatest failures in Irish planning revolve around the zoning of land, which is “the issue that has brought the system most into disrepute”. The “excessive and unsustainable” zoning of land had contributed to the property bubble and its aftermath, he said.
He welcomed the 2010 Planning Act’s emphasis on the need for local authorities to have a “core strategy”, saying this “will avoid a repeat of the disorderly sprawl of inefficient and wasteful development and restore credibility to the planning system”.
He said he had never had an improper approach about planning, and that the board’s reputation for independence and integrity was ultimately its most important attribute.
He complained that councils took “widely different approaches in interpreting and applying” sustainable rural housing guidelines. In some cases, “undue pressure being brought on planners” and the “lack of transparency” could lead to “huge frustration”.
Referring to the proliferation of one-off houses, Mr O’Connor said the planning system had not done enough to protect the unique Irish landscape, “which is a cultural, environmental and economic asset of inestimable value: once destroyed, it cannot be restored.
“There is a theory that there is an element of chaos in the Irish character that makes us sceptical of regulation or planning – ‘rules are there to be broken if you can get away with it’. This may account for some of our very serious failings over the past decade.”
He said this may also explain why the Irish body politic has been reluctant to fully embrace spatial or land-use planning. Such planning would involve agreeing visions for development at the national, regional and local levels, involving difficult choices, he said.
The National Spatial Strategy “needs to be reviewed to take account of radically changed prospects” and this could allow for a serious debate about the future of development planning, he said.
Given Ireland’s “severely diminished level of resources”, planning “has a crucial part to play in national recovery – in terms of efficient and economic planning and use of infrastructure [and] protecting our environment and natural and built heritage,” he said.
Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
Addressing the Irish Planning Institute’s annual conference a month before he is due to step down, he said: “Perhaps a few shopping developments that were too large or too remote from town [and] city centres got through.”
He said it was “undeniable that the centres of some of our cities and towns have been badly affected by the flight of retailing” to out-of-town centres. But the retail planning guidelines and decisions made by the board had “prevented a much worse situation”.
He described the new motorway network, much of it approved by the board despite considerable opposition, as one of the lasting benefits of the boom era and said the board had protected it against “piggyback” local development.
Mr O’Connor said many sections of Irish society were now in the process of “evaluating how things were done in the past and how matters can be improved for the future” and said planners “must participate fully in this national reappraisal”.
He said the choice of location for major public or private sector projects should have a much stronger planning input.
“Planners should be part of the site selection process and not seen as people to be brought in to make the planning application afterwards,” he said. He added that he found it extraordinary that developers and banks made significant decisions about land purchase and development without any apparent input by planners.
He said the greatest failures in Irish planning revolve around the zoning of land, which is “the issue that has brought the system most into disrepute”. The “excessive and unsustainable” zoning of land had contributed to the property bubble and its aftermath, he said.
He welcomed the 2010 Planning Act’s emphasis on the need for local authorities to have a “core strategy”, saying this “will avoid a repeat of the disorderly sprawl of inefficient and wasteful development and restore credibility to the planning system”.
He said he had never had an improper approach about planning, and that the board’s reputation for independence and integrity was ultimately its most important attribute.
He complained that councils took “widely different approaches in interpreting and applying” sustainable rural housing guidelines. In some cases, “undue pressure being brought on planners” and the “lack of transparency” could lead to “huge frustration”.
Referring to the proliferation of one-off houses, Mr O’Connor said the planning system had not done enough to protect the unique Irish landscape, “which is a cultural, environmental and economic asset of inestimable value: once destroyed, it cannot be restored.
“There is a theory that there is an element of chaos in the Irish character that makes us sceptical of regulation or planning – ‘rules are there to be broken if you can get away with it’. This may account for some of our very serious failings over the past decade.”
He said this may also explain why the Irish body politic has been reluctant to fully embrace spatial or land-use planning. Such planning would involve agreeing visions for development at the national, regional and local levels, involving difficult choices, he said.
The National Spatial Strategy “needs to be reviewed to take account of radically changed prospects” and this could allow for a serious debate about the future of development planning, he said.
Given Ireland’s “severely diminished level of resources”, planning “has a crucial part to play in national recovery – in terms of efficient and economic planning and use of infrastructure [and] protecting our environment and natural and built heritage,” he said.
Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
Ecovillage confounds critics with expansion
THE ECOVILLAGE in Cloughjordan, Co Tipperary, is thriving in the teeth of a recession.
It just launched the second phase of a development which includes a 500sq m solar park, a 520sq m eco-enterprise centre and a 32-bed ecohostel. In addition, 30 houses are under construction, a dozen more are set to go and a further five sites were sold this year.
The timber frame of an apartment complex, designed by four future residents who got together and hired their own builder and architect, has just been erected.
The village, conceived in better times, has confounded the detractors who said it would not last.
“The Construction Industry Federation (CIF) says we are one of the biggest construction sites in rural Ireland. We may be the only one,” joked David Flannery from Sustainable Projects Ireland, the charity overseeing the development of the ecovillage.
The solar park was funded with a €700,000 grant from the European Commission. It will provide 80 per cent of heating and hot water in sunny weather and 20 per cent when it is gloomy. The rest will come from the woodchip boiler on site. It is anticipated the cost of hot water and heat to each home will be €22 a month.
Mr Flannery said the ecovillage was not immune to the recession and the price of sites had dropped by 30-40 per cent. Nevertheless, he said he expected the village to be finished in two years and the landscaping in five.
Pat Finucane, the owner of the Django ecohostel, named after his dog, said he was unable to get bank financing. So he financed it with savings and a grant from the North Tipperary Leader Project.
He described himself as “light green” – “I have been known to get on to airplanes from time to time”. The homes are built of lime and hemp, cob (a mixture of straw and earth) and eco-cement.
Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
It just launched the second phase of a development which includes a 500sq m solar park, a 520sq m eco-enterprise centre and a 32-bed ecohostel. In addition, 30 houses are under construction, a dozen more are set to go and a further five sites were sold this year.
The timber frame of an apartment complex, designed by four future residents who got together and hired their own builder and architect, has just been erected.
The village, conceived in better times, has confounded the detractors who said it would not last.
“The Construction Industry Federation (CIF) says we are one of the biggest construction sites in rural Ireland. We may be the only one,” joked David Flannery from Sustainable Projects Ireland, the charity overseeing the development of the ecovillage.
The solar park was funded with a €700,000 grant from the European Commission. It will provide 80 per cent of heating and hot water in sunny weather and 20 per cent when it is gloomy. The rest will come from the woodchip boiler on site. It is anticipated the cost of hot water and heat to each home will be €22 a month.
Mr Flannery said the ecovillage was not immune to the recession and the price of sites had dropped by 30-40 per cent. Nevertheless, he said he expected the village to be finished in two years and the landscaping in five.
Pat Finucane, the owner of the Django ecohostel, named after his dog, said he was unable to get bank financing. So he financed it with savings and a grant from the North Tipperary Leader Project.
He described himself as “light green” – “I have been known to get on to airplanes from time to time”. The homes are built of lime and hemp, cob (a mixture of straw and earth) and eco-cement.
Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
Dun Laoghaire harbour future is in leisure, say boat clubs
THE FUTURE of Dún Laoghaire harbour lies in its role as a marine tourism and leisure destination and not as a commercial port, according to six sailing and yacht clubs which use the harbour.
In a submission on a new master plan for the harbour drawn up in the light of a possible change of the year-round car ferry service to a seasonal service, the clubs said radical rethinking of the interaction between the town and harbour was now required.
The clubs include the Dublin Bay Sailing Club, Dún Laoghaire Motor Yacht Club, National Yacht Club, Royal Alfred Yacht Club, Royal Irish Yacht Club and the Royal St George Yacht Club.
Under the name Dún Laoghaire Combined Clubs, the six, some of which have operated in the harbour since the 1830s, said they were attempting to set aside the specific interests of any individual club in favour of a larger and longer-term vision for the harbour.
The submission said it viewed the harbour as a “key part of the city of Dublin and Dún Laoghaire’s water sports infrastructure”.
It also said the town and harbour needed to rethink public access to both the shore and water side of the harbour.
This included “the way in which the harbour has developed, [which] to date has served indirectly to restrict both shore and waterside access to existing and potential future users and particularly the public”.
The combined clubs said they believed the harbour was a world-class leisure resource and “properly developed with a marine tourism and leisure focus it can generate new and sustainable sources of income”.
They said, however, there were no quick fixes to replace revenue that would be lost if ferry services were reduced or withdrawn.
The group supports development of the Carlisle Pier as the focus of marine tourism and leisure activities and proposed a “diaspora project” housed in a low but iconic building.
The clubs made their submission in response to Dún Laoghaire Harbour Company’s draft master plan, which envisaged alternative uses for the harbour, as well as alternative sources of funding, if the ferry service is reduced or withdrawn.
These alternatives include marine, leisure and office uses, light industry and the use of part of the harbour to generate renewable energy.
The six clubs operating under the combined clubs banner include the four “waterfront” clubs which have premises in the harbour. These are the National, Royal Irish, Royal St George and Motor Yacht Club.
In all they claim to have about 5,000 members. These in turn own about 700 keelboats (boats moored in the water, typically) and about 1,000 dinghies, most of which are sailed by the junior and youth members of the clubs on the waterfront.
Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
In a submission on a new master plan for the harbour drawn up in the light of a possible change of the year-round car ferry service to a seasonal service, the clubs said radical rethinking of the interaction between the town and harbour was now required.
The clubs include the Dublin Bay Sailing Club, Dún Laoghaire Motor Yacht Club, National Yacht Club, Royal Alfred Yacht Club, Royal Irish Yacht Club and the Royal St George Yacht Club.
Under the name Dún Laoghaire Combined Clubs, the six, some of which have operated in the harbour since the 1830s, said they were attempting to set aside the specific interests of any individual club in favour of a larger and longer-term vision for the harbour.
The submission said it viewed the harbour as a “key part of the city of Dublin and Dún Laoghaire’s water sports infrastructure”.
It also said the town and harbour needed to rethink public access to both the shore and water side of the harbour.
This included “the way in which the harbour has developed, [which] to date has served indirectly to restrict both shore and waterside access to existing and potential future users and particularly the public”.
The combined clubs said they believed the harbour was a world-class leisure resource and “properly developed with a marine tourism and leisure focus it can generate new and sustainable sources of income”.
They said, however, there were no quick fixes to replace revenue that would be lost if ferry services were reduced or withdrawn.
The group supports development of the Carlisle Pier as the focus of marine tourism and leisure activities and proposed a “diaspora project” housed in a low but iconic building.
The clubs made their submission in response to Dún Laoghaire Harbour Company’s draft master plan, which envisaged alternative uses for the harbour, as well as alternative sources of funding, if the ferry service is reduced or withdrawn.
These alternatives include marine, leisure and office uses, light industry and the use of part of the harbour to generate renewable energy.
The six clubs operating under the combined clubs banner include the four “waterfront” clubs which have premises in the harbour. These are the National, Royal Irish, Royal St George and Motor Yacht Club.
In all they claim to have about 5,000 members. These in turn own about 700 keelboats (boats moored in the water, typically) and about 1,000 dinghies, most of which are sailed by the junior and youth members of the clubs on the waterfront.
Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
Friday, 6 May 2011
EPA reports continued downward trend of significant pollutants from industrial facilities
The EU Commission has published the European Pollutant Release and transfer Register (E-PRTR) for the reporting year 2009.
It will be available online and will be revised in October 2011, to accommodate updated data.
The Register tracks annual data on 91 specific substances or pollutants released and recorded by industrial and public facilities - above specified reporting thresholds - to air, water and land as well as waste transferred off-site.
Data from Ireland was submitted by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). This is the third annual E-PRTR data submission.
Commenting on the report, Gerard O'Leary, Programme Manager, EPA Office of Environmental Enforcement said - “The European Pollutant Release and Transfer Register provides access to key environmental data from some 24,000 industrial facilities including 336 facilities in Ireland. The register covers 65 economic activities across Europe and contributes to transparency and public participation in environmental decision-making.
"The data from Ireland continues to show an overall downward trend in emissions to air as a result of a reduction in production output arising from macro-economic activity and capital investment in Best Available Technology in abatement technology in the energy sector.”
The key findings of the 2009 E-PRTR show -
336 facilities in Ireland are covered by E-PRTR reporting. These include facilities from power generation, wastewater treatment, chemicals, intensive livestock, minerals & cement sectors. Also included are large companies in areas such food & drink and waste sites.
Releases to air were dominated by facilities from the energy, minerals & cement and chemical sectors.
Overall, the data shows a continued downward trend, since 2007, in emissions of key substances or pollutants to air (carbon dioxide, sulphur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide, methane and non-methane volatile organic carbons).
The energy sector contributed 79% of Ireland’s 2009 E-PRTR carbon dioxide releases, while the remaining 21% was from the cement & minerals sector. Releases of carbon dioxide from the cement sector have decreased by 16.5% since 2008.
Nitrogen oxide and sulphur dioxide emissions decreased by 39% and 37%, respectively, since 2008.
Public wastewater treatment plants which receive wastewater from a variety of sources were the top contributors to the total amount of nutrients (i.e. total nitrogen and total phosphorus, released to waters in 2009). The increase in emissions from this sector is indicative of additional wastewater treatment facilities reporting under E-PRTR.
The tonnage of hazardous waste transferred off-site from E-PRTR facilities decreased by 55% since 2008, to 220,428 tonnes. This is most likely a result of the economic downturn.
The waste transfer stations and chemical sector contributed 52% and 36% respectively, of the total hazardous waste transfers off-site.
The tonnage of non-hazardous waste from all sectors decreased by 6%, to 3.28 million tonnes.
www.buckplanning.ie
It will be available online and will be revised in October 2011, to accommodate updated data.
The Register tracks annual data on 91 specific substances or pollutants released and recorded by industrial and public facilities - above specified reporting thresholds - to air, water and land as well as waste transferred off-site.
Data from Ireland was submitted by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). This is the third annual E-PRTR data submission.
Commenting on the report, Gerard O'Leary, Programme Manager, EPA Office of Environmental Enforcement said - “The European Pollutant Release and Transfer Register provides access to key environmental data from some 24,000 industrial facilities including 336 facilities in Ireland. The register covers 65 economic activities across Europe and contributes to transparency and public participation in environmental decision-making.
"The data from Ireland continues to show an overall downward trend in emissions to air as a result of a reduction in production output arising from macro-economic activity and capital investment in Best Available Technology in abatement technology in the energy sector.”
The key findings of the 2009 E-PRTR show -
336 facilities in Ireland are covered by E-PRTR reporting. These include facilities from power generation, wastewater treatment, chemicals, intensive livestock, minerals & cement sectors. Also included are large companies in areas such food & drink and waste sites.
Releases to air were dominated by facilities from the energy, minerals & cement and chemical sectors.
Overall, the data shows a continued downward trend, since 2007, in emissions of key substances or pollutants to air (carbon dioxide, sulphur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide, methane and non-methane volatile organic carbons).
The energy sector contributed 79% of Ireland’s 2009 E-PRTR carbon dioxide releases, while the remaining 21% was from the cement & minerals sector. Releases of carbon dioxide from the cement sector have decreased by 16.5% since 2008.
Nitrogen oxide and sulphur dioxide emissions decreased by 39% and 37%, respectively, since 2008.
Public wastewater treatment plants which receive wastewater from a variety of sources were the top contributors to the total amount of nutrients (i.e. total nitrogen and total phosphorus, released to waters in 2009). The increase in emissions from this sector is indicative of additional wastewater treatment facilities reporting under E-PRTR.
The tonnage of hazardous waste transferred off-site from E-PRTR facilities decreased by 55% since 2008, to 220,428 tonnes. This is most likely a result of the economic downturn.
The waste transfer stations and chemical sector contributed 52% and 36% respectively, of the total hazardous waste transfers off-site.
The tonnage of non-hazardous waste from all sectors decreased by 6%, to 3.28 million tonnes.
www.buckplanning.ie
Households face €175 water charge after Government U-turn
Householders will have to pay an annual charge of up to €175 for their water within two years, the Irish Independent has learned.
The move comes as the Government was forced to admit it will not meet a target to have meters installed in every home in the country by next year. It will, instead, introduce a flat-rate annual fee - expected to be €175 per house, regardless of household income.
The U-turn by Fine Gael comes after pre-election promises that it would not charge for water until every home had a meter installed to measure consumption.
As part of the EU/IMF bailout conditions, the State is required to start charging for domestic water by 2012/2013. Sources said the Government was "locked in" to this provision, regardless of whether meters were in place.
Work on the metering programme - which, the Government says, will take four years to complete - has not yet begun. The project will be funded by the National Pension Reserve Fund. The Government hopes to start installing meters next year.
"At some stage, there's going to be flat-rate charges," a senior government source told the Irish Independent. "No decision has been taken on how we're going to marry the programme for government with the EU/IMF deal, but we're absolutely locked into this deal."
Ireland is one of the only countries in the EU not to charge households for water. The State spends more than €500m a year treating water for domestic use, something the EU/IMF insists must change.
However, the Government will likely face stiff opposition to get a charging system in place. The charge cannot be considered an environmental tax aimed at encouraging conservation if consumption cannot be measured.
If a household of two people has to pay the same as a household of six, there would be no incentive to reduce use.
If the flat rate was imposed on each of the country's 1.4 million households, around €245m a year would be collected.
The Government wants to set up a national authority to take responsibility for the water network and impose charges,.
Details of the plan must be finalised for the EU/IMF by the end of this year. A soon-to-be commissioned study will set out the state of the country's water network, examine how much water is being lost and what works are needed to bring it up to standard.
Junior Environment Minister Fergus O'Dowd would not comment on water charging, saying it was a matter for the Department of the Environment. However, he admitted the country's water system was in a "critical way".
"We need to spend €5bn over the next 10 years to stop leakages, with €250m needed immediately," he told the Irish Independent.
However, collecting the domestic charges could prove difficult, given the experience in the commercial sector. In some areas, as few as 27pc of businesses pay their bills and councils are currently owed €90m.
The Irish Independent
www.buckplanning.ie
The move comes as the Government was forced to admit it will not meet a target to have meters installed in every home in the country by next year. It will, instead, introduce a flat-rate annual fee - expected to be €175 per house, regardless of household income.
The U-turn by Fine Gael comes after pre-election promises that it would not charge for water until every home had a meter installed to measure consumption.
As part of the EU/IMF bailout conditions, the State is required to start charging for domestic water by 2012/2013. Sources said the Government was "locked in" to this provision, regardless of whether meters were in place.
Work on the metering programme - which, the Government says, will take four years to complete - has not yet begun. The project will be funded by the National Pension Reserve Fund. The Government hopes to start installing meters next year.
"At some stage, there's going to be flat-rate charges," a senior government source told the Irish Independent. "No decision has been taken on how we're going to marry the programme for government with the EU/IMF deal, but we're absolutely locked into this deal."
Ireland is one of the only countries in the EU not to charge households for water. The State spends more than €500m a year treating water for domestic use, something the EU/IMF insists must change.
However, the Government will likely face stiff opposition to get a charging system in place. The charge cannot be considered an environmental tax aimed at encouraging conservation if consumption cannot be measured.
If a household of two people has to pay the same as a household of six, there would be no incentive to reduce use.
If the flat rate was imposed on each of the country's 1.4 million households, around €245m a year would be collected.
The Government wants to set up a national authority to take responsibility for the water network and impose charges,.
Details of the plan must be finalised for the EU/IMF by the end of this year. A soon-to-be commissioned study will set out the state of the country's water network, examine how much water is being lost and what works are needed to bring it up to standard.
Junior Environment Minister Fergus O'Dowd would not comment on water charging, saying it was a matter for the Department of the Environment. However, he admitted the country's water system was in a "critical way".
"We need to spend €5bn over the next 10 years to stop leakages, with €250m needed immediately," he told the Irish Independent.
However, collecting the domestic charges could prove difficult, given the experience in the commercial sector. In some areas, as few as 27pc of businesses pay their bills and councils are currently owed €90m.
The Irish Independent
www.buckplanning.ie
DART airport plan on track as Metro North hits the buffers
THE high-profile €2.5bn Metro North project is set to be shelved in favour of a 20-year-old plan to build an extension of the DART line to Dublin Airport, the Irish Independent has learned.
The Government has ordered Iarnrod Eireann to update the 1991 plan to build a 6.5km spur just after Clongriffin DART Station to the airport.
It is estimated the overground rail project would cost just €300m and provide a high-speed link-up to the city centre at a fraction of the cost of the underground Metro plan.
The move comes amid major concerns about funding the €2.5bn Metro North light-rail system, which was due to run from St Stephen's Green to Swords via the airport.
The DART extension was first mooted in 1991 by Iarnrod Eireann and Aer Rianta.
It was later suggested in 2005 as part of the Government's ambitious Transport 21 programme, but rejected at the time in favour of Metro North.
However, the Government has now ordered the rail company to revisit the plan because it is an affordable solution to providing Dublin Airport with a rail link to the city centre.
Under the revised plan, DART trains would run from Dublin Airport every 15 minutes from 5am to 1am, reaching Pearse or Connolly stations in just over 20 minutes.
The airport DART station would be built next to the airport terminals and would enable travellers from as far away as Greystones, Co Wicklow, to travel direct to the airport on trains.
Land costs would be minimal, as much of the land needed is agricultural and undeveloped, and there would be no need to buy extra trains.
Passengers numbers are expected at 10,000 a day and a park-and-ride site could be built nearby, probably close to the M1 motorway, to allow commuters from Swords to use the service to and from the city.
This and the airport terminus would be the only new stations on the line.
Total construction costs are estimated at €300m, including the cost of purchasing land, and the project could be completed in just three years. Up to 3,000 jobs would be created.
Design
"There's a lot of detailed design and a planning application needed," an Iarnrod Eireann spokesman said.
Transport Minister Leo Varadkar last week said just one of three major capital investment projects would go ahead from DART Underground (€2bn), Metro North (€2.5bn) or the link-up of the two Luas lines, called BXD.
But he also added a fourth project into the decision process -- the DART airport link.
"It is not a new proposal and has been raised before. . . However, if we cannot proceed with Metro North on the basis of cost, it may be a viable alternative," Mr Varadkar told the Irish Independent last night.
"Cost will be a very important consideration when deciding on future investments. We must ensure that any new project is affordable."
Both DART Underground and Metro North are due to be financed under Public Private Partnerships (PPP), where the private sector builds the lines and the State repays the cost over time. But sourcing funding is difficult because of the economic situation.
Mr Varadkar added: "In the absence of available PPPs, upcoming projects will have to be on a smaller scale, with costs running to hundreds of millions of euros rather than billions."
The Government has ordered a review of the capital spending programme which will be completed in the autumn, but it is understood a decision on the airport link could be made before the summer.
Paul Melia
Irish Independent
www.buckplanning.ie
The Government has ordered Iarnrod Eireann to update the 1991 plan to build a 6.5km spur just after Clongriffin DART Station to the airport.
It is estimated the overground rail project would cost just €300m and provide a high-speed link-up to the city centre at a fraction of the cost of the underground Metro plan.
The move comes amid major concerns about funding the €2.5bn Metro North light-rail system, which was due to run from St Stephen's Green to Swords via the airport.
The DART extension was first mooted in 1991 by Iarnrod Eireann and Aer Rianta.
It was later suggested in 2005 as part of the Government's ambitious Transport 21 programme, but rejected at the time in favour of Metro North.
However, the Government has now ordered the rail company to revisit the plan because it is an affordable solution to providing Dublin Airport with a rail link to the city centre.
Under the revised plan, DART trains would run from Dublin Airport every 15 minutes from 5am to 1am, reaching Pearse or Connolly stations in just over 20 minutes.
The airport DART station would be built next to the airport terminals and would enable travellers from as far away as Greystones, Co Wicklow, to travel direct to the airport on trains.
Land costs would be minimal, as much of the land needed is agricultural and undeveloped, and there would be no need to buy extra trains.
Passengers numbers are expected at 10,000 a day and a park-and-ride site could be built nearby, probably close to the M1 motorway, to allow commuters from Swords to use the service to and from the city.
This and the airport terminus would be the only new stations on the line.
Total construction costs are estimated at €300m, including the cost of purchasing land, and the project could be completed in just three years. Up to 3,000 jobs would be created.
Design
"There's a lot of detailed design and a planning application needed," an Iarnrod Eireann spokesman said.
Transport Minister Leo Varadkar last week said just one of three major capital investment projects would go ahead from DART Underground (€2bn), Metro North (€2.5bn) or the link-up of the two Luas lines, called BXD.
But he also added a fourth project into the decision process -- the DART airport link.
"It is not a new proposal and has been raised before. . . However, if we cannot proceed with Metro North on the basis of cost, it may be a viable alternative," Mr Varadkar told the Irish Independent last night.
"Cost will be a very important consideration when deciding on future investments. We must ensure that any new project is affordable."
Both DART Underground and Metro North are due to be financed under Public Private Partnerships (PPP), where the private sector builds the lines and the State repays the cost over time. But sourcing funding is difficult because of the economic situation.
Mr Varadkar added: "In the absence of available PPPs, upcoming projects will have to be on a smaller scale, with costs running to hundreds of millions of euros rather than billions."
The Government has ordered a review of the capital spending programme which will be completed in the autumn, but it is understood a decision on the airport link could be made before the summer.
Paul Melia
Irish Independent
www.buckplanning.ie
Public 'has right' to data held by NAMA
TAXPAYERS shouldering the country's massive debt have a right to information withheld by NAMA, Information Commissioner Emily O'Reilly insisted yesterday.
NAMA is not covered by the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act, whereby taxpayers can access data routinely withheld by many public bodies. And Ms O'Reilly hit out at the increasing number of public bodies being removed from the FOI process and demanded it be extended to every public body.
"Members of the public, who ultimately shoulder the burden of this country's debt . . . have a right to have all information at their disposal to analyse in an informed manner, the decisions which had, and will continue to have, such a profound effect on their lives," she said at the launch of her annual report yesterday.
She recommended all records held by bodies such as NAMA, the National Treasury Management Agency, and the Central Bank, be immediately brought under the remit of the FOI.
Treacy Hogan
Irish Independent
www.buckplanning.ie
NAMA is not covered by the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act, whereby taxpayers can access data routinely withheld by many public bodies. And Ms O'Reilly hit out at the increasing number of public bodies being removed from the FOI process and demanded it be extended to every public body.
"Members of the public, who ultimately shoulder the burden of this country's debt . . . have a right to have all information at their disposal to analyse in an informed manner, the decisions which had, and will continue to have, such a profound effect on their lives," she said at the launch of her annual report yesterday.
She recommended all records held by bodies such as NAMA, the National Treasury Management Agency, and the Central Bank, be immediately brought under the remit of the FOI.
Treacy Hogan
Irish Independent
www.buckplanning.ie
Builders find Viking settlement in capital
A VIKING settlement has been uncovered in the heart of Dublin city centre.
Archaeologists uncovered the settlement on what was once an island in Temple Bar. It consists of two Viking homes and was found during excavations that started two weeks ago.
The find was made when work began to construct four retractable umbrellas at Meeting House Square to be used as shelter during outdoor events.
The settlement is believed to have been built on an island in the River Poddle, a small medieval river that ran through the area, in the 10th or 11th century before it was destroyed by floods.
A number of pottery artefacts from a later date have also been discovered.
events planned in celebration of Temple Bar's upcoming 20th anniversary on July 15-24 have now been moved to other spaces.
Irish Independent
www.buckplanning.ie
Archaeologists uncovered the settlement on what was once an island in Temple Bar. It consists of two Viking homes and was found during excavations that started two weeks ago.
The find was made when work began to construct four retractable umbrellas at Meeting House Square to be used as shelter during outdoor events.
The settlement is believed to have been built on an island in the River Poddle, a small medieval river that ran through the area, in the 10th or 11th century before it was destroyed by floods.
A number of pottery artefacts from a later date have also been discovered.
events planned in celebration of Temple Bar's upcoming 20th anniversary on July 15-24 have now been moved to other spaces.
Irish Independent
www.buckplanning.ie
Millions wiped off value of land in dezoning
DEVELOPERS have taken massive hits on the value of their land banks, as one-in-three local authorities have dezoned land earmarked for development.
The moved has wiped hundreds of millions off the value of land across the country -- with taxpayers facing a massive bill for NAMA loans linked to land returning to agricultural use.
Planning Minister Willie Penrose said yesterday that 12 of the State's 34 local authorities had made changes to their development plans which has resulted in thousands of sites now being classed as unsuitable for development.
Last year, local authorities were ordered to dezone, rezone or forbid development on massive land banks to comply with tough new planning guidelines which set out where houses and commercial units could be built.
The move came because councillors had zoned enough land during the boom years to build more than a million homes that were not needed.
Councils had previously zoned more than 44,000 hectares of land for housing over the past decade.
This was 31,633 hectares more than was actually needed.
Any development land that is dezoned instantly loses a huge portion of its value.
This equates to enough land for almost 1.5m houses and apartments -- but just 400,000 units are needed up to 2016, according to the Department of the Environment.
Difficult
Speaking at the National Planning Conference in Galway, the minister said that 12 local authorities have already changed their development plans, adding that all 34 councils will have dezoned land by the end of October.
"I recognise that this is a difficult task for local authorities but I am encouraged at the progress made to date," he said.
A reliance on development levies along with pressure from developers and landowners led to a frenzy of rubber-stamping during the boom. One-third, or €20bn, of the toxic property loans going into NAMA are linked to land, meaning taxpayers could be stuck with massive loans linked to fields that may never be developed.
Mr Penrose also said that a blueprint to tackle ghost estates is to be published next week.
More than 2,800 housing estates have been identified where construction has started but has not been completed.
Paul Melia, Brian McDonald and Treacy Hogan
Irish Independent
www.buckplanning.ie
The moved has wiped hundreds of millions off the value of land across the country -- with taxpayers facing a massive bill for NAMA loans linked to land returning to agricultural use.
Planning Minister Willie Penrose said yesterday that 12 of the State's 34 local authorities had made changes to their development plans which has resulted in thousands of sites now being classed as unsuitable for development.
Last year, local authorities were ordered to dezone, rezone or forbid development on massive land banks to comply with tough new planning guidelines which set out where houses and commercial units could be built.
The move came because councillors had zoned enough land during the boom years to build more than a million homes that were not needed.
Councils had previously zoned more than 44,000 hectares of land for housing over the past decade.
This was 31,633 hectares more than was actually needed.
Any development land that is dezoned instantly loses a huge portion of its value.
This equates to enough land for almost 1.5m houses and apartments -- but just 400,000 units are needed up to 2016, according to the Department of the Environment.
Difficult
Speaking at the National Planning Conference in Galway, the minister said that 12 local authorities have already changed their development plans, adding that all 34 councils will have dezoned land by the end of October.
"I recognise that this is a difficult task for local authorities but I am encouraged at the progress made to date," he said.
A reliance on development levies along with pressure from developers and landowners led to a frenzy of rubber-stamping during the boom. One-third, or €20bn, of the toxic property loans going into NAMA are linked to land, meaning taxpayers could be stuck with massive loans linked to fields that may never be developed.
Mr Penrose also said that a blueprint to tackle ghost estates is to be published next week.
More than 2,800 housing estates have been identified where construction has started but has not been completed.
Paul Melia, Brian McDonald and Treacy Hogan
Irish Independent
www.buckplanning.ie
Sutton site for sale at 86% reduction
A site of nearly two acres near Sutton Dart station in north Dublin is for sale with planning for €1.55 million. It sold for €11 million in 2003
A HOUSING SITE of almost two acres at Sutton in north Dublin, which sold in 2003 for €11 million, is back on the market at €1.55 million.
The new guide price underlines the dramatic fall-off in the value of development land even in a highly popular and convenient area of north Dublin.
Sites in many provincial cities and towns are expected to take an even greater hit if and when receivers attempt to offload them.
Wesley Rothwell of CB Richard Ellis, who is acting for three low profile developers who bought the Sutton land from Dublin City Council, said the 1.98 acres on Railway Avenue – off Baldoyle Road – were now “priced to sell”.
The site is within a few minutes walk of Sutton Dart Station and is about 500m from Sutton Cross, where the shopping facilities include a large Superquinn supermarket and a hotel.
Fingal County Council originally granted planning permission for 75 apartments and a crèche on the site.
A subsequent appeal to An Bord Pleanála resulted in the number of units being reduced to 60, of which 41 are two-bedroom apartments, six are three-bedroom apartments, eight are one-bedroom homes and five are duplex units.
But with an estimated 10,000 apartments now overhanging the market in the greater Dublin area, Rothwell says demand has now switched to traditional style houses in established suburban areas near public transport.
The Sutton area as well as the adjoining areas of Clontarf and Howth are characterised by large family homes, often on spacious mature gardens.
A feasibility study prepared for the Railway Avenue site suggests that there is potential for 27 semi-detached houses with floor areas of 140sq m (1,506sq ft) as well as four two-bedroom duplex units and two two-bedroom apartments. Three-bedroom semis in this location would be expected to sell in the region of €350,000 to €375,000. “The big attraction here is that you are a minute’s walk from the Dart Station,” says Rothwell.
At a price of €1.55 million, the unit price per home under the feasibility study would work out at less than €47,000 compared to a previous cost of over €183,000 for each of the 60 apartments.
During the property boom, a landowner close by refused an offer of €10 million for a one-acre site that would accommodate 40 apartments. At that price it would have worked out at €250,000 per unit.
Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
A HOUSING SITE of almost two acres at Sutton in north Dublin, which sold in 2003 for €11 million, is back on the market at €1.55 million.
The new guide price underlines the dramatic fall-off in the value of development land even in a highly popular and convenient area of north Dublin.
Sites in many provincial cities and towns are expected to take an even greater hit if and when receivers attempt to offload them.
Wesley Rothwell of CB Richard Ellis, who is acting for three low profile developers who bought the Sutton land from Dublin City Council, said the 1.98 acres on Railway Avenue – off Baldoyle Road – were now “priced to sell”.
The site is within a few minutes walk of Sutton Dart Station and is about 500m from Sutton Cross, where the shopping facilities include a large Superquinn supermarket and a hotel.
Fingal County Council originally granted planning permission for 75 apartments and a crèche on the site.
A subsequent appeal to An Bord Pleanála resulted in the number of units being reduced to 60, of which 41 are two-bedroom apartments, six are three-bedroom apartments, eight are one-bedroom homes and five are duplex units.
But with an estimated 10,000 apartments now overhanging the market in the greater Dublin area, Rothwell says demand has now switched to traditional style houses in established suburban areas near public transport.
The Sutton area as well as the adjoining areas of Clontarf and Howth are characterised by large family homes, often on spacious mature gardens.
A feasibility study prepared for the Railway Avenue site suggests that there is potential for 27 semi-detached houses with floor areas of 140sq m (1,506sq ft) as well as four two-bedroom duplex units and two two-bedroom apartments. Three-bedroom semis in this location would be expected to sell in the region of €350,000 to €375,000. “The big attraction here is that you are a minute’s walk from the Dart Station,” says Rothwell.
At a price of €1.55 million, the unit price per home under the feasibility study would work out at less than €47,000 compared to a previous cost of over €183,000 for each of the 60 apartments.
During the property boom, a landowner close by refused an offer of €10 million for a one-acre site that would accommodate 40 apartments. At that price it would have worked out at €250,000 per unit.
Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
Objections to new Gorey courthouse
From the letters page of the Irish Times:
Madam, – I would like to respond to Frank McDonald’s report (“Courts body to meet ‘alarmed’ residents”, April 25th). As a local historian deeply concerned about Wexford’s built heritage, I cannot see as appropriate the proposal for large high-rise blocks and parking areas to be built onto the existing elegant, well-proportioned mellow red-brick building of the 19th century Tate School (later home of Wexford Corporation Borough Council). My current research on former school governor and freeman of the borough of Wexford, Dr George Hadden, has made me realise what a gracious building we have in a green and charming setting.
It would be sad indeed to lose forever one of the town’s most attractive hilly spaces. Hopefully, given the many development spaces elsewhere, enlightened planners and architects will find an appropriate alternative. It is worth noting that Wexford Opera House was planned and erected in full consultation with local residents. – Yours, etc,
EITHNE SCALLAN,
Maudlintown, Wexford.
Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
Madam, – I would like to respond to Frank McDonald’s report (“Courts body to meet ‘alarmed’ residents”, April 25th). As a local historian deeply concerned about Wexford’s built heritage, I cannot see as appropriate the proposal for large high-rise blocks and parking areas to be built onto the existing elegant, well-proportioned mellow red-brick building of the 19th century Tate School (later home of Wexford Corporation Borough Council). My current research on former school governor and freeman of the borough of Wexford, Dr George Hadden, has made me realise what a gracious building we have in a green and charming setting.
It would be sad indeed to lose forever one of the town’s most attractive hilly spaces. Hopefully, given the many development spaces elsewhere, enlightened planners and architects will find an appropriate alternative. It is worth noting that Wexford Opera House was planned and erected in full consultation with local residents. – Yours, etc,
EITHNE SCALLAN,
Maudlintown, Wexford.
Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
Walking away from Metro North is the only way to go
ANALYSIS: Plan to link two Luas lines is the only major transport project that still makes any sense
LEO VARADKAR was being brutally realistic when he said last month that we could only afford to go ahead with just one of the three “big ticket” public transport projects in Dublin – Metro North, Dart Underground and the long-missing city centre link (known as BXD) between the two existing Luas lines.
The new Minister for Transport made it clear that times had changed since all three were included in the Fianna Fáil-Progressive Democrat coalition’s €34 billion Transport 21 investment programme, announced in November 2005. “We are not awash with cash anymore and our city is not growing any more,” he said.
Varadkar has been advised by his officials that cancelling Metro North – the most advanced of the three projects in planning terms – could have a “serious impact on the credibility of the Government as a counter-party for PPP deals for other major infrastructure investment projects”.
Pat Mangan, former assistant secretary at the Department of Transport, warned recently that any decision to “walk away” from Metro North would put off potential PPP investors in Dart Underground, with the result that its estimated €2.5 billion cost would “fall back on the exchequer”, making it “unaffordable”.
There is no doubt that consortiums bidding for the Metro North PPP would be deeply dismayed if the €3 billion-plus project was shelved; they are believed to have invested up to €15 million each in their bids. So would the Railway Procurement Agency (RPA), which has spent some €135 million on the project so far.
But Ireland’s financial plight is very well-known internationally and this has made it increasingly difficult for prospective PPP partners to raise money in the capital markets for projects here. Instead of being shocked by a Government decision to shelve Metro North, the markets would now be more surprised if it went ahead.
Yes, there would be some “reputational damage”, but we’ve suffered plenty of that already. As one transport source put it, the case being made to avoid more is analogous to “someone who’s lost their job saying he’d still go ahead with the domestic extension he was planning in the good times, out of sympathy for the builder”.
Neither would it be unprecedented to cancel a PPP. Two weeks ago, after applying for an €80 billion “bailout” from our friends in the ECB and the IMF, Portugal’s interim government suspended plans for a high-speed rail line between Lisbon and Madrid and disbanded Rave, the country’s high-speed rail company.
The new line was to be built and operated as a PPP project, a joint venture by two Portuguese companies, working with a Spanish contractor. It will be up to the next government to decide whether it goes ahead and, meanwhile, the companies involved could claim more than €200 million in compensation for breach of contract.
We have not yet reached that stage with Metro North. Although the RPA shortlisted two consortiums – Metro Express and Celtic Metro – in June 2009 to proceed to the final stage of the PPP process, it has not yet selected a final bidder. It must also seek a new railway order from An Bord Pleanála for a relocated depot at Dardistown.
Just as Luas was conceived as a relatively modest project in the early 1990s when we were not flush with money, Metro North is a boom-time scheme – with a rationale rooted in highly optimistic population projections for Fingal that will not be realised, even in the medium term. It no longer makes any sense – and never did.
An independent review of Transport 21, commissioned by the Chartered Institute of Transport and Logistics, called for priority to be given to the Dart Underground project because it represented better value for money and would serve a wider catchment than Metro North – the opposite of what the previous government decided.
The review, led by Prof Austin Smyth, concluded that Metro North’s limited extent – reduced to a 16km line by An Bord Pleanála – “would make its overall contribution marginal” and said that, where fiscal and financial constraints required difficult choices to be made, Dart Underground and the city centre Luas link should go ahead.
Unfortunately, the only one of the three major projects that’s “shovel ready” is Metro North. An Bord Pleanála has yet to make a decision on Dart Underground, following a 22-day oral hearing, while an inquiry into the BXD Luas line that would run from St Stephen’s Green to Broombridge, via O’Connell Street, will open next week.
Dublin is the only city in the world that was daft enough to build two free-standing light rail lines, due to a cowardly decision by the Fianna Fáil-Progressive Democrat coalition in May 1998. Surely common sense dictates that we should now “join the dots” between them? The cost, at some €400 million, would also be relatively affordable.
Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
LEO VARADKAR was being brutally realistic when he said last month that we could only afford to go ahead with just one of the three “big ticket” public transport projects in Dublin – Metro North, Dart Underground and the long-missing city centre link (known as BXD) between the two existing Luas lines.
The new Minister for Transport made it clear that times had changed since all three were included in the Fianna Fáil-Progressive Democrat coalition’s €34 billion Transport 21 investment programme, announced in November 2005. “We are not awash with cash anymore and our city is not growing any more,” he said.
Varadkar has been advised by his officials that cancelling Metro North – the most advanced of the three projects in planning terms – could have a “serious impact on the credibility of the Government as a counter-party for PPP deals for other major infrastructure investment projects”.
Pat Mangan, former assistant secretary at the Department of Transport, warned recently that any decision to “walk away” from Metro North would put off potential PPP investors in Dart Underground, with the result that its estimated €2.5 billion cost would “fall back on the exchequer”, making it “unaffordable”.
There is no doubt that consortiums bidding for the Metro North PPP would be deeply dismayed if the €3 billion-plus project was shelved; they are believed to have invested up to €15 million each in their bids. So would the Railway Procurement Agency (RPA), which has spent some €135 million on the project so far.
But Ireland’s financial plight is very well-known internationally and this has made it increasingly difficult for prospective PPP partners to raise money in the capital markets for projects here. Instead of being shocked by a Government decision to shelve Metro North, the markets would now be more surprised if it went ahead.
Yes, there would be some “reputational damage”, but we’ve suffered plenty of that already. As one transport source put it, the case being made to avoid more is analogous to “someone who’s lost their job saying he’d still go ahead with the domestic extension he was planning in the good times, out of sympathy for the builder”.
Neither would it be unprecedented to cancel a PPP. Two weeks ago, after applying for an €80 billion “bailout” from our friends in the ECB and the IMF, Portugal’s interim government suspended plans for a high-speed rail line between Lisbon and Madrid and disbanded Rave, the country’s high-speed rail company.
The new line was to be built and operated as a PPP project, a joint venture by two Portuguese companies, working with a Spanish contractor. It will be up to the next government to decide whether it goes ahead and, meanwhile, the companies involved could claim more than €200 million in compensation for breach of contract.
We have not yet reached that stage with Metro North. Although the RPA shortlisted two consortiums – Metro Express and Celtic Metro – in June 2009 to proceed to the final stage of the PPP process, it has not yet selected a final bidder. It must also seek a new railway order from An Bord Pleanála for a relocated depot at Dardistown.
Just as Luas was conceived as a relatively modest project in the early 1990s when we were not flush with money, Metro North is a boom-time scheme – with a rationale rooted in highly optimistic population projections for Fingal that will not be realised, even in the medium term. It no longer makes any sense – and never did.
An independent review of Transport 21, commissioned by the Chartered Institute of Transport and Logistics, called for priority to be given to the Dart Underground project because it represented better value for money and would serve a wider catchment than Metro North – the opposite of what the previous government decided.
The review, led by Prof Austin Smyth, concluded that Metro North’s limited extent – reduced to a 16km line by An Bord Pleanála – “would make its overall contribution marginal” and said that, where fiscal and financial constraints required difficult choices to be made, Dart Underground and the city centre Luas link should go ahead.
Unfortunately, the only one of the three major projects that’s “shovel ready” is Metro North. An Bord Pleanála has yet to make a decision on Dart Underground, following a 22-day oral hearing, while an inquiry into the BXD Luas line that would run from St Stephen’s Green to Broombridge, via O’Connell Street, will open next week.
Dublin is the only city in the world that was daft enough to build two free-standing light rail lines, due to a cowardly decision by the Fianna Fáil-Progressive Democrat coalition in May 1998. Surely common sense dictates that we should now “join the dots” between them? The cost, at some €400 million, would also be relatively affordable.
Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
Transport review may look at old plan for rail spur from Dart to airport
A REVIEW of transport investment priorities may result in 20-year plans to serve Dublin airport with a rail spur from the Dart line being revived as an alternative to the Metro North project.
A spokesman for Iarnród Éireann confirmed yesterday that it had been requested by the Department of Transport to provide further details on the proposed rail spur which would branch off the Malahide Dart line at Clongriffin.
In the Dáil on April 20th, Minister for Transport Leo Varadkar said a Dart extension to the airport and Swords was one of the options being “rated according to their contribution to economic and transport objectives, including employment potential”.
The other projects included in the current review are Metro North, which would run from St Stephen’s Green to Swords; Dart Underground, a tunnel linking Heuston with the Docklands; and a city centre link between the two existing Luas lines.
“Notwithstanding funding difficulties, I will seek to ensure that at least one of these projects will proceed. I will examine all realistic options for delivery, including on an incremental, phased basis if possible, with the involvement of private funding, the Minister said.
He told Dessie Ellis TD (SF) that the reason Metro North and Dart Underground were to be public-private partnership (PPP) projects was that “even during the boom no one thought it would be possible for the exchequer to spend the billions of euro needed to pay for them”.
No estimate for the 16km Metro North has been officially released, but it is likely to cost €3 billion, mainly because 10km of the line would be underground.
The estimate for Dart Underground has been put at €2 billion, although it could cost more.
“The two projects, if they are to proceed, can only do so as PPPs. If we did not have the funds for them during the boom out of taxpayers’ money, we definitely do not have the money now,” Mr Varadkar said.
However, he added that it would be possible for the city centre Luas link or a Dart extension to Dublin airport to go ahead with exchequer funds “because they are much less expensive than the other two projects”. Each has a price tag of about €400 million.
The proposed Luas link, known as BXD, would run from the current terminus at St Stephen’s Green through the city centre, via College Green, Westmoreland Street and O’Connell Street, and onwards to Broombridge, via the disused midland railway line.
The Dart spur would branch off the Malahide Dart line at Clongriffin and run to Dublin airport and onwards to Swords. The Minister accepted that plugging it into an already busy rail section could cause congestion problems.
Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
A spokesman for Iarnród Éireann confirmed yesterday that it had been requested by the Department of Transport to provide further details on the proposed rail spur which would branch off the Malahide Dart line at Clongriffin.
In the Dáil on April 20th, Minister for Transport Leo Varadkar said a Dart extension to the airport and Swords was one of the options being “rated according to their contribution to economic and transport objectives, including employment potential”.
The other projects included in the current review are Metro North, which would run from St Stephen’s Green to Swords; Dart Underground, a tunnel linking Heuston with the Docklands; and a city centre link between the two existing Luas lines.
“Notwithstanding funding difficulties, I will seek to ensure that at least one of these projects will proceed. I will examine all realistic options for delivery, including on an incremental, phased basis if possible, with the involvement of private funding, the Minister said.
He told Dessie Ellis TD (SF) that the reason Metro North and Dart Underground were to be public-private partnership (PPP) projects was that “even during the boom no one thought it would be possible for the exchequer to spend the billions of euro needed to pay for them”.
No estimate for the 16km Metro North has been officially released, but it is likely to cost €3 billion, mainly because 10km of the line would be underground.
The estimate for Dart Underground has been put at €2 billion, although it could cost more.
“The two projects, if they are to proceed, can only do so as PPPs. If we did not have the funds for them during the boom out of taxpayers’ money, we definitely do not have the money now,” Mr Varadkar said.
However, he added that it would be possible for the city centre Luas link or a Dart extension to Dublin airport to go ahead with exchequer funds “because they are much less expensive than the other two projects”. Each has a price tag of about €400 million.
The proposed Luas link, known as BXD, would run from the current terminus at St Stephen’s Green through the city centre, via College Green, Westmoreland Street and O’Connell Street, and onwards to Broombridge, via the disused midland railway line.
The Dart spur would branch off the Malahide Dart line at Clongriffin and run to Dublin airport and onwards to Swords. The Minister accepted that plugging it into an already busy rail section could cause congestion problems.
Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
Transport body dismisses claims it has no interest in bus corridors
THE NATIONAL Transport Authority has described as “utter nonsense” claims by environmentalists that it has “no interest” in the provision of more quality bus corridors (QBCs) in Dublin.
“The allegations that the quality bus network project office is targeted for ‘dismantling’ and that the National Transport Authority is ‘an agency which has no interest in their construction’ are utter nonsense,” a spokeswoman said.
James Nix, transport policy co-ordinator for the Irish Environmental Network, had claimed that low-cost, bus-priority measures were not being progressed in favour of promoting much more expensive rail schemes such as Metro North.
The authority’s spokeswoman said Dublin City Council had agreed to transfer the quality bus network design office to the authority where it was operating in the same manner.
“Work is continuing, as it had been prior to the transfer, in the design and delivery of QBC schemes.
“In addition, the remit of the office is being widened to include delivery of other sustainable transport schemes such as quality cycleways, accessibility schemes, development of recreational cycling and walking routes, as well as providing technical assistance,” she said.
Given the authority’s wider remit it was also intended to “utilise the capabilities of the office to support the delivery of QBCs, cycling and walking projects in regional cities” as well as in Dublin “and it will continue performing that role in an undiminished manner”.
Referring to delays in the implementation of the North Wall QBC, to link Busáras with the Dublin Port Tunnel, the spokeswoman said the route required resurfacing.
She said that as soon as this was done “later this year” lane markings for the QBC would be laid down.
Mr Nix had also claimed that a proposed QBC in Bray, Co Wicklow, which local councillors had voted to facilitate by removing space for parking on the town’s main street, was “not now to progress as planned” and that work on it had actually been halted.
The National Transport Authority’s spokeswoman said it had agreed with Bray Town Council to fund widening of the existing bridge over the river Dargle, and this would now proceed as “a key element with significant potential for pedestrians, cyclists and public transport”.
Bus priority measures on Florence Road would also be introduced “as soon as possible”, while a lower-cost scheme, involving less disruption to retailers, was now planned for Bray’s main street that would deliver the QBC objectives and give “better value for money”.
Referring to a proposed QBC for the N81 in Tallaght, the spokeswoman said that the central section of it had been omitted because it would have a “very low bus flow”.
However, she said construction of the other sections would commence in the third quarter of this year.
Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
“The allegations that the quality bus network project office is targeted for ‘dismantling’ and that the National Transport Authority is ‘an agency which has no interest in their construction’ are utter nonsense,” a spokeswoman said.
James Nix, transport policy co-ordinator for the Irish Environmental Network, had claimed that low-cost, bus-priority measures were not being progressed in favour of promoting much more expensive rail schemes such as Metro North.
The authority’s spokeswoman said Dublin City Council had agreed to transfer the quality bus network design office to the authority where it was operating in the same manner.
“Work is continuing, as it had been prior to the transfer, in the design and delivery of QBC schemes.
“In addition, the remit of the office is being widened to include delivery of other sustainable transport schemes such as quality cycleways, accessibility schemes, development of recreational cycling and walking routes, as well as providing technical assistance,” she said.
Given the authority’s wider remit it was also intended to “utilise the capabilities of the office to support the delivery of QBCs, cycling and walking projects in regional cities” as well as in Dublin “and it will continue performing that role in an undiminished manner”.
Referring to delays in the implementation of the North Wall QBC, to link Busáras with the Dublin Port Tunnel, the spokeswoman said the route required resurfacing.
She said that as soon as this was done “later this year” lane markings for the QBC would be laid down.
Mr Nix had also claimed that a proposed QBC in Bray, Co Wicklow, which local councillors had voted to facilitate by removing space for parking on the town’s main street, was “not now to progress as planned” and that work on it had actually been halted.
The National Transport Authority’s spokeswoman said it had agreed with Bray Town Council to fund widening of the existing bridge over the river Dargle, and this would now proceed as “a key element with significant potential for pedestrians, cyclists and public transport”.
Bus priority measures on Florence Road would also be introduced “as soon as possible”, while a lower-cost scheme, involving less disruption to retailers, was now planned for Bray’s main street that would deliver the QBC objectives and give “better value for money”.
Referring to a proposed QBC for the N81 in Tallaght, the spokeswoman said that the central section of it had been omitted because it would have a “very low bus flow”.
However, she said construction of the other sections would commence in the third quarter of this year.
Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
National group to oversee efforts to deal with ghost estates
A NATIONAL co-ordination group is to be established within weeks to oversee action by local authorities in dealing with the most problematic ghost housing estates, according to Minister of State for Housing and Planning Willie Penrose.
Addressing the Irish Planning Institute’s annual conference in Galway yesterday, he said one of his top priorities was that “clear, decisive and proactive actions are taken to progressively resolve the issues with unfinished housing developments”.
It has emerged that the National Asset Management Agency (Nama) has 10 per cent of about 150 of the worst ghost estates that are unfinished and pose health and safety issues.
The vast majority of the ghost estates that require the most work were financed by the foreign-owned banks operating in Ireland.
About 28 per cent of the loans at Nama relate to land and development and about 16 per cent are in the Dublin area, where there is a greater demand for housing.
Mr Penrose, who is to chair the co-ordination group, said his officials were already “working hard on innovative ways to find positive uses for vacant housing, including the leasing or purchase of units from Nama” for families on local authority waiting lists.
He will shortly be receiving a report by the Advisory Group on Unfinished Housing Developments, made up of community, central and local government, professional banking, construction representatives, and planners, and he said this would be published.
Mr Penrose said the planning system should be “focusing demand in a way that will rekindle market interest in stalled developments”, while the “core strategy” approach that must now be adopted would help rationalise the “excessive zoning” of recent years.
Referring to the 2010 Planning Act, he said planning was now supported by “evidence-based requirements” and linked to the Government’s strategic plan and capital allocations for infrastructure and suitably located services.
“We are constructively tackling the legacy of over-zoning and moving towards a more co-ordinated and joined-up approach to the delivery of critical services such as schools, public transport, water services and social housing,” he said.
“We are refocusing on revitalising our city and town centres, moving against the tendency of the Celtic Tiger era to envisage extensive, even sprawling extensions of our cities and towns, drawing the lifeblood out of older, established central urban areas.”
However, the institute’s president, Gordon Daly, called for a Government policy on planning that would “set out a clear road map for the country’s physical planning over the next five to 10 years” and harness the potential of agri-food, tourism and renewable energy.
Complaining that policy in the past had been “far too dependent on the vagaries of the marketplace”, Mr Daly said: “We need to have a wider vision and this policy would achieve this by bringing a more balanced view on where we need to go for the future.”
He also moved to allay fears among councillors that the 2010 Act had shifted power to central government, saying he believed it “puts real power in the hands of councillors to make the key decisions” on population growth, housing, transport, retail and services. Referring to a reduction of 25 per cent in the number of planners in local authorities over the past two years, Mr Daly said “we must get more from less”.
The conference continues today.
Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
Addressing the Irish Planning Institute’s annual conference in Galway yesterday, he said one of his top priorities was that “clear, decisive and proactive actions are taken to progressively resolve the issues with unfinished housing developments”.
It has emerged that the National Asset Management Agency (Nama) has 10 per cent of about 150 of the worst ghost estates that are unfinished and pose health and safety issues.
The vast majority of the ghost estates that require the most work were financed by the foreign-owned banks operating in Ireland.
About 28 per cent of the loans at Nama relate to land and development and about 16 per cent are in the Dublin area, where there is a greater demand for housing.
Mr Penrose, who is to chair the co-ordination group, said his officials were already “working hard on innovative ways to find positive uses for vacant housing, including the leasing or purchase of units from Nama” for families on local authority waiting lists.
He will shortly be receiving a report by the Advisory Group on Unfinished Housing Developments, made up of community, central and local government, professional banking, construction representatives, and planners, and he said this would be published.
Mr Penrose said the planning system should be “focusing demand in a way that will rekindle market interest in stalled developments”, while the “core strategy” approach that must now be adopted would help rationalise the “excessive zoning” of recent years.
Referring to the 2010 Planning Act, he said planning was now supported by “evidence-based requirements” and linked to the Government’s strategic plan and capital allocations for infrastructure and suitably located services.
“We are constructively tackling the legacy of over-zoning and moving towards a more co-ordinated and joined-up approach to the delivery of critical services such as schools, public transport, water services and social housing,” he said.
“We are refocusing on revitalising our city and town centres, moving against the tendency of the Celtic Tiger era to envisage extensive, even sprawling extensions of our cities and towns, drawing the lifeblood out of older, established central urban areas.”
However, the institute’s president, Gordon Daly, called for a Government policy on planning that would “set out a clear road map for the country’s physical planning over the next five to 10 years” and harness the potential of agri-food, tourism and renewable energy.
Complaining that policy in the past had been “far too dependent on the vagaries of the marketplace”, Mr Daly said: “We need to have a wider vision and this policy would achieve this by bringing a more balanced view on where we need to go for the future.”
He also moved to allay fears among councillors that the 2010 Act had shifted power to central government, saying he believed it “puts real power in the hands of councillors to make the key decisions” on population growth, housing, transport, retail and services. Referring to a reduction of 25 per cent in the number of planners in local authorities over the past two years, Mr Daly said “we must get more from less”.
The conference continues today.
Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
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