Plan for 'eco-district' in west Dublin approved

AN BORD Pleanála has approved a masterplan for the development of more than 11,500 new homes at Clonburris, in west Dublin, with its chairman describing it as a model of "superb planning" for the future of Ireland.

The masterplan was prepared by South Dublin County Council for the Clonburris Strategic Development Zone (SDZ).

Clonburris is envisaged as a major new "eco-district" with a range of significant and innovative environmental sustainability measures in terms of transport, energy use, carbon reduction and the conservation of biodiversity.

It is the fourth SDZ planning scheme to be approved in Ireland and the second in the council's area after Adamstown.

All facilities are to be provided on a phased basis over 15-20 years.

The majority of the SDZ lands are owned by large established developers. In addition to having the role of development agency for Clonburris, the county council is also a minor landowner in the area. Approval of the masterplan means that applications in compliance with it will be granted planning permission and those that are not will be refused, with no provision for appeal.

It is estimated that Clonburris could be home to 35,000 people in the future. Although some of the land has been zoned for development since 1972, it is only in recent years that the area has been made accessible by road and rail.

The area, now consisting entirely of green fields, is located alongside both the Grand Canal and the Kildare commuter line.

According to plans drawn up by the Railway Procurement Agency, it would also be served by Metro West in the future.

One of the conditions laid down by Bord Pleanála is that the masterplan will by modified to accommodate Metro West after a railway order is made for this project, linking Tallaght with Ballymun via Clondalkin and Blanchardstown.

It said this condition was required "to provide for necessary flexibility for the future provision of Metro West, and to ensure successful integration of transport systems forming a coherent and sustainable form of development".

In its ruling, the board said it considered that the masterplan would provide for the comprehensive planning and development of the site "in accordance with the nature and scale required under the SDZ designation".

It also specified that an "urban form development framework" should be drawn up for Clonburris town centre, given that the land was owned by different parties.

It also said that a biodiversity action plan should be prepared for the area - in consultation with relevant national and local wildlife authorities, including the National Parks and Wildlife Service.

The Irish Times

www.buckplanning.ie

Castlethorn plans €500m scheme for Adamstown

Castlethorn Construction is planning to develop a €500 million shopping, office and leisure scheme in Adamstown in west Dublin.

The company, which is owned by Joe O’Reilly, Liam Maye and John Fitzsimons, is developing the scheme as part of the Adamstown special development zone. Cal led Adamstown Central, the new scheme will have open streets and 60 shops, with apartments and offices overhead.

Castlethorn plans to develop bars, a nine-screen cinema, restaurants, a leisure centre, medical centre and other amenities next to the new train station in Adamstown. Just under 1,000 apartments will be developed as part of the scheme.

About 10,000 new homes are to be developed on the 500acre site, which is next to the Dublin-Kildare railway line. Castlethorn owns about 60 per cent of the site.

A planning application for Adamstown Central will be lodged before the middle of January with South Dublin County Council, and a decision is expected to be made within two months. Castlethorn is hoping to open the scheme before the end of 2010.

Castlethorn is one of the largest development firms in Ireland. It owns the Dundrum Town Centre in Dublin, which is worth well over €1 billion, and is developing a major residential scheme in Ashtown, Dublin 15.

In a personal capacity, O’Reilly is also developing a small shopping centre off Grafton Street in Dublin, most of which he has since sold to a fund managed by Anglo Irish Bank.

He owns half of the Pavilions shopping centre in Swords, and is planning a major extension to the scheme.

O’Reilly is also planning to develop a nine-acre scheme between O’Connell Street and the Ilac Centre in Dublin.

O’Reilly owns 50 per cent of the Ilac Centre. He is also developing a Daniel Libeskind-designed office complex in the south docks in Dublin.

Sunday Business Post

www.buckplanning.ie

Clonburris Strategic Development Zone

SOUTH Dublin county council wants all new homes constructed in a massive new urban development scheme to have the highest energy efficiency rating and to get 30% of their power from renewable sources.

In a draft plan for the Clonburris Strategic Development Zone in Clondalkin, released last week, the council proposed that 12,000 to 16,000 new homes in eight new neighbourhoods be constructed in the area, along with retail and office space, schools and parks.

The zone, which runs along the Grand Canal north of the Bawnogue area of Clondalkin, will be served by new railway stations to be built on the Kildare line at Fonthill and Kishoge and, in the long term, the new Metro West line, which will run through the site and is due for completion in 2014.

According to project manager Fionnula Lennon, South Dublin county council is flexible on which renewable energy sources can be used, which means combined heat and power plants, solar or wind energy could conceivably be employed by property developers.

The council is proposing that all new buildings in the zone be constructed with an A grade building energy rating, which means homes will have to use less than 50 kilowatt hours per square metre to cover typical heating, hot water, ventilation and lighting requirements for a whole year. An average house satisfying current building regulations will have a rating of about 90 kWh per square metre per annum.

This is the first time South Dublin has set such ambitious targets for a development.

"We included some aspects in the Adamstown plan but wanted to take it a further step. Essentially we are nailing our colours to the mast with this one. We believe it is the way forward, " said Lennon. She added that, should the plan prove successful, it could be a template for future strategic development plans.

Lennon said that, before finalising the plan, the local authority commissioned a consultants' report to assess the feasibility of the environmental aspects of the plan.

"We were looking to the long term, but have set targets that we believe are achievable, " Lennon said, adding that an economic assessment of the plan concluded that the environmental standards would not drastically affect the cost of construction.

The plan for the 265hectare zone will now enter a public consultation period which will end on 1 October, after which a final version of the plan will be approved.

Planning permissions granted for the area will then have to conform to the guidelines outlined in the development plan.

While South Dublin County Council has a significant land holding in the area, large tracts are also owned by property developers, including Treasury Holdings, Owen O'Callaghan and Liam Carroll.

The council said no aspect of the plan would proceed until the two new railway stations are developed. Should the rail project stay on timetable, it anticipated that construction in the area could begin on a phased basis from 2010 onwards.

Tribune

Strategic Development Zones and Irish planning

Strategic Development Zones and Irish planning

A new type of planning scheme emerged in the 2000 Planning and Development Act for the pre land-use planning of large areas. This was the concept of the Strategic Development Zone, which is laid out in sections 165-171 of the 2000 Act.

Note: Section 166 of the Act says: where, in the opinion of the Government, specified development is of economic or social importance to the State, the Government may be order, when so proposed by the Minister, designate one or more sites for the establishment, in accordance with the provisions of this Part, of a strategic development zone to facilitate such development. Development Agencies (there’s a list of bodies in section 165) then have to institute the process (this process is detailed in the Act).

It is a master planning concept which aims to create sustainable communities. A planning scheme prepared for an SDZ indicates in detail the manner in which a Council considers the lands should be developed. It has a number of important features that make it distinct from the normal planning system for development:

· A SDZ forms part of the development plan in force in the area of the scheme and it supersedes any contrary provisions of the development plan.

· There is NO APPEAL opportunity to An Bord Pleanala against the decision of the Planning Authority on an individual planning application for development within an SDZ.

· The Planning Authority can use any powers available to it (including CPO procedures) for the purposes of providing, securing or facilitating the provision of the SDZ.

· An authority may enter into agreements with landowners to facilitate the development of the SDZ. It is envisaged that such agreements will form part of the draft planning scheme and will relate to several matters including the phasing of development.

What does a SDZ planning scheme include?

(2) A draft planning scheme under this section shall consist of a written statement and a plan indicating the manner in which it is intended that the site is to be developed and in particular—

(a) the type or types of development and extent of such which may be permitted to establish on the site.

(b) proposals in relation to the overall design of the proposed development (maximum heights, the external finishes of structures and the general appearance and design).

(c) proposals relating to transportation, the roads layout, the provision of parking spaces and traffic management/

(d) proposals relating to the provision of services on the site

(e) proposals relating to minimising any adverse effects on the environment

(f) where the scheme provides for residential development, proposals relating to the provision of amenities, facilities and services for the community, including schools, créches and other education and childcare services. And consistent with the authority’s housing strategy.

(3) A draft planning scheme shall also contain information on any likely significant impacts on the environment.

The best way I can think of for explaining an SDZ is to describe one in action. Let’s take Adamstown.

The lands at Adamstown were zoned “to provide for new residential communities in accordance with approved Action Area Plans” in the South Dublin County Development Plan 1998. South Dublin County Council adopted a Local Area Plan for the lands at Adamstown in July 2001. The Government designated Adamstown as a Strategic Development Zone (SDZ), also in July 2001.

As SDZ Development Agency, South Dublin County Council prepared a draft Planning Scheme for Adamstown in December 2002. The draft Planning Scheme was displayed in public until February 2003, during which time submissions were received. Reports on submissions received - Manager’s Report and Supplementary Manager’s Report on submissions dated March 2003 and April 2003 respectively - were submitted to the elected members of South Dublin County Council, in March and April 2003. The reports proposed changes to the draft Planning Scheme and the elected members proposed further changes in the form of motions during April 2003.

Further to several Council meetings at which all proposed changes were considered, the elected members of South Dublin County Council decided to adopt the draft Planning Scheme subject to variations and modifications in May 2003.

The decision of South Dublin County Council to adopt the draft Planning Scheme was appealed to An Bord Pleanala in June 2003. An Bord Pleanala held an Oral Hearing in respect of the draft Planning Scheme in July 2003 and approved the Scheme in September 2003. The first planning application for development within the Adamstown SDZ was submitted to South Dublin County Council by Castlethorn Construction Ltd in June 2004 and granted planning permission in September 2004 - planning permission was granted for 407 dwelling units on a ten-hectare site together with a significant section of the Adamstown station access road and QBC. The permission includes a range of dwelling types and 77 social and affordable housing units.

See: www.adamstown.ie