Submission to Fingal Development Plan 2023-2029
As part of the creation of the new Fingal Development Plan for 2023-2029, my Dublin West Green Party colleagues, Cllrs Pamela Conroy and Daniel Whooley, and I, made the following submission for consideration.
If you would like to discuss any aspects of the development plan process, please don't hesitate to get in touch with me at roderic.ogorman@oir.ie.
Summary
We would like to make the following submission to the first stage of the new Fingal Development Plan 2023-2029.
Our submission covers all seven key themes set out in the StrategicIssues Paper, but many of the points we have made cross into other themes. Inparticular, we feel that climate action and universal design need to be centralcomponents of every aspect of the new Development Plan in order to ensure asustainable county for people to live, work in and visit for many years tocome.
Roderic O’Gorman, TD, Cllr Pamela Conroy and Cllr DanielWhooley
Theme 1: People and Place
Universal design and accessibility
Fingal County Council recently stated that it “recognisesthe need for universal equality of access to all aspects of the built andexternal environment as an essential prerequisite of equal opportunity and thedevelopment of an inclusive society”.[1]We agree with this statement and believe that universal design and improvedaccessibility should be core elements of the new Development Plan. We alsobelieve that it is essential that universal design and accessibility areconsidered carried across all aspects of the Development Plan.
The new Development Plan should make provisions to ensurethat universal design is central to new development areas. The new DevelopmentPlan should also set out how the council intends to improve universal designand improve accessibility across all areas of Fingal which have already beendeveloped. For example, walkability studies should happen in all locations tohighlight where improvements can be made in all areas across the county, andthe recommendations that come out of these studies should be implemented in atimely manner.
Housing
In order to ensure that the types of homes in newdevelopment areas will meet the future needs of residents, the new developmentplan should place an emphasis on providing homes which are flexible and canadapt and change according to the needs of those who live in them. In light ofGovernment proposals to increase the obligation on developers to provideaffordable housing and cost rental units in their developments, via amendmentsto Part V, there is an opportunity for developers to provide a greater varietyof units within new developments, which would allow for greater mobility ofpeople within their own communities. The new Development Plan should ensurethat developers provide this variety.
Social and community infrastructure
Social and community infrastructure should be built intandem with new residential areas, not afterwards. Where a developer has made acommitment to provide social infrastructure as part of a planning application,then the developer should follow through and provide that infrastructure. Forexample – where provisions are made for a café or a creche, then the developershould actively seek to make sure that these services are provided followingcompletion of the development. Fingal should actively intervene in situationswhere developers attempt to evade their obligations to provide social andcommunity infrastructure.
Fingal needs to continue to engage in a proactive way withthe Department of Education in terms of identifying need for additional schoolplaces. In the context of this development plan, Fingal should also proactivelyengage with primary schools to get an up-to-date understanding of theirenrolments, so as to understand potential impacts on the requirement foradditional secondary schools.
Public spaces
Public places should be flexible and have a range of useswhich bring communities together. New public spaces should be multi-use spaceswhich can transform from day use to night use. For example, a community squarecould be a farmers market during the day and then host a cultural or artperformance at night.
The Development Plan should seek to reclaim public realmspaces, such as car parking spaces or roads, where possible, so that they canbe used to bring communities together and have space to improve activetransport.
Working hubs
Covid has shown us that many people are able to work outsidethe traditional central office space. Additionally, it has allowed people tosee the benefits of working in the home, or closer to home. The new FingalDevelopment Plan should seek to provide remote working hubs within thecommunity which will enable people to work outside the office, but also allowthem to work outside the home in an environment where they can connect withother people in their community, if they wish. Additionally, working hubsshould be available for those who have small businesses who need to set up anoffice and have no space in the family home in which to do so. Ideally theseworking hubs will be located in close proximity to childcare facilitiesenabling people to strike a better work/life balance.
Theme 2: Climate Action
Agricultural/Green Space
As Fingal continues to have a significant agriculturalsector, it is important that this is supported to act in a way that is climateconscious. Farmers or groups that seek to go further in terms of integrating anenvironmental or climate conscious approach to their agriculture – e.g.eco-villages, eco-agriculture, eco-community – should be facilitated in doingso within the agricultural planning use.
Fingal forms Dublin county’s boundary with Co. Meath. Incertain areas, development has now reached all the way to the Meath countyline. In terms of controlling urban sprawl, this Development Plan needs aspecific policy in terms of whether Fingal wishes to see a clear, green-spaceboundary between Co. Meath and Dublin, or whether it is content for developmentto run all the way to the county boundary. This issue is particularlysignificant in Dublin 15, where currently the ‘Development Boundary’ markingkeeps a small area of green space to the north, north-east and north-west ofHollystown, and another small area between Ongar and Clonee village. The amount of agricultural or green space landbetween Dublin and Meath has continually been chipped away, in each successivedevelopment plan. This issue should be specifically addressed via a policy inthis development plan.
Rewilding
Provision should be made for rewilding of areas. Some of thelarge companies based in the Dublin 15 Area Enterprise Zone sit in large siteswhich are mowed and landscaped, but which contain little in the way ofbio-diversity. This large companies should be encouraged to allow portions oftheir sites go wild, and it should be condition of new companies buying orleasing lands of Fingal that they will allow portions of their sites bere-wilded.
This approach to rewilding should be repeated, although on asmaller scale, on all open space land that Fingal has in its charge. Small,re-wilded areas should be provided for in all open space lands, particularlywithin housing estates.
Development standards to assist in the promotion anddelivery of Climate Action
The Development Plan needs to include new developmentmanagement standards that mandates the inclusion of green technologies into newbuildings, be these residential, commercial or community focused. Thedevelopment management standards should include measures that lesson energyusage, takes advantage of renewable energy, provides for improved ventilationand reduces heat-loss and allows for the capture and reuse of water.
To meet our national climate targets of net zero by 2050 andreducing our emissions by 50% by 2030, energy efficiency must be increased. Theintroduction of Low carbon District Heating schemes with in Fingal, for examplereusing excess hear generated at data centres around the County, would helpreduce the cost of living for communities, transition Fingal to a low carboncounty and promote a circular economy
Theme 3: Connectivity and Movement
Key connectivity and movement issues in Fingal
There are several key connectivity and movement issues inFingal. Many of our towns and villages are congested with large portions ofthem being given over to roads and parking for vehicles. Public transport isnot frequent enough (or existent in some cases) in rural areas which limits thetransport choices for those who live outside of our villages and towns. Wherethere are public transport links, these need to be improved through morefrequent services. Orbital public transport links will allow residents to moveacross Fingal without having to first travel into the city centre.
In terms of active travel, we need more cycleways andimprovements on pedestrian footpaths. Improvements in this area wouldfacilitate those who wish to choose active travel as a mode of transport. Orbitalcycleways and paths should be created. More bicycle parking should be availablewith spaces for cargo bikes being included. Plans should also be made toinclude charging points for electric bikes.
Universal design should be considered at all times whenmaking improvements to connectivity and movement issues in Fingal. If you meetthe mobility needs of our older citizens you meet the mobility needs of allcitizens. For example, alternatives to kissing gates, which cause accessproblems for wheelchair users, prams and pushchairs, cyclists and those usingcargo bikes, should be sought and installed. Our towns and villages, parks andmain roads should have benches to allow for those with reduced mobility to restif they need to, when they need to. Walkability studies will providerecommendations on how to improve our walkways so that they are designed foreveryone. Our towns and villages should feature more accessible parking bayslocated in key areas. Where streets and roads are to be pedestrianised,consideration should be given to locating accessible parking nearby to enablethose with reduced mobility to use them.
Improved co-ordination between land-use andtransportation infrastructure
Public transport services links should be in close proximityto new developments so that they are easily accessible. All new developmentsshould be connected by active travel and public transport links. Newdevelopments should also incorporate good cycleways and footpaths to encourageactive transport. Bicycle parking should be located near public facilities innew developments and school streets and school zones prioritised.
Cyclist and Pedestrian safety
Cyclist and pedestrian safety can be improved in the newDevelopment Plan by outlining the need for segregation of vehicles, cyclistsand pedestrians. Cyclists and pedestrians should also be segregated from eachother as far as possible. Footpaths and walkways should have minimal streetfurniture to minimise accidents. Foothpaths and cycleways should have properlighting to minimise accidents and improve safety.
Theme 4: Employment, economy and Dublin Airport
Supporting business
During the Covid19 pandemic, Fingal County Council provideda wide range of supports and initiatives to help sustain businesses through thepandemic. Many businesses changed the way they work during the pandemic, withsome of the new practices they adopted improving some aspects of theirbusiness. For example, providing the online trading voucher allowed manybusinesses which had a minimal online presence to gain new online customers.Another example was the promotion of Fingal based businesses through the shoplocal app which made communities aware of local businesses that they previouslyhadn’t used. Fingal County Councilshould continue to provide such supports to businesses to allow them to grow andthrive.
Airport
While we recognise the importance of Dublin airport in termsof the employment opportunities and income it provides to the council, as wellas its national importance, it is necessary to consider the impact that theairport has on the everyday lives of Fingal’s residents. We request that thenew Development plan provides for the creation of an expert study group toconduct a full review of the impact of the airport on local communities,including those living in Hollystown and Tyrelstown and other Dublin 15 areaswhere the impact of the airport is felt. This expert study group should alsooutline what mitigation measures are necessary and the Development Plan shouldenable these measures to be put in place.
Theme 5: Cultural Heritage
Protection and enhancement of Fingal’s heritage resource
New developments should be mindful of Fingal’s heritageresource and should always seek to preserve and conserve this heritage forfuture generations. New developments should also seek to raise awareness oflocal heritage by incorporating that heritage into the development as much aspossible. For example, one way that this could be done is by using logainm.ieto search the Fingal fieldnames project when naming developments and anexplanation plaque could be erected explaining the heritage behind the name.Another example would be to integrate sites of archaeological significance intodevelopments so that they become a feature of the development.
Heritage-led regeneration
Proper preservation and conservation of traditional andhistoric buildings is expensive. Often the costs associated with restoringthese buildings means that those who own them are not in a position to carryout the necessary work which can result in the buildings falling into furtherdisrepair. The Council should continue to actively engage with owners of thesebuildings to let them know when funding projects become available and shouldalso offer any assistance they can, in terms of help with applications andsourcing appropriate materials and trades.
Some of these buildings would make appropriate touristattractions, community spaces or working hubs. An assessment should be done toestablish which of these buildings would be most suited to this purpose.Finding a use for the buildings can make it viable to restore and reuse them.If the buildings are occupied they are less likely to fall into a state ofpermanent disrepair.
Heritage centred tourism and heritage engagement
In order to attract tourism we could create a Fingalarchaeological/heritage trail. The archaeological/heritage trail could beavailable on an app. QR codes could be used at heritage sites to enabletourists to scan the code and learn about the local heritage resource.
The global pandemic has enabled us to engage with heritagein ways that we have never engaged with it previously. Heritage Week andCulture Night took place primarily online in 2020 which enabled disparate andnew audiences to take part. This should be built on and continued even when wereturn to ‘normal’.
The Fingal Archive could make more of its collectionavailable online. Many archives have a document of the month which provides ameans of highlighting an item in the collection and also talking about thehistory surrounding the document.
Fingal is a large county and a traveling exhibition whichvisits the various libraries and public buildings in the county would beanother way of widening heritage engagement with new communities.
Sharing Fingal’s intangible heritage with futuregenerations
Engaging with culture and heritage projects, such aslogaimn.ie, when the opportunity arises ensure that Fingal’s heritage will bepreserved, enabling it to be shared with future generations. The Fingal Archiveshould identify where there are gaps in knowledge and proactively undertakecollection projects to collate this intangible heritage. Incorporating Fingal’sintangible heritage into new developments is a way of sharing it with futuregenerations.
According to the 2016 census 36% of the population of Fingalcan speak Irish. In order to share this with future generations it is importantto provide an environment where engagement with the language can be nurtured.This could be done through the establishment of Irish Language centres acrossthe county. These centres are hubs for sharing the intangible heritage oftraditions, folklore, language and song in other areas where they have been setup across the country and they would enable this intangible heritage to beshared with others.
It should also be recognised that Fingal is now a diversecounty with the tradition, folklore, language and song of many differentcultures now being present across the county. It is important that the newFingal Development Plan recognises this and provides places for new intangibleheritage to be shared and celebrated.
Theme 6: Green Infrastructure and Natural Heritage
Enhancing the biodiversity
The new Development Plan should set out a procedure forensuring no biodiversity loss in conservation areas. In order to protectbiodiversity it is necessary to establish how to prevent biodiversity loss,including how establishing a starting point which can be used to assess thesuccess of measures introduced to protect and enhance biodiversity.
Trees, hedgerows and woodland should be mapped on Fingal’sgreen infrastructure map and protected. For every tree or hedgerow that isremoved, either to make way for new development or because it is necessary forhealth and safety reasons, double the amount removed should be planted,elsewhere if necessary.
Particular focus should be placed on protecting waterwaysand surrounding areas – the Liffey and Liffey Valley, the Tolka and TolkaValley and the Royal Canal and adjoining lands.
Improving the Health and Wellbeing benefits of outdoorareas
The Health and Wellbeing benefits of outdoor areas can beimproved in the Development Plan by ensuring proper amenities in outdoor areas.Beaches and parks should have proper toilet facilities, including changingplaces and gender neutral toilets. Free period products should be available inthese facilities. Our outdoor areas should have proper seating available toenable those with mobility issues to also feel the health and wellbeingbenefits of outdoor areas.
Creating cycleways and footpaths that go into thecountryside would also improve the health and wellbeing benefits of outdoorareas. Fingal should engage with other local authorities where these cyclewaysand footpaths would cross their borders.
Theme 7: Infrastructure and Utilities
Toiletsand changing places
Fingal needs more public toilets in all its towns, villagesand parks. In addition to this there should be a changing place included inevery town, village and park. Gender neutral public toilets should be created.
Water fountains
While we welcome the appearance of public water fountains insome locations, we feel that the new Development Plan should make it arequirement for a public water fountain to be placed in all towns, villages andparks. There should also be water fountains included along all greenways in thecounty.
Accessible parking spaces
A map of all the accessible parking spaces, includingdetails of the space (is the kerb dished, the width and length of the space)should be created. This would allow residents and tourists alike to determineif suitable parking is available before travelling to a location in Fingal.
Charging points for electric cars and bikes
The new Development Plan should emphasise the need for morepublic charging points for electric cars and bikes. Where possible these couldbe incorporated into already existing street furniture, or in the case of newdevelopments, into lighting which will be added as part of the development.
New energy generation technologies
The new Development Plan should anticipate new energygeneration technologies by providing the flexibility for the council toundertake feasibility studies of them to see how they might benefit the County.There is no point in supporting and promoting them unless we know that they aregoing to be beneficial to the county, so feasibility first and then support andpromote what will work.
Waste reduction and recycling
Through the new Development Plan Fingal should seek todrastically improve how waste reduction and recycling currently operate in thecounty.
At the moment we have a massive litter and fly tippingproblem in the county. It is so bad that the council has created an advertisingcampaign around getting residents to check who is taking away their unwanteditems to ensure that it is not someone engaged in fly tipping. We feel that thecouncil should be changing the way access is provided to and recyclingfacilities. A large portion of the population does not have access to a vehicleto bring them to the local depot. The new Development Plan should considercreating more smaller depots which are accessible to a larger portion of thepopulation.
Additionally, the council should operate a collectionservice for heavy or bulk items. This would mean that, for a small fee, thecouncil will collect old washing machines etc and bring them to the depot whichwill reduce fly tipping.
A lot of items which end up in the depot are reusable. Theseitems should be put to use instead of being dumped. The new Development Planshould set out a requirement for the council to investigate how this might beachieved, create a plan and implement it.
[1]Final Publish of Reports to the Public, Fingal Council Meeting, 8thFebruary 2021, Item 39, Universal Design, Motion: Councillor P Conroy, p411
