The Gazette 1981

JULY-AUGUST 1981

GAZETTE

and for an increasing demand for better amenities in both City and County. "Of course, environmental improvement in the centre city areas, particularly in the Inner City, has other aspects. The biggest problems result from traffic congestion and rundown areas. The provision of an adequate roads system, development of public transport and limitation of parking, particularly long-term parking, are all prime objectives of the planning authority. Planning studies are going on in the Inner City to determine planning priorities in the area and already, on publicly owned property, considerable improvements in public housing and amenities are being effected. Amenities The provision of better amenities in built up areas is easier said than done. Such undeveloped property as exists is predominantly in the ownership of religious bodies and private sports clubs. While the lands are not generally available for recreation to the general public, they do provide a welcome lung in a developed area and the planning authorities are reluctant to see them developed. Development Plan objectives usually zone these areas either for institutional or amenity use, but financial considerations often frustrate the objectives. Assuming no non-com pensat able impediments to development, preserving these open areas would require either the payment of substantial compensation at development land values or the purchase of the lands by the planning authority, if that option were available. In practice, the planning authorities seek to obtain a larger element of open space than the normal minimum 10% of the site and this approach has met with reasonable success. Its effect is to protect, to some extent, the amenity enjoyed by adjoining residents. However, both Dublin Corporation and Dublin County Council consider that it should be open to the planning authority to purchase such land for amenity purposes at a price related to its existing use (thus b r o a d ly s upp o r t i ng K e n n y) and h a ve ma de representations to the Minister for the Environment in this regard. "It is in the developing areas that the planning authority has the greatest opportunity of adopting policies that will favourably affect the environment. The concept of community development in neighbourhoods, protected from heavy through traffic and catering for about 5 , 0 00 people, is surely the correct approach. Neighbourhood Action Plans provide for:- 1. Adequate road systems to cater for diverting non essential traffic away from residential areas. 2. Sufficient land at an appropriate density to facilitate a suitable housing layout and variety of design. 3. Land uses within the neighbourhood to ensure that enjoyment of residential amenity is not impaired by intrusive non compatible uses. 4. Properly located and sufficient open space, both active and recreational, to enable all sections of the community to enjoy the facility. 5. Central location of neighbourhood shopping and other community facilities to ensure ready access. A neighbourhood will normally support a church, primary school, district shopping centre and community hall. It will also normally have about 20 acres of local amenity open space at suitable locations within the 139

efficient way of providing homes for young people. It is the most cost effective way. Our tax and subsidy system is geared towards encouraging home ownership and that is a policy to be commended. It was not however enough. Policies would also have to be devised to encourage the industry to become involved in the first-time buyer market which, after all, has a much higher risk factor than upmarket housing. If that argument were accepted then it must follow that changes in the CRV system were necessary. Of particular value to practitioners was the paper read by Mr. John Prendergast, (Assistant City and County Manager of Dublin), entitled "Planning Permission and the Environment", in which Mr. Prendergast did much to assist a balanced appreciation of the underlying aims of planning bodies and the inherent difficulties facing them. Having reminded his audience of the obligation imposed on planning authorities to prepare and review Development Plans for their functional areas, Mr. Prendergast went on to say:- "Development Plans for Dublin City and Dublin County contain land use provisions for their respective a r e a s, i d e n t i fy the a r e as for d e v e l o pme nt and conservation, indicate obsolete areas for which the p l a nn i ng au t ho r i t i es are c omm i t t ed to s e c u re redevelopment, objectives on roads and the relief of traffic congestion and areas of non-development consisting mainly of agricultural land and amenity lands in the mountains, river valleys and adjoining the sea shore. The Plans also contain objectives and advice in relation to development control for the benefit of intending applicants. There are two strands to implementation of objectives — one which can be implemented by the planning authority and one which aims at controlling the activities of the private sector. Both derive from policies set out in the Development Plan and aim at implementing them. The intention behind development control is positive and should not be regarded in a negative way. The Development Plan "In considering the proper planning and development of an area in relation to a planning application regard must be had, inter alia to the provisions of the Plan. Development Plans, therefore, contain many provisions relating to control of development such as density, site coverage, plot ratio, car parking, tree planting and provision of open space, all of which will have a beneficial effect on the quality of the environment. "The two planning authorities for which I have been delegated the planning functions are Dublin Corporation and Dublin County Council and the planning problems for each area are quite different. The City is built up and the County is developing. The present population of the Dublin area is estimated at just over 1 million and is projected at between 1.2 and 1.3 million by 1991. Virtually all the increased population will be housed in the County area and the planning priority in that area is to ensure that they are housed in a satisfactory environment. Simultaneously it is necessary to provide for employment opportunities and other necessary community services Mr. John Prendergast's Paper