An Irish Planning Students Blog » Of Interest

Interesting plans afoot in Sudan

Colin Broderick — Mon, 06 Sep 2010 14:46:01 +0000

My good friend put me onto this post the other night when I got back from holidays. I must say they certainly look pretty but my word this is actually where people will live! It is beyond me as to how someone could believe that structuring a city in the shape of either a rhino or a giraffe is a good idea, especially when both cities are dominated by military use. It’s a crazy world we live in!

Chris Blattman - Misadventures in Urban Planning, Sudan

Developers to face high-rise curbs as council agrees plan

Colin Broderick — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 14:00:34 +0000

DEVELOPERS ARE facing severe restrictions on the construction of high-rise buildings in Dublin city following the introduction of the new Dublin City Development Plan next year.

City councillors last night agreed to ban the construction of buildings above 28m (92ft) – about half the height of Liberty Hall – unless a statutory plan called a Local Area Plan (Lap) was drafted for the area in question. Such a plan could take several years to develop.

This would block the construction of any further high-rise or even medium-rise buildings in areas previously earmarked by the council for tall buildings such as the Docklands, Heuston and Connolly stations and George’s Quay.

The Lap, which functions as a development plan specific to a particular area, would have to specify maximum building heights allowed. Until a local area plan was approved all developments would have to remain low rise. Councillors last night agreed to define low rise as up to six storeys in relation to residential buildings and seven storeys for office buildings or a maximum height of less than 28m.

The development of Laps has been a fraught process within the council. Attempts were made over several years to introduce a LAP for Ballsbridge but the plan fell apart when agreement could not be reached on whether to allow a “landmark” tall building.

The amendment to the draft development plan in relation to the development of Laps was agreed last night as a compromise motion. Several councillors had wanted caps on height, and some motions would have seen high rise defined as under 30m.

However the agreed amendment, by effectively deferring any decision on maximum heights, makes the city development plan worthless as a guide to developers as to where applications for tall building would be considered.

The draft plan will be released for a further round of consultation before being formally agreed by councillors later this year.

City manager John Tierney in his report to councillors on the plan had warned putting restrictive caps on heights would have “severe repercussions for the city’s competitiveness”.

IrishTimes

Dublin height focus of planning debate

Colin Broderick — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 04:30:41 +0000

Decisions made this week by Dublin city councillors will determine the height and scale of future developments, writes FRANK MACDONALD

WHETHER NEW buildings in Dublin should be relatively high or low has become the most contentious issue confronting councillors as they begin a series of special meetings today to deal with the draft Dublin City Development Plan 2011-2017.

On the one hand, An Taisce maintains the current draft prepared by city planners “will fuel a future splurge of land speculation and undermine decades of the planning control that has maintained Dublin as a historic low-rise major European city”.

On the other, the Construction Industry Federation (CIF) has warned that attempts by councillors to cap building heights “would result in the relocation of office and other commercial development outside Dublin . . . and act as a serious deterrent to urban regeneration”.

Maybe not what they are aiming for but it could happen!

At issue is what constitutes a “high-rise” building. According to the planners, it would be 16 storeys or more, with “medium-rise” defined as eight to 16 storeys and “low-rise” as up to eight storeys – roughly double the prevailing building height in the core of the city.

Several councillors are seeking to reinstate a key paragraph in the current city plan that is omitted from the draft.

This states that the council “acknowledges the intrinsic quality of Dublin as a low- to medium-rise city and considers that it should predominantly remain so.

“Taller building clusters . . . are only likely to be achieved in the Docklands, at Heuston and in the larger predominantly non-residential key developing areas, where there is good public transport links and sites of sufficient size to create their own character.”

According to the planners, continuing with this policy “would seriously undermine the strategic approach to developing areas” such as Grangegorman and the zones around Connolly Station and Tara Street station, where further high-rise development is envisaged.

The planners say they have “no objection” to a more specific definition of low-rise “provided it does not result in a policy cap of 18m (six-storey residential or four-storey office) over the city, as several of the amendments tabled by councillors are now seeking to do.

“The essential proposition in these motions is that . . . the definition of high should be reduced from 50m to 30m with mid-rise defined as 18m to 30m; and all the remaining areas of the city to be retained at a maximum height of 18m”, the manager’s report says.

This “would have severe repercussions for the city in relation to economic renewal and competitiveness”, it warns, adding that the “inevitable result would be a flight of office development” to surrounding local authority areas and “less rates income”.

The planners also maintain that a 30m-cap on medium-rise buildings would “inevitably result in bulky ‘groundscapers’ rather than more elegant buildings such as Liberty Hall” (now planned to be demolished), saying this would “undermine the character of the city”. They say a six-storey cap on residential development would also “undermine the promotion of vibrant new, mixed-use neighbourhoods”, such as Herberton (built on the site of Fatima Mansions), where the height ranges from three to eight storeys.

An amendment by some councillors seeking an “urban design statement” on all proposals two storeys higher than existing buildings in the vicinity is “considered unduly onerous” by the planners, given the “numerous safeguards” incorporated in the draft plan.

Their drive for more height and density in the city is strongly endorsed by the CIF.

Its director of planning, Hubert Fitzpatrick, said if proposed caps were imposed in certain areas, “investment . . . will go elsewhere, representing a significant opportunity cost for the entire economy”.

Limits on the height of apartment buildings would “push developments away from areas that have seen substantial investment in public transportation and related physical and social infrastructure”, resulting in “further urban sprawl and continued underdevelopment”.

But An Taisce’s heritage officer, Ian Lumley, said it was clear that the city council’s management was “pushing through” a new Draft Development Plan for adoption by elected councillors, intended to fuel a future property boom by “scrapping” existing controls on height.

“Amid the general fiasco that has characterised Irish planning over the last 60 years, there was at least one achievement of maintaining Dublin as one of Europe’s low-rise major historic cities”, he said.

For whatever reason, this was to be “disregarded” by the draft plan.

“Rather that providing clarity, the plan is going to create years of planning rows and appeals to An Bord Pleanála if a new boom is generated,” he said.

“It would only take a few badly sited out-of-scale buildings to irrevocably damage the city’s irreplaceable character.”

Irish Times

Decentralisation ‘a failed strategy’

Colin Broderick — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 09:00:16 +0000

A LEADING academic has denounced decentralisation as a failed strategy which has undermined the institutional fabric of the state and become a charter for mileage claims, writes Anita Guidera.

Professor Brigid Laffin, principal of the college of humanities at UCD, told the MacGill Summer School in Glenties, Co Donegal, yesterday that failures of accountability went beyond unethical behaviour to the performance of public institutions and those holding positions of responsibility.

Citing the example of the 2003 decentralisation project, she said there was not a single developed country in the world that would have treated its public institutions the way they were treated in the decentralisation process.

“It wasn’t decentralisation. Decentralisation is a very good thing. This was a dispersal of public jobs throughout the country in the most extraordinary fashion and it went completely against the government’s own spatial strategy,” she said.

“Decentralisation was costly. It increased the fragmentation of our public institutions. It is a charter for mileage claims and a high cost to the Irish public.”

She added that it had also failed politically. “Fianna Fail had its worst performance in the subsequent 2004 local elections,” she said.

Her call echoed criticisms of decentralisation by two other academics in Glenties this week. On Monday, Ed Walsh, founder of the University of Limerick, described the policy as daft and called for its reversal.

Management consultant Eddie Molloy, meanwhile, called it the most scandalous political stroke of all time.

Irish Independent

Study proposes range of schemes to protect and improve canals

Colin Broderick — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 08:35:53 +0000

FACILITIES FOR houseboats; horse-drawn barges; markets; concerts; water sports, shops and restaurants are proposed for the Royal and Grand canals in Dublin in a new report from Waterways Ireland.

The Dublin City Canals Study recommends a range of recreation, tourism and commercial schemes to protect and improve the canals and open up both waterways to a greater range of uses.

The study focuses on the Dublin city sections of the canals within the curtilage of the M50, from Spencer Dock to Granard Bridge in Blanchardstown on the Royal Canal on the northside of the city, and from Grand Canal Dock to Blackhorse Bridge at Inchicore on the southside.

The study recommends the creation or improvement of walking and cycling facilities and an improvement in appearance and maintenance of all parts of the canals, but also makes specific proposals for each section of the canals as they progress through the city centre and suburbs.

On the Royal Canal, Spencer Dock is identified as having potential for berthing for boats, outdoor exhibits and waterside retail units. Moving out towards Sheriff Street, the study sees space to create a marina on the eastern side of the canal, along with lifting rail bridges to allow boat access.

Where the canal passes Croke Park, the development of pedestrian links to the stadium and its museum are recommended. When it reaches the back of Mountjoy prison, the development of a public plaza with space for concerts and markets linked to the proposed Mountjoy redevelopment is proposed. At the other side of Cross Guns Bridge, there could be potential for a water sports centre at the sixth lock.

The canal develops a “rural feeling” as it moves through Cabra, the study says, and the improvement and conservation of the natural amenity is the focus in this area. As it moves towards Ashtown, there is potential for an activity centre and a cafe and restaurant.

Between Ashtown and Blanchardstown at the twelfth lock, there could be a horse-drawn barge service between rail stations. On the Grand Canal, the main focus for commercial development is in the city basin where there may be the potential to moor houseboats, stage events like fireworks displays and concerts, and create a hub for watersports.

The area between Baggot Street and Portobello already has a reputation as a “little Venice” the study says.

This could be enhanced with a food or art market, an exhibition space at Portobello harbour and the possible development of a boutique canal boat hotel.

Further out towards Dolphin’s Barn, Kilmainham and Inchicore, the recreation and amenity aspects of the canal are emphasised with proposals to develop parks and water sports.

The study acknowledges the structural problems along the canal, such as the construction of houses and industrial premises to the water’s edge and concerns over safety and security. It accepts the proposals will require substantial public and private investment.

However, Minister for Community Affairs Pat Carey yesterday said the study would be instrumental in developing the canals.

IrishTimes

Plan to close Rosslare-Waterford railway labelled ‘reckless foolishness’

Colin Broderick — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 09:14:37 +0000

BUSINESS LEADERS in the southeast have described as “reckless foolishness” the planned closure of the Rosslare to Waterford railway line, linking two of the country’s principal ports.

The service, which had been due to close permanently from tomorrow, has received a temporary reprieve as various State bodies argue over its future.

Iarnród Éireann has confirmed that its plan to “suspend” trains from July 21st and launch a replacement Bus Éireann service will not be implemented as scheduled. The closure of the line cannot proceed without the approval of the National Transport Authority, which is not now expected to announce its decision until “at least” September.

The railway line has been operating since 1906, but has suffered a decline in use in recent years and now offers just one train a day in each direction, with no Sunday service. Iarnród Éireann says the line is no longer economically viable, and attracts a daily average of only 25 passengers.

But South East Chambers, an “umbrella body” representing chambers of commerce in Carlow, Clonmel, Dungarvan, Enniscorthy, Gorey, Kilkenny, New Ross, Waterford and Wexford have said the planned closure was “not acceptable”, and the decision had been made in “an ivory tower in Dublin”.

In an “open letter”, the chambers accused Iarnród Éireann of running down and ignoring the Rosslare-Waterford line, and said a replacement bus service would “fly in the face of Ireland’s commitment to the Kyoto protocol to reduce carbon emissions”.

They pointed out “the great success of the Dart and Luas” proved that “properly managed rail transport attracts a greater volume of passengers than buses”.

The letter also berated Iarnród Éireann for having “closed down railway lines with great enthusiasm”, including the “beloved Waterford to Tramore line, which was actually showing a profit”.

Tanya Fenelon, chair of Save the Railway Group, said the line had a future if Iarnród Éireann carried more freight to Belview (Waterford) and Rosslare ports; improved the timetable to connect with other lines, and expanded the service by running three trains a day, instead of just one.

She contrasted poor service in Rosslare with that “on the Welsh side at Fishguard, where dedicated ‘boat trains’ link immediately with London-bound high-speed trains at Swansea and Cardiff”.

Ms Fenelon said “during the recent airspace closure, the Waterford-Rosslare train was standing room only – testimony to the line’s strategic economic importance as an integral part of this State’s southern sea-rail access corridor”.

Opposing replacement buses, she claimed “the train is a much cheaper alternative at present than travelling by bus”, explaining “the Bus Éireann fare is nearly twice as expensive as the train: an adult return ticket from Rosslare Harbour to Waterford is €20.50 while a rail ticket is €10.50”.

On Iarnród Éireann’s claim that the line is losing money, she said last Saturday evening she “counted 43 passengers boarding at Waterford” but “there was no ticket checker on board”.

IrishTimes

Gormley rejects Poolbeg claims

Colin Broderick — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 08:32:49 +0000

Minister for the Environment John Gormley has rejected as “scaremongering” and “absolute nonsense” claims that the State will face massive EU fines for landfill waste if the controversial Poolbeg incinerator does not go ahead.

The Minister also said he would this week receive the report of the “authorised officer” he appointed in March to examine the contract between Dublin City Council and a consortium to build the €350 million incinerator.

Senior counsel and accountant John Hennessy was appointed to carry out an independent examination of the Poolbeg contract, including an examination of its financial implications in Dublin.

His remit included assessment of the financial risks should Dublin City Council and the three other Dublin local authorities be unable to meet the volumes of waste committed to in the “put-or-pay” clause of the contract, which requires the council to provide 320,000 tonnes of residual waste every year. The report may also look at the issue of compensation should the Poolbeg project be repudiated or scaled down.

As the war of words continued in the wake of the Minister’s publication last week of a draft waste policy plan which would make large incinerators such as Poolbeg unviable, Mr Gormley insisted Ireland was compliant with EU directives.

North Dublin Fianna Fail TD Michael Kennedy this morning insisted he had no reservations about the plant and called on Mr Gormley to grant a foreshore licence so the project can proceed.

Mr Kennedy told RTE Radio there was an agreement in place with Covanta Energy to run the plant and that a company that enters a contract has a right to compensation if it does not proceed.

Mr Kennedy would not be drawn on claims Mr Gormley had a conflict of interests in the plant as it was located in his constituency.

Mr Gormley said there was a “co-ordinated campaign saying we’re going to be facing fines. That’s absolutely untrue. It’s scaremongering. I would never allow anything like that to happen as Minister. I’ve been probably the most vigilant Minister in trying to deal with EU directives. I’ve made sure that the waste hierarchy is the thing that we abide by.”

He insisted Ireland would meet its waste management targets for 2010, and said the proponents of the Poolbeg incinerator “want the Minister to come in on his white steed and say ‘oh don’t worry, I’m going to make things nice for you’. Well, I’m not.”

Mr Gormley added: “I’m going ahead with my policy. I will be introducing the levy system.”
Ireland has “the lowest landfill prices in Europe. We have to have a landfill levy because we have to abide by the landfill directive.”

The Minister believed the “path we are pursuing is by far and away the most sustainable path in terms of waste management”. The local authorities “don’t want it because it conflicts totally with their ambition to construct a 600,000 tonnes incinerator”.

He said: “They cannot feed the beast at the moment. It’s just too big. They know that. The only way they can do that is by controlling the waste. They can’t do that in light of the McKechnie judgment.”

The High Court ruled in December 2009 that the council had abused its dominant position in the Dublin waste market by adopting a variation of its 1998 waste management plan, decreeing that waste would only be collected by the four local authorities or their chosen contractors.

Mr Gormley said the authorities wanted him to introduce legislation to reverse the McKechnie judgment. “I’m saying to you absolutely that I’m not going to do it.”

The local authorities, he added, “don’t control the waste”.

IrishTimes

Go-ahead for Bord na Móna €120m wind farm

Colin Broderick — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 10:43:26 +0000

STATE-OWNED energy group Bord na Móna has received planning permission from Offaly County Council for a €120 million wind farm at its peat production site in Mountlucas in the county.

The proposed development forms part of Bord na Móna’s long-term strategy to develop a portfolio of generating assets, including wind farms and a complementary flexible thermal plant.

The Mountlucas wind farm will have a generating capacity of 80 megawatts and will be capable of supplying power to up to 45,000 homes.

An application for connection of the wind farm to the national grid has been made to EirGrid.

It is scheduled to get an offer for connection to the system in early 2011.

The wind farm will comprise 32 wind turbines, access trackways, crane hard-standings, underground cables between the turbines and a 110kV electricity substation.

It is expected that the construction of the wind farm will take place over 18 to 24 months and will involve 30 workers employed on the project at peak.

Bord Na Móna said the wind farm would reduce our greenhouse gas emissions by 125,000 tonnes each year.

The State-owned company has been involved in milled peat production operations at the Offaly site since the 1950s and peripheral parts of the bog are still used for this purpose. Those areas of the site that are still in active peat production will not be affected by the development of the wind farm, the company said.

The Government has set a target of 40 per cent of power generation from renewable sources by 2020

IrishTimes

Spike Island the next Alcatraz?

Colin Broderick — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 09:34:02 +0000

Only time will tell!

SPIKE ISLAND was officially handed over to Cork County Council yesterday for use as a tourist amenity amid efforts to develop it into an attraction comparable to Alcatraz in the US.

Alcatraz in San Francisco, which was only a prison for 20 years, attracts about 1.4 million visitors each year while Fort McHenry, off Baltimore, which served as a transit prison during the American Civil War, receives about 700,000 visitors annually.

Spike was first a prison in the mid-19th century, often the last place in Ireland prisoners saw before being transported overseas. At the time it held as many as 2,500 prisoners.

Minister for Social Protection Éamon Ó Cuív officially handed the site over to the council yesterday on behalf of the Department of Justice and Law Reform.

Over the centuries the island has seen monastic settlements, penal colonies and military bases established on its shores.

Council officials are seeking proposals to develop tourism on the island and plan to secure a ferry service in the coming weeks.

The first visitors will be given walking tours of the island.

Cllr Jim Daly, mayor of Co Cork, said the official handover of the island represented the culmination of a long campaign by the people of Cork.

“We have campaigned for a number of years to have the island handed over to Cork County Council and today marks the culmination of the work of so many local politicians and residents,” he said.

Mr Ó Cuív said the handover was a special day for Cork and for him personally.

“Seventy-two years ago to the day, my grandfather Éamon de Valera stood here as the national flag, the Irish Tricolour, was raised for the first time over the island, when the Treaty ports were handed back to the Irish State.”

Martin Riordan, Cork county manager, said a master plan for the island would be published next spring.

“We hope to have made considerable progress in the planning process before the end of the year,” he said.

A website has been set up inviting the public to make suggestions as to how Spike Island should be developed as a tourist attraction: www.spikeislandcork.com

IrishTimes

Real Eyes Sustainability Talks Maynooth july 2nd

Colin Broderick — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 14:09:51 +0000

A very big thank you to Daragh and John at Real eyes Sustainability for having students along to these talks. they were great! Really made you felt good about your profession and hey maybe we as individuals can change our world for the better.

I have attached the presentations which john ever so graciously uploaded to the real eyes website:

An absoulutly fantastic presentation by Dick glesson the chief planner for Dublin City. A very interesting style, he used moleskin pages and little sketches as his material, very clear and easy to understand. Having heard him it really makes me feel as if the council is being serious about the future and wants to take the natural step and get many more people involved in the process of making Dublin a sustainable amazing place to live!

Yet another brilliant one from Ken Melamed, Mayor of Whistler, Canada. Ken you the man!

Hope you enjoy the presentations, well worth a look!

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