14. LANDSCAPE, RECREATION & AMENITY AIM To provide for the protection, management and enhancement of the landscape of the county and to ensure that development does not disproportionately impact on the landscape character areas, scenic routes or protected views, through 14 the implementation of appropriate policies and objectives to ensure the proper planning and sustainable development of the area. 306 Kildare County Development Plan 2017-2023 Kildare County Development Plan 2017-2023 307 14.1 BACKGROUND The Council will undertake a review of its Landscape Map 14.1 Character Assessment on foot of any actions from the Landscape Character Areas Landscape embraces all that is visible when one looks forthcoming National Landscape Character Assessment. across an area of land. As well as being an important part of people’s lives, giving individuals a sense of identity and belonging, landscape is the context in which all changes take place. 14.3 STRATEGY The landscape of County Kildare comprises a central The natural diversity of the landscape, coupled with plain bounded to the east by the Kildare uplands, human interaction in the form of introduced features which lie at the foot-hills of the Wicklow and Dublin such as hedgerows, woodlands, archaeological Mountains. The Curragh, the boglands of north-west monuments, settlements and buildings, all serve to Kildare and the fertile lowlands of the south all comprise give Kildare its distinctive characteristic landscape. part of the central plain. The plain lands are interrupted All development which takes place has the ability to by two groups of isolated hills, the Chair of Kildare and impact on this landscape, positively and negatively. It the Newtown Hills. The location of these hills within the is essential therefore that the landscape is protected central plain has a considerable impact on the landscape and managed in a sustainable and coherent manner. of Kildare. Inland waters comprise the River Liffey, River A review of the Kildare County Development Plan Barrow, River Slate, River Boyne, Royal Canal, Grand landscape provisions was undertaken to provide Canal and Rye Water River that traverse the county, a robust strategy which classifies the landscape of providing important landscape features. the county, appraises landscape sensitivity, making a judgement on sensitivity to change and taking into account historical, cultural, religious and other understandings of the landscape. 14.2 NATIONAL POLICY CONTEXT The importance of landscape and visual amenity and 14.4 LANDSCAPE CHARACTER ASSESSMENT the role of planning in its protection are recognised in the Planning and Development Act 2000 (as amended). In 2004, a Landscape Character Assessment (LCA) of the This requires that development plans include objectives county was undertaken and is contained in Volume II of for the preservation of landscape, views and prospects the Kildare County Development Plan 2005-2011. The and the amenities of places and features of natural LCA focused on characterisation i.e. the discernment beauty. It also provides for the designation of Landscape of the character of the landscape based on its land Conservation Areas (LCA), Areas of Special Amenity cover and landform, but also on its values, such as (ASA) and the assessment of landscape character. historical, cultural, religious and other understandings of the landscape. It concentrates on the distinctiveness In 2000, the Department of Environment, Heritage of different landscapes and on the sensitivity of that and Local Government issued Landscape Assessment landscape to development. Map 14.1 outlines the – Consultation of Guidelines for Planning Authorities indicative Landscape Character Areas of the county. (DEHLG, 2000). These seek to ensure that: Landscape Character Areas are areas that generally “the environment and heritage generally are maintained share the same characteristics. Minor or very small in a sustainable manner, while at the same time enabling distinctive features that arise from localised topographic a proactive approach to development”. circumstances – are outcrops, rivers, bogs, fens – are mapped [see map 14.1] as Subordinate Landscape Areas. In 2015, the Department of the Environment, Table 14.1 indicates the dominant sensitivity of each Community and Local Government issued A National Landscape Character Area. It is important to note that within each of these areas there can be a wide variety Landscape Strategy of Ireland 2015-2025, which states that: 14 of local conditions that can significantly increase or “Landscape Character Assessments will be prepared decrease sensitivity. Notwithstanding this observation, it at local and intra-local authority level, building on is possible to identify a dominant sensitivity within each the National Landscape Character Assessment, using area – as highlighted in Table 14.1. This is determined Landscape Character Assessment Guidelines. These by examining the presence/absence or dominance of V1.14.1 Landscape Character Areas regional and local landscape character assessments sensitivity factors within each area by using landscape 200/16/866 County Development Plan Oc Ordnance Survey Ireland All rights reserved. M.HF will inform and guide landscape policy, action plans sensitivity. The resulting classification is then used to Licence No.: 2009/26/CCMA (Kildare County Council) and local authority development plans.” produce an evidenced–based Landscape Sensitivity Map. This drawing is to be read in conjunction with the written statement 308 Kildare County Development Plan 2017-2023 Kildare County Development Plan 2017-2023 309 Table 14.1 Table 14.2 Landscape Sensitivity Classification to Landscape Character Areas Landscape Sensitivity Classification to Landscape Character Areas Sensitivity of Principal Class 1 Class 2 Class 3 Class 4 Class 5 Sensitivity Landscape Character Area Location Description Landscape Character Assessment Low Medium High Special Unique (Dominant Sensitivity Outlined) Sensitivity Sensitivity Sensitivity Sensitivity Sensitivity Class 1 North-Western Lowlands Areas with the capacity to generally Low Northern Lowlands accommodate a wide range of uses Sensitivity Central Undulating Lands without significant adverse effects North Western Lowlands Class 1 Southern Lowlands on the appearance or character of Northern Lowlands Class 1 the area. Central Undulating Lands Class 1 Western Boglands Class 3 Class 2 Eastern Transition Lands Areas with the capacity to Southern Lowlands Class 1 Medium South-Eastern Uplands accommodate a range of uses Sensitivity without significant adverse effects on Eastern Transition Class 2 the appearance or character of the Eastern Uplands Class 3 landscape having regards to localised sensitivity factors. South-Eastern Uplands Class 2 Sub-ordinate Landscape Areas Class 3 Western Boglands Areas with reduced capacity Northern Hills Class 4 High Eastern Uplands to accommodate uses without Sensitivity significant adverse effects on the Chair of Kildare Class 4 appearance or character of the landscape having regard to prevalent The Curragh Class 5 sensitivity factors. Pollardstown Fen Class 5 Allen Bog Class 4 Class 4 Chair of Kildare Areas with low capacity to River Liffey Class 4 Special Northern Hills accommodate uses without River Liffey significant adverse effects on the River Barrow Class 4 River Barrow appearance or character of the landscape having regard to special sensitivity factors. 14.4.1 Landscape Sensitivity Based on the findings of the Landscape Character Class 5 The Curragh Areas with little or no capacity Assessment a landscape sensitivity rating was Unique Pollardstown Fen to accommodate uses without developed for each of the Landscape Character Areas. significant adverse effects on the Landscape sensitivity is a measure of the ability of appearance or character of the the landscape to accommodate change or intervention landscape having regard to unique without suffering unacceptable effects to its character and special sensitivity factors. and values. It is determined using the following factors: slope, ridgeline, water bodies, land use and prior development. The Landscape Character Areas 14 have been mapped according to their landscape sensitivity (Tables 14.1, 14.2 and Map 14.2 refer). 310 Kildare County Development Plan 2017-2023 Kildare County Development Plan 2017-2023 311 312 y e 6 f t d h 9 f t i s 3 i n / F s 9 L e a H w 2 . n 0 r l a s . s d / t 4 r M d 0 o o h e n i d 1 t 0 n r t o n i F 2 a n t a l a A a o s c t a e s d t s p e : a e L n s s t e w s o H e l w i : g F a a v u N o w e y r : a s e r d d e r b s a o f g b i e y r r r i e t e n o n o g G e V i n i R u V a R U n V a t l o l F w B w L v i l i p l B a a c c a a t r r B r i a i s u n p i d r d r e A r r D D M t e n c n s e o e u a i u g t e t o A C t H t a e r e l n e x o d v a l i o r a i i i c a c P e r A g e N S M N G R p S S R P W H B M S A N S 7 1 d 0 n 2 y e r g a 313 u e r S . b L T e . F N : : e l e t a a c D S s a e r A y t i v i t i s n e S e p a c s d n a L 14 y t i v i t i s n e S f d o n e a g e r e A L 314 Kildare County Development Plan 2017-2023 Kildare County Development Plan 2017-2023 Kildare County Development Plan 2017-2023 14.4.2 Impact of Development and the principle landscape areas of the county Table 14.4 on Landscape classified by sensitivity.