To the Lord Mayor and Report No. 372/2017 Members of Dublin City Council Report of the Assistant Chief Executive
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To the Lord Mayor and Report No. 372/2017 Members of Dublin City Council Report of the Assistant Chief Executive Clongriffin/Belmayne Local Area Plan The Chief Executive’s Report in accordance with Section 19 (1)(e)(ii) of the Planning and Development Act 2000 (as amended) with regard to the Clongriffin/Belmayne Local Area Plan, (December 2012). Richard Shakespeare Assistant Chief Executive 6th November 2017 Executive Summary The Clongriffin – Belmayne Local Area Plan (LAP) was adopted by Dublin City Council on 3rd December 2012. The Clongriffin - Belmayne development area (also known as North Fringe) is a large scale urban expansion project. Due to its strategic location on an intercity rail and on a QBC bus route, the Council’s vision is to facilitate the development of a highly sustainable, mixed use urban neighbourhood with a distinct identity based around high quality public transport nodes (rail/bus). Approximately 7,100 residential units are envisaged for this development area with a potential population of between 20,000 to 25,000 people. This new community is to be integrated with existing and new communities in Dublin City and in Fingal County. The full development of the Clongriffin – Belmayne development area has always been seen as a long term project. The North Fringe Action Area Plan 2000 set out the initial development strategy and urban framework for 200 ha of zoned lands at Clongriffin - Belmayne. On foot of same some 3,400 residential units were constructed and 41,000 of mixed commercial, retail and hotel floorspace were developed. In addition key infrastructure in terms of water and drainage, roads, a railway station and a redesigned Father Collins were delivered under the 2000 plan. The Clongriffin-Belmayne Local Area Plan was prepared for this area in 2012. When the plan was adopted, development in the Plan area had stalled and the country had still yet to emerge from recession. The cessation of development resulted in real challenges for the area in terms of incomplete road / pedestrian / cycle infrastructure resulting in separated communities and unfinished service centres and community and social infrastructure. In order to address these issues the Local Area Plan sets out land use development strategies and a phasing strategy for the development of the area. Key development objectives for the area, include the provision of 3,600 housing units: improved public transport access; the completion of existing roads infrastructure; the provision of cycle and pedestrian networks; the development of Council owned lands at the Malahide Road Junction R107/R139 as a Key District Centre; public open space provision, and the provision of community and social infrastructure. Since the Plan was adopted, development has commenced again and some 1,500 residential have been granted planning permission and schemes comprising 846 units are under construction / have been constructed. In terms of community infrastructure, planning permission has been granted for two permanent primary schools. However significant housing, roads/movement, open space, community infrastructure and economic and retail (Town Centre) objectives remain to be secured. To advance the securing of the Local Area Plan’s objectives, the following studies / projects are currently progressing: a) The Planning Authority has commissioned AECOM to carry out an ‘economic and retail study’ for the Belmayne Town Centre and Belcamp Lane lands at the Malahide Road Junction R107 / R139. This study will contain recommendations in respect of the quantum, permutations and location of mixed uses on these lands and this will in turn inform a Master plan which is to be prepared for these lands. b) The Council has been approved LIHAF funding (Government funding) for the completion of the ‘Main Street’. The Council’s Roads Department is currently commissioning consultants to plan, design and construct the road. c) A cross-boundary transportation study has commenced involving Dublin City Council, Fingal County Council, the National Transport Authority and Transport Infrastructure Ireland. This study is to progress the development of new roads infrastructure / public transport requirements as they pertain to DCC’s North Fringe area and Fingal’s South Fringe area. d) The National Transport Authority has agreed to work collaboratively with Dublin City Council to provide a traffic and transport study for the plan area with a view to assisting with transport management planning. The Clongriffin – Belmayne Local Area Plan is due to expire at the end of 2018. Within five years of making the LAP, the Council has the option to extend the life of the existing LAP by a further period, not exceeding five years. It is the opinion of the Chief Executive that the current LAP remains consistent with the core strategy of the Dublin City Development Plan 2016-2022. With significant housing, public transport, roads, open space, community infrastructure and economic and retail objectives to be achieved it is considered the objectives of the local area plan have not been substantially secured. In order to deliver on the key objectives of the Clongriffin – Belmayne Local Area Plan it is the recommendation of the Chief Executive that the LAP is extended for an additional five year period, up until December 2022, to retain a statutory basis for the objectives therein. To do so the members are requested to consider the opinion of the Chief Executive set out in this report (Report No.372/2017), and pass by resolution the option to extend the Plan. This resolution must be passed prior to 3rd December 2017. 1 Introduction 1.1 Clongriffin/Belmayne Local Area Plan (LAP) The Clongriffin - Belmayne development area (also known as North Fringe) is a large scale urban expansion project. The area is located in close proximity to Dublin Airport and the M1/M50 and to the amenities of the coast to the east as illustrated in Figure 1.1. The development area bounds Fingal County Council’s administrative area to the north and east (of the railway line) where, contiguous residential, employment and recreational development is concurrently planned under the Fingal Development Plan 2017 – 2023 (see Figure 1.2). Figure 1.1: Strategic Context of the Clongriffin/Belmayne LAP Area The Clongriffin – Belmayne Local Area Plan (LAP) was adopted by Dublin City Council on 3rd December 2012, providing a framework for future development in the area. Due to its strategic location on intercity rail and a QBC bus route, the Plan is seeking the development of a sustainable, mixed use urban neighbourhood based around high quality public transport nodes (rail/bus). C.7,100 residential units are envisaged for this development area with a potential population of between 20,000 to 25,000 people. This new community is to be integrated with existing and new communities in Dublin City and in Fingal County (see Figure 1.2). The Plan sets out development strategies and objectives for land use matters such as Movement and Transport, Housing, Urban Design and Environment and Open Space. The Plan contains a Phasing and Implementation Strategy and this fundamentally seeks to ensure the orderly and sequential provision of future development and in particular the phased delivery of road and green open space / linkages to support new development and existing communities. The Phasing and Implementation Strategy also facilitates the provision of lower density house construction at identified locations in Clongriffin and Belmayne; development which is to precede higher density and mixed use development at the Key District Centres. Figure 1.2: LAP area in relation to Growth Areas in Fingal County The Plan highlights the need for ‘interim priority actions’ to facilitate development and to support the existing community. These ‘interim priority actions’ include the need for the completion of distributor road connections, the provision of a greenway route through the development lands and the establishment of viable temporary uses on lands. An update on the progress of the Plan’s key objectives is contained in Section 3.2 and an update on the progress of all the Plan’s objectives is contained in Appendix I. 2 Statutory Context Under the Planning and Development Act 2000 (as amended), the City Council must publish a public notice to make, amend or revoke a Local Area Plan, at least every 6 years after the making of the previous plan (Section 19(1)(c)). This process takes between 18-35 weeks to complete and must accord with statutory requirements for consultation and Environmental Assessment. Alternatively, within five years since making the LAP, the Council may decide to defer this notice and extend the life of the existing LAP by a further period, not exceeding five years (Section 19(1) (d)). Before doing so the Council shall have obtained from the Chief Executive an opinion that the Local Area Plan remains consistent with the objectives and core strategy of the development plan, and that the objectives of the LAP remain to be secured: - Section 19(1) (e) No resolution shall be passed by the planning authority until such a time as the members of the authority have: (i) Notified the manager of the decision of the authority to defer the sending and publishing of the notices, giving reasons therefore, and (ii) Sought and obtained from the manager – (I) an opinion that the local area plan remains consistent with the objectives and core strategy of the relevant development plan, (II) an opinion that the objectives of the local area plan have not been substantially secured, and (III) confirmation that the sending and publishing of the notices may be deferred and the period for which they may be deferred. If the members accept the manager’s opinion, and agree by resolution to extend the life of the plan, then notification shall be published in a newspaper circulating in the area of the local area plan, not later than 2 weeks after the resolution is passed, and this notice shall be made available for inspection by members of the public during office hours of the planning authority, and made available in electronic form on the City Council’s website (Section 19(1) (f)).