FINGAL COUNTY COUNCIL MONDAY, 14th March 2016 ITEM NO. DRAFT DONABATE LOCAL AREA PLAN In accordance with Section 20 of the Planning & Development Act 2000 (as amended), the proposed Draft Donabate Local Area Plan was on public display from Tuesday 1st December, 2015 to Thursday 21st January, 2015, at Fingal County Council Offices, County Hall, Swords; Grove Road, Blanchardstown and Donabate Portrane Community Library, Donabate Portrane Community Leisure Centre, Portrane Road, Donabate. It was also available on the Council’s website at www.fingal.ie 1 TABLE OF CONTENTS 1.0 INTRODUCTION 2.0 SUMMARY OF SUBMISSIONS AND RESPONSES 3.0 MOVEMENT & TRANSPORT 3.1 Access to Newbridge Demesne & Walkways / Cycleways 3.2 Broadmeadow Way and Fingal Coastal Way 3.3 Footpaths / Cycleways – Turvey Avenue and Hearse Road 3.4 Traffic & Pedestrian safety Road Widening Parking & Pedestrian Crossings Traffic Calming Access for Disability / Mobility / Visually Impaired 3.5 Public Transport Rail Bus 3.6 Metro North 3.7 Donabate Distributor Road Phasing, Alignment, Detail, 3.8 St Patrick’s Schools – Access, Parking, Safety 4.0 DEVELOPMENT WITHIN NEW LAP DEVELOPMENT AREAS 4.1 Density & No. of Units Proposed 4.2 Phasing 4.3 Mix of Units & Social and Affordable Housing 4.4 Permeability & Accessibility 4.5 Strategic Landscape Corridor at Corballis & Tree Planting 4.6 Visual Impact of Development on the Estuaries and Building Heights 5.0 DONABATE TOWN CENTRE 5.1 Enhancement and Consolidation of Donabate Town Centre 6.0 INFRASTRUCTURE ISSUES 6.1 Flooding 6.2 Foul Drainage and Water Supply 7.0 COMMUNITY INFRASTRUCTURE 7.1 School Provision and School Site Location 7.2 Community / Cultural / Exhibition and Performing Arts Centre 7.3 Community Facilities Childcare Church Sites Open Space Requirements Playgrounds / Skate Park Corballis Nature Park Other Community / Recreation Facilities 2 7.4 Ballymastone Education and Recreation Campus 7.5 Graveyard 7.6 Tourism Opportunities Newbridge House and Demesne Fingal Coastal Way Donabate-Portrane Heritage Trail 7.7 Employment Live-Work Units Fingal Local Economic and Community Plan (LECP) 2016-2021 8.0 ENVIRONMENT 8.1 Protection of Malahide and Rogerstown Estuaries Impact of Walking / Cycling Routes on the Estuaries Ecological Buffer Zone 8.2 Coastal Erosion 8.3 SEA / ER / NIR 8.4 Dublin Bay Biosphere Reserve 8.5 Other 9.0 SUSTAINABILITY Sustainability and the LAP 10.0 MISCELLANEOUS 10.1 St Ita’s Development 10.2 Culture & Heritage Irish Language Conservation St Catherine’s Castle, Bob’s Castle and Martello Tower at Donabate Beach Old Stone Buildings – Adjacent to Smyths Pub Old Milestone on the R126 Water Pump opposite the Graveyard Marine Slipway and Beach Shelter at Balcarrick 10.3 Public Consultation 10.4 LAP Boundary 10.5 Donabate Urban Framework Plan 10.6 Public Realm Strategy 3 1.0 INTRODUCTION This Chief Executive’s Report forms part of the statutory procedure for the making of a Local Area Plan as required by Section 20 of the Planning and Development Acts 2000- 2015. It consists of a summary of the issues raised and the report and recommendations of the Chief Executive on the submissions received on the Draft Donabate Local Area Plan. Format of Chief Executive’s Report This Report contains the following:- • A list of the persons or bodies that made submissions/observations • A summary of the issues raised by the submissions/observations. • The Chief Executive’s response to the issues raised. • The Chief Executive’s recommendations to the issues raised. The issues arising are summarised under the following headings: MOVEMENT AND TRANSPORT • Access to Newbridge Demesne - Pedestrian Access along Turvey Avenue to Newbridge Demesne & Village – re-open the ‘red door’ on Turvey Avenue, Earlier opening hours to access Demesne. Footpaths / Cyclepath required along Hearse Road • Traffic safety is a concern along Hearse Road and Turvey Ave. • Roads have not been improved since WWII. • Pedestrian safety at crossing of Main Street near Smyths Pub, with new link into Village. • Turvey Avenue upgrade should be completed prior to occupation of units. • What is the timeframe for upgrade of Hearse Road? • Need for additional bus stop along Hearse Road. Installation of bus shelters needed at designated strategic locations. • Walkways and Cycleways – need for a comprehensive network of routes linking housing areas to schools, town centre, train station, etc • Broadmeadow Way – when will it be complete? • Permeability between New and Existing Development Areas • Donabate Distributor Road Phasing, Alignment, Detail – rationale for the route chosen, impact of road on existing residents, Access from DDR to football club lands, clarification regarding single / dual aspect of DDR. Road should be complete before any large scale development is permitted. • Increased traffic from St Ita’s. Traffic and Parking Issues in town centre, rail station, etc. • Public Transport – no train every 20 minutes, need for improved train service • St Patrick’s Schools – Access, Parking, Safety, Drop off / Pick up zone needed, policing of the core school pick-up times, additional signage, widening of footpaths,. Upgrading of footpaths near school is required • Pedestrian / Cycle access to the schools from Carr’s Mill application (Ref: F14A/0033) should be completed before development takes place. • Local Authority to consult with transport providers (i.e. Irish Rail, Dublin Bus) to ensure that services can provide a sufficient transport service to accommodate current and future population. • Traffic speed limits of 30kph should be introduced in the Village and 30kph in new estates. • Extension of Metro North to Donabate and insert new objective to extend the Metro North to meet the existing Northern Line at Donabate. • Rail: Iarnrod Eireann welcomes and supports the stated measures in the plan to increase the density of development in close proximity to Donabate rail station and village. Submissions note Rail service is at capacity. • Re-open old road / ramp out of the northbound station car park up to Turvey Avenue for the use of pedestrians, wheelchair users and parents with buggies. Platform Shelters and covering of platforms at Donabate railway station is required. Improve access to train station from town 4 centre. • Rahillion to Portrane walkway would cause great disturbance to residents and landowners. Alternative route should be investigated travelling north from the Windmill to the route of the old Beaverstown to Burrow Road over the canal, by the bridge nearest the sluice gate. • Road widening needed of the R126 approaching Donabate from Hillside Cottage to the railway bridge. No residential development should commence on lands west of the railway line until these road widening works have been completed. • LAP notes that there is Pay and Display parking on Main Street, but there is no parking on Main Street. • Dublin Airport Authority has no comment to make on the Draft LAP. • Timeframe for completion of Turvey Green Route under p.p. reference: F12A/0086. • NTA is satisfied that proposals set out are consistent with the principles set out in Chapter 7 of the Draft NTA Transport Strategy, and will form the basis for the sustainable development of Donabate from a transportation planning perspective. DEVELOPMENT WITHIN THE LAP AREAS • Density – higher density should be promoted within walking distance (500m) of the Rail Station • Residential Density Guildelines should not be applied in this area given it is on the edge of the Dublin Metropolitan Area. • Need for reduced heights and lower density • Number of units – one submission refers to 5,500 units. • Densities proposed at Ballymastone are too high. • Phasing - How will the phasing be achieved? • Provide direct pedestrian / cycle links through development lands to schools, shops, services and Donabate Station. These links should be in place prior to the occupation of housing. • Direct linkages through the new development lands for walking and cycling should be prioritised at the Ballymastone Education Campus. • Pedestrian and cycle facilities should be developed in a sequential manner. • Objective to be added to LAP stating that pedestrian and cycling proposals will be phased to prioritise improvements within the village centre and to provide linkages between the centre / station and new / existing residential areas. • Mix of units, need for larger affordable houses, need for starter homes, family homes, Social Affordable Housing and rural housing. • High level of permeability required – pedestrian and cycle access to schools, train station, village, beaches, estuaries, open space, etc. • Social and Affordable Housing – maximum 15% of all units should be S&A housing units and they should be fully integrated within all new housing estates. • All S&A housing is being placed in one part of Donabate – this contravenes Part V of the Planning Act. • Removal of Strategic Landscape Corridor • Need for more units in Phase 1 behind Smyths Pub • Need to protect the stone buildings adjacent to Smyths Pub. • How will people cross road onto Main Street at Smyths Pub? Very busy junction. • Chapter 7 – alternatives – consider other potential alternatives? • Chapter 9 – clarify what ‘Alternative C’ refers to, under the Indicator column. • Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government considers that the Draft LAP provides a comprehensive framework for the proper planning and sustainable development of the area and gives spatial expression to the economic, social, cultural and environmental aims of Fingal County. • During construction of lands near The Links estate, construction traffic should use an access off New Road. The proposed new road between The Links estate and adjacent development in Ballymastone is not serving the best interests of the residents in The Links. • Donabate Construction Traffic Management Plan should include traffic signs to inform construction traffic of HGV restrictions,. Zebra crossings and yellow boxes should be implemented. • Restrict the number of units to 3,600. • High-rise development proposed 60m from the Estuary. High rise apartments in the Village are not sustainable. • Development so close to Estuaries is not appropriate.