Appendix 9 Draft Landscape Character Assessment (LCA) 20 21 Minogue and Associates with Aegis Archaeology, Michael Cregan and Geoscience Ltd www.minogueandassociates.com LANDSCAPE CHARACTER ASSESSMENT OF SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY Draft Report May 2021 This report has been prepared by Minogue Environmental Consulting Ltd with all reasonable skill, care and diligence. Information reported herein is based on the interpretation of data collected and has been accepted in good faith as being accurate and valid. This report is prepared for South Dublin County Council and we accept no responsibility to third parties to whom this report, or any part thereof, is made known. Any such party relies on the report at their own risk. TABLE OF CONTENTS Landscape Character Assessment of South Dublin County .................................................................... 1 1 Landscape Character Assessment of South Dublin County ......................................................................... 1 1.1. Introduction..................................................................................................................................................... 1 1.2 Landscape as a resource and visual amenity ............................................................................................ 1 1.3 Benefits of good landscape management ................................................................................................... 2 1.4 Methodology ........................................................................................................................................................... 2 1.4.1 Desktop Review and Geographical Information System ............................................................. 2 1.4.2 Identificaton of landscape character types ....................................................................................... 3 1.4.3 Identification of historical landscape types ...................................................................................... 4 1.4.4 Identificaton of Landscape Character Areas ..................................................................................... 4 1.4.5 Development of criteria to identify landscape character sensitivity and capacity to development types ................................................................................................................................................. 4 1.5 Structure of this report ...................................................................................................................................... 5 2 EVOLUTION of South Dublin County’s Landscape. ......................................................................................... 6 2.1 Introduction ............................................................................................................................................................ 6 2.2 Physical influences ............................................................................................................................................... 6 2.2.1 Solid Geology ................................................................................................................................................. 6 2.2.2 Glaciation ......................................................................................................................................................... 8 2.2.3 Topography and drainage ........................................................................................................................ 9 2.2.4 Soils and habitats ...................................................................................................................................... 12 2.3 Human influences .............................................................................................................................................. 18 2.3 Overview .......................................................................................................................................................... 18 2.3.1 Prehistoric Period (c7,000 BC to AD500) ....................................................................................... 18 2.3.2 Early Medieval Period HIstoric(c 500 -1100) ............................................................................... 23 2.3.3 The Viking Age ........................................................................................................................................... 27 2.3.4 Later Medieval Period (Twelfth to end of the Sixteenth Century) ....................................... 28 2.3.5 Post medieval (1540 -1850) ................................................................................................................. 35 2.3.6 The 18th and 19th century ...................................................................................................................... 37 2.3.7 Twentieth century .................................................................................................................................... 41 3 The present day landscape of South Dublin County ......................................................................... 44 3.1 introduction ......................................................................................................................................................... 44 3.2 Identifiying landscape character types ............................................................................................... 44 4 Relict Land Use Types: An Overview of the Emerging Historic Landscape Character of South Dublin County ................................................................................................................................................................. 47 4.1 Introduction ......................................................................................................................................................... 47 5 Landscape Character Areas ................................................................................................................................... 53 LCA 1 Liffey Valley .................................................................................................................................................... 56 Key Characteristics .............................................................................................................................................. 57 Landscape character types, Historical LandsCape Types and habitat Types present. ............ 57 Geology and Landform ....................................................................................................................................... 58 Vegetation and ecology ..................................................................................................................................... 58 Historical and Human influences .................................................................................................................. 59 Landscape Values ................................................................................................................................................. 61 forces for change .................................................................................................................................................. 61 Landscape Condition .......................................................................................................................................... 61 LCA 2 Newcastle lowlands .................................................................................................................................... 63 Key Characteristics .............................................................................................................................................. 63 Landscape character types, Historical LandsCape Types and habitat Types present. ............ 63 Geology and Landform ....................................................................................................................................... 64 Landcover and ecology ...................................................................................................................................... 64 Historical and Human influences .................................................................................................................. 64 Landscape Values ................................................................................................................................................. 66 Forces for Change ................................................................................................................................................ 67 Landscape Condition .......................................................................................................................................... 67 LCA 3 Athgoe and Saggart Hills ........................................................................................................................... 68 Key Characteristics .............................................................................................................................................. 68 Landscape character types, Historical LandsCape Types and habitat Types present. ............ 68 Geology and Landform ....................................................................................................................................... 69 Landcover and ecology 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