Julianstown Village Design Statement A National ‘Pilot’ for the Heritage Council’s VDS Programme II Contents Introduction & Background 1 The Welcome 20 Agreed VDS Action Plan 38 The Collaborative Process 4 The Street 22 Moving Forward! 40 Context & History 8 The Heart 24 Appendix A: People 42 Landscape Setting 10 Our Heritage 26 Appendix B: Information 43 The Village 12 The Village 28 The Shared Vision 16 The River 32 Aims 18 Landscape 34 Concept 19 Community 36 Introduction & Background to the Julianstown ‘National Pilot’ Village Design Statement for the Heritage Council’s National Village Design Programme II The National Context; The Julianstown Village Design Statement The Julianstown ‘Pilot’ VDS embraces a (VDS) is the national ‘pilot’ for the Heritage collaborative and participative approach to Council’s new National Village Design village design, whereby local communities have Programme II. This ‘pilot’ project has been a real ‘voice’ in how their villages are planned conceived over a period of two years and and managed in the future. Communities are follows on from an external evaluation of encouraged under the aims of Programme II, to the Heritage Council’s VDS Programme I ‘Chair’ the local VDS Project from the outset. (2000-2008), which was completed in the autumn 2008; the Slane Castle National VDS An external evaluation of the process adopted Conference in October 2008; the launch of the for the ‘pilot’ is also being undertaken on Village Design booklet entitled – Enhancing behalf of the Heritage Council by Tipperary Local Distinctiveness in Irish Villages - Village Institute and will feed into the overall delivery Design Statements in Ireland – The Way of the National VDS Programme II from 2011 Forward, January 2009*; and the launch of the onwards and the development of a National VDS Feedback Report from Tidy Towns and Village Design ‘Toolkit’ for local communities, LEADER Groups, January 2010. local authorities, Tidy Towns Committees and LEADER Groups. The ‘Toolkit’ will be supported by the introduction of multi-disciplinary training for local communities, local representatives and local authority officers. * www.heritagecouncil.ie/planning/publications/article/village-design-statements-vds-in-ireland-the-way-forward www.heritagecouncil.ie/fileadmin/user_upload/Publications/Planning/VDS_Jan_2-10.pdf Model of Julianstown by Connor Hoey & Cillian O’Conner Barry, Foroige Youth Group 1 b Introduction & Background This Julianstown Village Design Statement (VDS) is a non-statutory local development EIA, SEA, AA framework, compiled by the local community to & EIC * establish a vision for the future of their village. EUROPEAN The aims of the Village Design Statement Planning & process are to: Development Heritage Acts Act (1995) 1 To assess and describe what is distinctive and unique about Julianstown village to ensure National Spatial these features are enhanced through the local Strategy (NSS) Heritage Council’s Process & planning system (and other relevant socio- --------------------------- Village Design Statement Section 28 Planning Output NATIONAL Programme II economic development programmes). Guidelines Evaluations --------------------------- 2 To draw up design principles to guide for the LAP Guidelines future development within and surrounding the village, in accordance with published planning guidelines and the European Landscape Regional Planning Convention (ELC). Guidelines REGIONAL 3 To effectively manage new development (including infill) and to provide advice to all County decision makers, developers and their agents; Development and Plan (CDP) LOCAL 4 To act as a focus for local communities to Julianstown participate and collaborate effectively in the Local Village Design KEY local planning process and other developments Area Plan Statement * EIA - Environmental Impact Assessment in and for their community. (LAP) National ‘Pilot’ SEA - Strategic Environmental Assessment AA - Appropriate Assessment ELC - European Landscape Convention www.coe.int/t/dg4/cultureheritage/heritage/ landscape/default_en Community Participation European, National, Regional, County and Local Context of the ‘Pilot’ Village Design Statement 2 b Introduction & Background In their 2008 evaluation of the National Village Design Statement Programme I, The Heritage Council stressed that good Village Design Statements can: Raise community awareness about their surrounding landscape and heritage assets; Provide the community with a useful ‘tool’ to ensure that future developments and changes add to local distinctiveness and character; Link into the planning system so that planners can use it to improve the local distinctiveness of design proposals; ‘Julianstown - Design Our Future’ DVD Assist local authority planners, architects, The Local Context; developers and others by giving them local guidance up front and, In 2007, the then Julianstown and District The Heritage Council’s Planning Officer then Resident’s Association began researching invited the Julianstown community to give a Generate and develop overall community the possibility of preparing a Village Design presentation from a community perspective confidence and capacity building. Statement (VDS), as a way of addressing the at the Heritage Council’s National Village ongoing deciline of facilities in the village and Design Conference in the autumn of 2008. The also to enable local people to have a say in any Julianstown group saw this as an excellent future development plans for the area. The opportunity to be creative and strategic and Group held a meeting with the Heritage Officer devised and performed a community play, of Meath County Council as a result of which which they performed live at Slane Castle in they contacted and submitted an application October 2008. This effective and well received for funding to the Heritage Council. While production, later produced on DVD with the this was initially unsuccessful, as the Heritage Heritage Council’s support, featured local Council was about to embark on an evaluation residents in discussion about life in the village of the overall National VDS Programme I, both while ‘standing at the line’, waiting for their organisations continued to liaise. children at the local school playground. Village Design Statements in Ireland - The Way Forward? 3 The Collaborative Process In early 2009, the hard work of local residents Oct 08 Feb 09 Mar 09 Apr 09 Jun 09 Sep 09 Nov09 Dec09 Jan10 Feb10 Mar10 Apr10 May10 Sep10 paid off as Julianstown was selected by The Heritage Council as the National ‘Pilot’ Project for the National Village Design Programme II. A meeting was arranged between JDCA, The Heritage Council and Meath County Council to establish a partnership and to engage full support in the process of setting up a project School VDS Projects Play at Slane Castle Community Meeting VDS Workshops Begin VDS Workshops Steering Group. Consultants Appointed Meeting with Landowners Project Terms of Reference Terms Project Community VDS Workshop VDS Steering Group Formed VDS Steering Group Draft Emerge VDS Proposals Local VDS Sub-group formed Local VDS Sub-group With momentum building, JDCA organised a well attended public event in March 2009, where the community play was performed DoEHLG Westport Town Council participation in the process. live for a local audience, and the DVD was VDS NUI Maynooth Meanwhile the project Steering Group began formally launched by Tom Dowling, the County Heritage Council National Programme II meeting monthly to oversee the strategic Manager. Alison Harvey from the Heritage Steering Group University of Limerick management of the national pilot and included Council gave a presentation on the vision Meath County Council Gaelic Athletic Assoc the following representatives for the National Village Design Programme II to officially mark the start of the national - Julianstown & District Community Association Heritage Council The Paul Hogarth Co ‘pilot’ project in Julianstown. The evening VDS - The Heritage Council also included a parcipative exercise which Meath County Council National Pilot BDOR Consulting - Meath County Council revealed a common range of concerns about Steering Group - BDOR Consulting the village, and resulted in the formation of a Local Community Tipperary Institute Local Village Design Sub Group made up of 15 A consultant’s terms of reference was drawn up local residents and two County Councillors. This by the Steering Group and ratified by the local group began meeting monthly to engage local Local Community (12) The Paul Hogarth Co VDS sub-group and issued. Following interviews Julianstown Urban Designers and Landscape Architects, The VDS Subgroup Local Councillors (2) Tipperary Institute Paul Hogarth Company, was appointed to support the community in production of the Statement. Management Structure of the VDS National Programme II 4 Meath County Council place great importance on the role of Village Design Statements and in particular, their value to the statutory Local Area Plan process. The Julianstown Village Design Statement was compiled in advance of the “It’s the most exciting thing that’s happened review of the East Meath Local Area Plan and, consequently, its findings will be used to inform in Julianstown for 30 years!” Local Resident the development of this plan. The Julianstown Village Design Statement Nov09 Dec09 Jan10 Feb10 Mar10 Apr10 May10 Sep10 Oct 10 Pupils from Whitecross National School carried was compiled by local residents with the full out a number of exercises about the village,