Introduction

 The recent change in fortunes for Ireland and of the rest of the world has essentially paused all current development work that would have been envisaged in the not too distant past. Whilst the Forum has continued to support appropriate development it considers the positive of this hiatus in development as an opportunity to revisit the plans of the past and to put measures in place to ensure that the mistakes of the past are not repeated. While some mistakes have been made throughout Fingal, it is no different to the rest of the country which has also seen inappropriate development of finite resources to the detriment of local communities. The Forum also sees the tremendous work carried out by Fingal County Council in difficult circumstances where it managed one of the fastest growing areas in Ireland and Europe in maintaining the character and history of Fingal from the threat of bland, mainstream housing development. This recession gives the Council an opportunity to ensure that new developments meet the highest of environmental standards while always maintaining the character of the area they are sited. In our submission we outline our comments and desires for the County and look forward in participating in the ongoing development debate until Spring 2011.


Cross cutting themes

 
  • Development should be for the benefit of society. Developers and speculators should be taxed or levied so that profit is allowed but not at the expense of the people. No havens should be created to allow for tax avoidance.
  • Sites should be harnessed for their natural resources; wind, water, solar.
  • It is essential that integrated planning is used especially in relation to schools, where the location of nearby sports and recreation is essential.
  • Adequate waste water plant which comply with E4 best practices in advance of housing being developed.
  • Park and Ride facilities to be developed.
  • Adequate directional signing.
  • Build and promote natural heritage sites
  • Identity – preserve building of local/national importance, comprehensive survey of old buildings to see if they are of architectural importance, using local knowledge.

Population and housing

 
  • Focus on Community enhancement
  • Real consultation with local communities and reporting/feedback mechanism
  • Housing developments have been allowed with no or lack of facilities. Even if planning permissions are granted, modifications are allowed.
  • Infrastructure including sewage total treatment plants
  • Empty houses should be occupied as soon as possible. Does the fact that they must be renovated say something of housing quality and monitoring?
  • Utilise industrial units for schools and training centers
  • Highest building standard, with insulation heating , use of industry to use combined heat and power excess for housing.    
  • Integration in all areas of Fingal instead of density in some which may risk creating  ghettos      
  • Housing and work should also be integrated. There should be minimum travel!
  • -Ensure sufficient social housing is provided within the whole county (using NAPCO / RESPOND models for example)
  • -Design in flexibility within the plan to adapt accommodation based on usage needs per household. (i.e. match lone parent families to smaller, suitable accommodation;  move empty nesters into smaller units, etc, etc)
  • -Ensure sufficient supply of habitation for the anticipated growth of the Fingal population through 2011-2017 (recognizing the existing, proportionately high concentration of people that will be maturing into “accommodation seekers” within the Plan’s timescale).
  • Prioritize housing & housing programmes for those residents with particular / specific needs (homeless, sheltered accommodation, elderly, etc)
  • -Integrate housing more fully with transportation needs, accessible & local employment options, infrastructural service (schools, health, recreation etc).
  • Apartment design needs to be studied in depth and formal guidelines issued which will be assessed during the planning process. Apartment heights should not exceed four floors . Sustainable building materials should be favored ie brick fascias as opposed to plaster rendering which requires annual maintenance, thus keeping the management bills to a minimum.
  • Designers should incorporate own entrance and minimise shared space in their designs. Photovoltaic panels for year round water heating should be installed as standard. Ergonomic design features should be incorporated as standard such as maximizing south facing alignment. Balcony should come as standard and be large enough to take a table and chair and a bicycle
 

Last Updated ( Tuesday, 06 October 2009 21:50 )