2018 News & Updates

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November 2018

What does a Local Area Plan for Dundrum mean?
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A Local Area Plan (LAP) is a statutory document that is prepared by the Planning Authority in accordance with the provisions of the Planning and Development Act 2000 (as amended) sections 18 – 20. The Local Area Plan must be consistent with the objectives of the current County Development Plan.
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The LAP sets out a strategy for proper planning and sustainable development of the area. It enables the local authority to carry out a detailed assessment of any planning issues and this knowledge can be used to inform planning policy. The Plan gives guidance to any future development in the area thereby ensuring that any changes in the area respect and complement the local area. The LAP covers areas such as promoting economic development of the area, flooding and other environmental issues, biodiversity, conserving local heritage, the quality of urban design. community facilities and meeting the needs of all population groups.
In drawing up the LAP the planning authority must consult with the Minister, public and other interested parties before preparing, amending or revoking a local plan ​

Pre-Draft Public Consultation:

  • The initial stage can consist of producing an issues paper that can be displayed in council offices and libraries for a period.
  • Public notices in national newspapers inviting submissions.
  • A public open day can be organised where Planning Department staff are available to discuss the process with members of the public and other interested parties. Forms can be available to allow people to make submissions on the proposed plan.

Other requirements:

The EU Directive on Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) requires EU member states to systematically evaluate any likely important effects on the environment of implementing the Local Area Plan, before its adoption. The County Council must also ensure that the plan does not have any significant effect on Natura 2000 sites (such as special Areas of Conservation and Special Protected Areas) as outlined in the EU Habitats Directive.
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Imagine Dundrum invites you to join us to share ideas about all the important aspects of planning for the future of Dundrum, such as heritage, open spaces and recreation, community and social facilities, transport and traffic management and much more. This consultation is a really valuable opportunity to have your say, unfortunately in a tight timeframe at a busy time of year, but community input is vitally important. The public have until December 14 to make submissions at this stage.
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Join us at an Open Meeting, December 5 in Holy Cross Primary School, Dundrum, at 7:30.

February 2018

Imagine Dundrum has kept in close touch with the 7 Dundrum Ward Councillors since early 2016, but recently decided to engage with the broader group of Councillors who form the ‘Dundrum Area Committee’: the Councillors for Stillorgan and

Sandyford-Glencullen Wards along with the Dundrum Councillors.
10 of the 20 DAC Councillors responded to our invitation and joined us for a meeting in in February. The agenda focused on the three most important current issues for Imagine Dundrum: the urgent need for a Local Area Plan for Dundrum in advance of any major development; our formal submission to Council to have Main Street designated as an Architectural

Conservation Area; and our proposal for a Dundrum civic/ community/ cultural centre in the heart of the old village.
All Councillors were broadly supportive, offering further information and practical advice, and a number made specific offers of helpful actions at Council level.

March 2018

Main Street: A History of the Heart of Dundrum by John Lennon was launched by the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, Josepha Madigan, TD in Holy Cross Parish Centre. A full report of this highly successful night can be found under news bulletins.
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Main Street paints a vivid picture of a village that has grown over four centuries and retained much of its built heritage throughout that time. Local historian John Lennon has faithfully chronicled the changes in Dundrum Village from the 17th century to the present day. He reminds us of the imperative to protect that rich heritage and to blend it sensitively into the planning for the future of the village.

Imagine Dundrum open meeting and community conversation summary of report

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Imagine Dundrum is a voluntary group of local residents from across the Dundrum area, formed in response to the imminent redevelopment of Dundrum Village, and the County Council’s proposed Local Area Plan. The group is campaigning for a community-focused vision for the renewal of Dundrum’s core built environment, working with the County Council, public representatives, the new developers and all interested local organisations, businesses and individuals, to ensure that the future Dundrum retains its own unique character and heritage, and is a place where everyone feels happy to live, work and belong.
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Imagine Dundrum held its first Open Meeting in June 2017, and has now published a full report of the proceedings. This meeting had two main aims: to introduce the group and its thinking to a wider audience, and to gather the views and ideas of as many local residents as possible. Participants took part in a lively and wide-ranging ‘community conversation’ on three key topics: ​
‘Why is Dundrum important to you?’; ‘Dundrum now: issues and things that need to change’; and ‘Dundrum in future: what would make it a great place to live?’.
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The meeting began with two guest speakers: Des Keogh, well-known actor and broadcaster and local resident, and Professor Mary P. Corcoran of Maynooth, known for her studies of Irish suburban life. Members of the Imagine Dundrum group presented: their work to date; an illustrated history of Dundrum Village; Imagine Dundrum’s fundamental design principles for the new Dundrum; and illustrative drawings showing how the new development could incorporate these principles. The Chair of the meeting highlighted the fact that Dundrum is no greenfield site – the new development will be so much more than buildings; it will shape a community and its life for generations to come.
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Attendance at the meeting exceeded expectations, with around 160 participants contributing a rich range of ideas and views, and expressing their concerns for Dundrum. The results of these conversations show the strength of local feeling for the future of our home place, and the commitment of so many people to working for the best possible outcome, one which will enhance Dundrum itself while retaining its special character, and will also strengthen our community.
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The conversations showed that the participants in the meeting fully endorsed Imagine Dundrum’s proposals and principles. They welcomed the possibilities offered by redevelopment while agreeing on the need for a proper balance between residential, commercial and civic elements. They agreed that the newly-built Dundrum must reflect the heritage of the historic Village area, and support a thriving range of small independent businesses. They want a fully ‘connected’ physical environment which prioritises pedestrians and cyclists and links easily to public transport. And a focus for strengthening community life should be provided by an innovative civic and community centre in the heart of Dundrum Village. The meeting also agreed that the new Dundrum must be ‘future-proofed’ by ensuring best practice in environmentally sustainable development.
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Finally, the meeting called on the developer, Hammerson, and on Dún Laoghaire Rathdown County Council to engage actively with the local community, to ensure that plans for future development in Dundrum will reflect community needs and wishes and so can aspire to local community support.

Launch of Main Street: a History of the Heart of Dundrum

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The illustrated booklet, Main Street: a history of the heart of Dundrum, was written by local historian John Lennon and produced by Imagine Dundrum to celebrate and raise awareness of Dundrum’s rich built heritage, and the need to preserve it in the light of forthcoming redevelopment in the village.
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It was launched in the new Holy Cross Parish Centre by local TD and Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, Josepha Madigan. Around 180 people were welcomed to the Centre and the event by Parish Priest Fr John Bracken.
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Anne Colgan, Chair of Imagine Dundrum, explained the booklet’s importance to the group’s campaign to ensure the unique character and heritage of Dundrum Village is not lost when large-scale redevelopment takes place. The vital information it provides will also strengthen the proposal made to DLR County Council for the designation of Main Street as an Architectural Conservation Area.
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Imagine Dundrum hopes that current thinking on ‘place-making’ in urban redevelopment will ensure a more collaborative approach than before, one in which planners and developers listen fully to local people, who have the strongest stake in the best possible outcome. Imagine Dundrum has been pressing for a Local Area Plan process for Dundrum in 2018, which will provide significant opportunities for this engagement.
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Launching the booklet, the Minister strongly supported its message and endorsed the aims of Imagine Dundrum and its work of nurturing the local community as the townscape grows and changes, urging all stakeholders to work together to ensure that community is placed ‘front and centre’ in the new development.
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Supporting Imagine Dundrum’s promotion of a civic and community centre in the heart of the village, she said she was convinced of the need for ‘a dedicated civic space’, which would also be a community hub and a place for cultural events, would provide for ‘town hall’ type meetings, and fully respond to local needs and wants. She promised as a local TD to do all she could to ensure this key element in Dundrum’s future becomes reality. Finally, she urged local representatives and local groups to work together to ensure the new Dundrum retains its strong community focus and its special sense of place.
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Local historian John Lennon talked of his personal ties to Dundrum and passion for recording its history, before outlining the long history of Dundrum recorded and illustrated in the booklet, noting a number of fascinating points in its development from medieval castle settlement to modern urban village.
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Recalling the horror of local people at the previous developer’s plans in 2008, his hope for the future is for a new development that sympathetically and sensitively blends old and new and so retains Dundrum’s unique character. What happens now, he said, will set the stage by creating the physical environment for the local community for the next 50 years, so it is vital that we get it right!
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Stephen Mulhall, lecturer in Architecture in UCD, outlined the current project that he and a group of 4th year/ Masters students are undertaking, imagining and designing innovative future housing possibilities in Dundrum as part of a longer-term UCD Architecture School concern with Ireland’s housing crisis. They were delighted to be invited to participate in the launch and display some of their architectural models to stimulate conversation and ideas. The students’ end-of-year exhibition in May will be open to the public, and they hope it will contribute to lively and productive dialogue about Dundrum’s future.
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Closing the formal part of the meeting, Anne Colgan thanked everyone involved in the many different aspects of the publication and the launch. She hoped that the great support and interest which Imagine Dundrum has received over the last two years from local organisations, groups and individuals will continue to grow, so that in future the whole community can ‘look back with pride and forward with optimism’.

 

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