23 submissions made in LAP consultation process
By Aideen O'Flaherty
TWENTY-THREE submissions were made during the recent public consultation process of the Draft Tallaght Local Area Plan (LAP).
The LAP outlines the proposed vision for the central Tallaght area over a six-year period, from 2020 to 2026, however, the full roll-out of the ideas in the plan is expected to come to fruition over a longer period of 20 years.
The Belgard Cookstown area of Tallaght
Locations in central Tallaght have been split into eight different neighbourhoods, namely the Centre (The Square and surrounding areas), Cookstown, the Village, Broomhill, Greenhills, TUD-Tallaght Campus, Whitestown and the Town Park (Sean Walsh Park, Tallaght Stadium), for the draft plan.
According to South Dublin County Council, the purpose of the LAP is to provide a “strategic framework for the sustainable development” of Tallaght Town Centre, and it looks at the zoning of lands and the potential for future development in the area.
This is the second time the draft LAP has gone through the public consultation process, as earlier this year the plan received 49 submissions during its six-week public consultation stage – which identified a total of 255 issues.
Following this, it was decided that as the plan was then subject to material alterations and as such should go back into public consultation, and from mid-February to mid-March this year submissions were again accepted in relation to the draft LAP.
A high number of the submissions the council received during that time period were centred on site-specific issues related to specific neighbourhoods that are in the draft plan, particularly in relation to material alterations such as building heights, and zones designated for either residential or employment purposes.
The chief executive’s recommendation after analysing the public consultation submissions was to mainly leave the material alterations unchanged, with the exception of minor changes to text surrounding the proposal “to enhance employment and training opportunities for locals through development within the LAP area”.
Specifically, the implementation of proposed text changes noting “high unemployment rates” in some areas of Tallaght, and aims for the local authority to endeavour to employ local labourers and apprentices for the LAP are to be included as a result of the public consultation process.
Additionally, the text also highlights the aim to “maximise educational opportunities and support access to employment” for residents of Tallaght and surrounding areas.
The chief executive of the council has instructed that the LAP for Tallaght “be made with all of the proposed material alternations, including as modified, in accordance with the recommendations of this report.”
A meeting of South Dublin County Council’s councillors is set to take place in June 2020, and the Local Area Plan shall have effect six weeks from the date of the decision of the council.
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