Urban sprawl will continue in the GDA unless a number of national and local strategies are adopted. These include:
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Chapter 18: A Core Irish Region – The Greater Dublin Area Chapter 29: Urban Land Use and Planning
The National Planning Framework (NPF) proposes a 50:50 distribution of growth between the Eastern and Midland region, and the Southern and Northern and Western regions. It is planned that Cork, Galway, Limerick and Waterford will attract greater foreign direct investment to become ‘regional economic engines’.
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Increased building height and density in Dublin; the re-development of underutilised, vacant or abandoned sites in urban areas for housing; and effective urban renewal and regeneration will increase residential land use within cities. €2 billion will be allocated towards urban regeneration.
CHECK YOUR LEARNING
1. What is urban sprawl? 2. Explain two impacts of urban sprawl. 3. Name one city that has experienced this problem. 4. Explain any four causes of urban sprawl in that city. 5. Describe two ways of tackling urban sprawl in that city.
EXAM LINK (OL)
Urban Sprawl (40 marks) (i) Name one city where urban sprawl has occurred.
(ii) Explain the reasons why urban sprawl has occurred in this city.
(iii) Describe one solution to urban sprawl. 2017, Q10C
Marking Scheme: Named city = 4 marks
Explanation = 9 SRPs × 3 marks One solution described = 3 SRPs × 3 marks
KEYWORDS
development preservation
Heritage Act 1995 Heritage Council
Record of Protected Structures (RPS)
conservation areas Planning and
Development Act 2000 fines
Wood Quay Georgian Dublin Carrickmines Castle
Heritage in Urban Areas
Urban areas contain heritage sites below the surface and in the built environment. The conflict between development and preservation is one confronting all city authorities. In Ireland, our complex relationship with historic buildings and a lack of proper legislation have resulted in heritage destruction. In more recent years, however, there have been major changes.
Protection of heritage
The Heritage Act 1995 established the Heritage Council to advise and make recommendations to local authorities in relation to planning applications and their impact on heritage. Under the Local Government Planning and Development Act 2000, planning authorities are obliged in their development plans to:
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create a Record of Protected Structures (RPS) and outline objectives for their protection;
designate architectural conservation areas and strategies preserving their character.
EU law relating to the preservation of heritage has also forced local authorities to address the issue.
Other government initiatives include a grants scheme to help with the repair and upkeep of protected structures.
