24/02/2014

Archived item. This item is published here for historical reasons. The information below may be out of date.

South Dublin County Council wins National Planning Awards

A new design manual that will lead to more attractive and safer streets throughout Ireland, won the National Planning Award at a ceremony in Dublin Castle on Friday evening, 21st February.

In deciding that it should be the overall winner, the Irish Planning Institute judging panel considered that the Design Manual for Urban Roads and Streets, or ‘DMURS’, “represents a truly transformational change in how the urban environment is designed”.

Published jointly by the Departments of Transport and Environment in March 2013, the DMURS manual replaces existing design standards for new or upgraded roads and streets in Irish cities, towns and villages. It requires greater priority to be given to accommodating the needs of pedestrians, cyclists and public transport, places new emphasis on creating a ‘sense of place’ and provides a range of design measures to control vehicular speed.

The DMURS manual was prepared on behalf of the two Government Departments by a team of local authority based staff, half of whom were drawn from South Dublin County Council with Cork City, Fingal and Kildare County Councils also contributing significantly.

The judging panel was particularly impressed by the multi-disciplinary composition of the project team, with planners, engineers, architects and urban designers working together with other experts and user groups, “in a clever use of the expertise available in the public sector”.

This approach is endorsed by South Dublin County Manager, Mr Danny McLoughlin, stating that “as an example of shared service delivery, DMURS  demonstrates both cost saving efficiencies and high quality output in the achievement of an important national project”.

In recognising the DMURS Manual as a mandatory, practical instrument backed by two Government Departments, the judging panel contrasted it with “many other well-intentioned studies/guidance documents, which ended up gathering dust on shelves”. They also considered that it met all of the award criteria “– innovation, quality of multi-professional input, application of principles of sustainable development – and will serve as a reference for other

work as the new standard”.

The Newcastle Village Local Area Plan, prepared by South Dublin County Council in 2012, was also commended by the judging panel and the new library, pastoral centre and community buildings at Ballyroan won an urban design award as “a very successful model for the task of making a real place.”

-ENDS- 

Images

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  Castlegate Way Adamstown
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  Chapelizod
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  DMURS Team
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  Newcastle