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19/04/2006

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 The information below may be out of date.

Date:        19 April 2006

Contact:    Paul Hogan, Senior Planner, 01 414 9000 / 086 173 1721

Travelling northbound on the M50, as you descend from the foothills of the Dublin Mountains, it is now possible to see a new Town Centre emerging on the skyline in front of you.

Since the late 1990’s South Dublin County Council has facilitated over a third of a million square metres of development including 2,500 residential units, shopping, office and leisure uses in Tallaght Town Centre.  This has been delivered through an Integrated Area Plan (IAP), tax incentive designation and State-led investment.  Employment in the Town Centre has doubled to almost 10,000 and the Town is host to one of the largest Hospitals in the State.  There are more than 3,000 people in third level education and training between the IT Tallaght, Hospital and Fas facilities.  Tallaght is now linked to the City Centre by Luas and will soon acquire a new Stadium and Arts Centre in addition to the County Library and Civic Theatre.  There are current proposals to redevelop and extend the Square shopping centre as well as the Town’s Garda Station.

In order to build on the momentum of recent investment and to guide the next stage of the development of Tallaght Town Centre, South Dublin County Council has prepared a major Local Area Plan for the Tallaght Town Centre area.  

The proposed Plan provides for the development of new streets, civic spaces and a park and a range of people intensive uses appropriate to a town centre based on high quality urban design.  The Plan includes a series of Local Framework Plans for each of 15 ‘Precinct’ areas and sets out phasing/sequencing and implementation methods.

Some of the key public realm elements of the Proposed Tallaght Town Centre Plan include:-

•    A new Town Square between the Square shopping centre and the County Buildings;
•    A new Town Park in the South Cookstown area together with new through-street links into the area;
•    A wide pedestrian ‘landbridge’ over the N81 linking the Square shopping centre to Sean Walsh Park to the south;
•    A new vehicular underpass to provide access to the Square direct from the N81;
•    High quality east-west and north-south pedestrian routes including the Tallaght ‘Zip’ Project.

It is also intended to build on the considerable success in attracting high quality investor-led residential development to the Town Centre.  The Proposed Plan aims to further increase quality and choice and encourage greater levels of owner-occupation in future developments through:-

•    A minimum average unit size requirement for each development (75sq.m.);
•    Minimum unit size requirements for each individual unit (1 bed = 45sq.m., 2 bed = 70sq.m., 3 bed = 85sq.m.);
•    A requirement for dedicated on-site concierge/caretaker apartment, by legal agreement;
•    Provision of managed community meeting space adjoining the concierge unit at a rate of 0.3sq.m. per dwelling;
•    A requirement for a hierarchy of small-scale children’s play provision within developments (starting at 1 x toddler play area per 25 dwellings).


With regard to school provision, there are 17 Primary and 5 Secondary Schools within 1km of the Tallaght Town Centre area, whose combined enrolments have been in decline for almost 20 years.   The most recent 10 year period has seen combined enrolments fall by 20% and 24% respectively.

The Proposed Plan aims to address population decline as a result of falling household size, particularly in the more established parts of Tallaght surrounding the Town Centre.  This is the area where services and facilities have been built up over the years and adjoins significant potential development sites.  It is in such locations that high quality residential development can allow smaller households such as couples, singles, small families, retired people and first-time buyers to enter the housing market without having to become car-dependent or commute long distances.
Other potentially innovative measures detailed in the Proposed Tallaght Town Centre Plan include a requirement for active street frontage through frequent openings onto the street, a floorspace bonus incentive for significant public gain in terms of public spaces and through streets, a proposed Town Centre-wide CCTV system and a possible local bus service funded by future development contributions.
The Proposed Tallaght Town Centre Local Area Plan will be displayed in public until 24th May 2006 (inclusive) at the following locations and times:-

Main Foyer
South Dublin County Council
County Hall
Tallaght
9.00am-5.00pm Mondays – Fridays    County Library
Tallaght Town Centre
9.45am-7.45pm Mondays – Thursdays and
9.45am-4.30pm Fridays and Saturdays

and 24 hours a day, 7 days a week on the South Dublin County Council website:- www.sdcc.ie
A series of open days/evenings during which Planning Staff will be available to advise interested parties will be held as follows (all 11.00am – 8.00pm):-
 
•    Tuesday 25th April
•    Wednesday 3rd May
•    Tuesday 9th May
•    Tuesday 16th May

A Report on submissions made in respect of the Proposed Local Area Plan by 24th May will be prepared and presented to the Elected Members of South Dublin County Council for their consideration and determination by mid-July 2006.

Further information on the Proposed Tallaght Town Centre Local Area Plan is available from Paul Hogan, Senior Planner at 086 173 1721 or Dara Larkin, Senior Executive Planner at 01 414 9000.