Archaeology

The Department welcomes the publication of local authority draft Climate Change Adaptation Strategy. The Department would like to draw your attention to the Climate Change Sectoral Adaptation Plan for Built and Archaeological Heritage (CCSAP) (2019) prepared as part of the National Adaptation Framework. The CCSAP identifies the priority impacts for the built and archaeological heritage based on current climate change projections.

The Heritage Division of this Department is engaged with the local authorities through the departmental Climate Change Advisory Group and established Working Groups to ensure a consistent approach to protection and adaptation of heritage assets across the country and an alignment of policies, plans and actions across national, regional and local climate action. The Department anticipates ongoing engagement with the local authorities throughout the implementation of the current and future sectoral adaptation plans.

In the preparation and implementation of the local authority adaptation strategy, there are a number of issues regarding protection of built and archaeological heritage that this Department recommends be taken into account to identify the heritage assets at risk in its area, assess their vulnerability to climate change, increase their resilience and develop disaster risk reduction policies for direct and indirect risks. For example, it is recommended that the strategies should consider:

Identifying the built and archaeological heritage assets in the local authority area including, but not restricted to, structures and sites subject to statutory protection under the National Monuments Acts 1930 to 2014, or the Planning and Development Acts;
Including objectives to carry out climate change risk assessments, including condition assessments, for the historic structures and sites in its area;
Including objectives to develop disaster-risk reduction policies addressing direct and indirect risks to the built and archaeological heritage in its area;
Including objectives to develop resilience and adaptation strategies for the built and archaeological heritage in its area;
Developing the skills capacity within the local authority to address adaptation/mitigation/emergency management issues affecting heritage assets in order to avoid inadvertent loss or damage in the course of climate change adaptation or mitigation works.

This Department will shortly be publishing a new guidance document Improving Energy Efficiency in Traditional Buildings. This guidance will assist retrofitting installers and specifiers in how best to choose and apply energy efficiency measures to the historic building stock. The guidance is also intended to assist building owners and occupants in making decisions about upgrading their buildings, many of which are of architectural heritage significance. It is recommended that all proposed retrofitting projects undertaken or supported by the local authority to buildings of traditional construction should follow the principles and practice set out in that guidance.

Finally, it is recommended that, where such officers are employed, the Architectural Conservation Officer, Heritage Officer and Archaeologist should be included on the local authority’s Adaptation Steering Group.

You are requested to send any further communications to this Department’s Development Applications Unit (DAU) at manager.dau@npws.gov.ie where used, or to the following address:

The Manager

Development Applications Unit (DAU)

Government Offices, Newtown Road, Wexford, Y35 AP90

Is mise, le meas

Edel Griffin

Development Applications Unit

Administration

South Dublin County Council Draft Climate Action Plan 2024-2029 - Submissions

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