Dear Sir/Madam,
I am writing to express my strong support for the proposal to retain the lands at St Edmundsbury under the High Amenity zoning designation.
St Edmundsbury is an important area of open landscape that provides environmental, ecological, recreational and community value. Its protection is not simply a local preference; it is consistent with the wider principles of sustainable planning, climate resilience, biodiversity protection and the preservation of natural and cultural heritage.
The retention of these lands as High Amenity would support the objectives of the National Planning Framework by protecting green infrastructure, enhancing community wellbeing, preserving natural capital and helping to create a more climate-resilient society. As population and development pressures increase, established green spaces and undeveloped landscapes become more—not less—important.
The lands form part of a wider ecological and landscape network. Development on this site could sever wildlife corridors, fragment habitats and permanently damage the integrity and character of the surrounding landscape. Once such lands are developed, the environmental value, openness and biodiversity they support cannot realistically be restored.
St Edmundsbury also contributes significantly to the area’s sense of place. Its open character provides visual relief from surrounding development and helps maintain a meaningful connection between the community and the natural environment. The National Planning Framework recognises that high-quality places are essential to public health, quality of life and community wellbeing. Protecting St Edmundsbury would demonstrate a genuine commitment to these principles.
Open green spaces also provide important climate-related benefits. They support biodiversity, absorb rainfall, help reduce flood risk, store carbon, moderate local temperatures and provide space for nature to adapt to changing environmental conditions. Protecting such lands is a practical and responsible form of climate action.
There is already considerable development pressure across South Dublin. Sustainable planning must involve more than identifying land for construction; it must also protect the landscapes, habitats and amenities that make communities healthy and liveable. High Amenity zoning is therefore appropriate and necessary for St Edmundsbury.
I respectfully ask South Dublin County Council to retain the High Amenity designation for these lands and to resist any future rezoning or development proposal that would undermine their environmental, ecological, recreational or landscape value.
The protection of St Edmundsbury would leave a lasting positive legacy for current residents and future generations. Its loss, by contrast, would be permanent.
I therefore fully support the proposed retention of St Edmundsbury as High Amenity lands.
Kind Regards,
Ferdinand van Aesch
Lucan
16/07/2026