I wish to express my support for the decision of the elected members of South Dublin county council to reject the proposed residential rezoning of the lands at St. Edmundsbury ,Lucan, under the proposed variation no.2 to the south dublin county development plan 2022-28 and to retain existing high amenity (HA-LV) zoning.
I support the need to provide sufficient land for housing in south Dublin. However planning decisions must also reflect the increasing importance now placed on protecting landscapes, biodiversity and natural heritage in the national planning policy.
The councils own figures show that the revised national planning framework baseline housing requirement has already been met. The overall package of proposed rezonings provides approximately 30% more residential capacity than the governments baseline requirement. As a result there is no planning necessity to remove the existing HA-LV zoning from the st.Edmundsbury lands in order to comply with national housing policy.
Recent EPA guidance on LCA encourages planning authorities to assess landscapes not only for their visual qualities but also for their ecolgoical function, biodiversity, cultural heritage and contribition to a sense of place.
Given that the council has already identified sufficient residential capacity to exceed the governments baseline housing requirement, I believe there is no compelling planning justification to remove the long established high amienty protection from these lands
For these reasons ,I respectfully request that the elected members decision to be upheld and the existing high amenity at St.Edmundsbury be retained.