As a former elected member, having been elected by the people of Lucan to South Dublin County Council on two occasions in the past, I wish to express support for the decision of our current elected members to omit Amendment Ref. No. 6 and to protect lands in the River Liffey Valley, specifically at St. Edmundsbury, from residential development.

There is absolutely no justification for seeking to rezone lands in the River Liffey Valley greenbelt for residential development given that other large areas of Lucan, and adjoining Lucan, are either currently being developed as new, large-scale residential communities, or have been proposed for future development as part of the current rezonings. The ecological, biodiversity, and amenity value of the River Liffey Valley must be protected.

In this regard, I generally support further sustainable development at Adamstown West and South. However, in order to ensure that future development is delivered in a sustainable manner, I fully support Amendments No. 50 which requires that "no significant residential development other than infrastructure necessary to facilitate the delivery of strategic transport infrastructure shall commence until DART+ Southwest, or an equivalent rail service, is operational”; and, for the same reasons, I further support Amendments No. 17 and 42.