Motion: Councillor M. Baker The following motion was not debated as the proposed route through Belmont in Ardagh Crescent was abandoned when it was established that the wall is not in the ownership of the Council. For this reason I accepted the report so as to remove the motion from the agenda.
That this Council, in view of the overwhelming rejection of the proposed cycle route through Belmont estate and Ardagh estate by local residents (96% of the 311 submissions), agrees to abandon this section of the proposed Mountains to Metals route.
Report: In 2020, Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council undertook a process of public engagement on three connected new safe walking and cycling routes, titled Sea to Mountains, Mountains to Metals and Park to Park, as part of the Council’s Active School Travel initiative. The purpose of the three connected routes is to upgrade and connect the existing walking and cycling network in the County. These new, consolidated routes totalling approximately 25 kilometres in length, are aimed at encouraging and enabling increased walking and cycling to school, and for wider use by the general public. The routes would, once completed, generate a connected network for active mobility across the county which is critical in facilitating the safe movement of children and adults to and from School. The proposed routes, including the Mountains to Metals route, and the section at Belmont/Ardagh, align with Council policy, as set out below. The proposed new safe walking and cycling routes will be developed and carried out in partnership with other stakeholders, including the Department of Transport, The National Transport Authority (NTA) and the An Taisce –Green Schools Travel programme. The project is being 100% funded by the NTA. The proposed new safe walking and cycling routes are align with the objectives of ‘Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Development Plan 2016-2022’, which includes: Policy ST5: Walking and Cycling It is Council policy to secure the development of a high-quality walking and cycling network across the County in accordance with relevant Council and National policy and guidelines. Policy ST6: Footways and Pedestrian Routes The Council will continue to maintain and expand the footway and pedestrian route network to provide for accessible pedestrian routes within the County in accordance with best accessibility practice. Policy ST7: County Cycle Network It is Council policy to secure improvements to the County Cycle Network in accordance with the Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown Cycle Network Review whilst supporting the NTA on the development and implementation of the Cycle Network Plan for the Greater Dublin Area. The proposed routes also aligns with the objectives of the ‘Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council Climate Change Action Pan 2019-2024’, including Actions T4, T6, T7,
T8, T11 and T13, as well as the ‘Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council: Corporate Plan 2019-2024’, including Corporate Goals 3, 4 and 5.The Council undertook non-statutory public consultation from Friday 25thSeptember to Friday 6th November 2020. A total of 6,431 representations were received. The combined submissions from the Citizen Space and the traditional means of submission resulted in a totalof6,431 submissions, with 4,059, 63% confirming support for the proposals and 2265, 35% not supporting the proposals. This response represents one of the most significant responses to public consultation in Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council. As part the consultation,299 representations were received in regard to Ardagh Crescent/Belmont Lawn, this represents a 4.6% of the total number of representations received. 65 representations were received through the Citizen Space and 234 via traditional means which detailed comments relating to the proposed measures to be implement a connection between Belmont Lawn and Ardagh Crescent. Of those representations 11 noted that they were supportive of the proposals. As part of those responses 288 representations noted that they did not support the proposed routes. Of the 288 representations received a proportion of representations were received from representatives with the same name and address. These representations have been counted as individual responses to ensure a conservative assessment. This is discussed in section 3.0.1 of the report on the Council’s website https://www.dlrcoco.ie/sites/default/files/atoms/files/submissions_and_executives_recommendations_-_full_detailed_report.pdf.In view of these representations received it is important to note:•A significant number of the 4,059 representations supporting the proposals noted that the connected nature of the route was a key factor for their support and further that the safe nature of the connected routes would encourage them and their families to utilise the routes, once implemented.• The representations from the Ardagh/Belmont residents were fully considered as part of the consultation process, with a review of suggested alternatives and proposals completed within section 3.3.17 of the detailed consultation review. That process concluded that the number of crossing points along the N11 which were safe for children to use were limited and that the crossing at Galloping Green minimised exposure of vulnerable and less confident road users to the significant strategic traffic movements on the N11 and as such represented the safest option. The detail of this review is included in section 3.3.17 of the Consultation Report published on the DLRCC website https://www.dlrcoco.ie/sites/default/files/atoms/files/submissions_and_executives_recommendations_-_full_detailed_report.pdfIn consideration of the policy context, the review of alternatives, the majority favouring the connected nature of proposal route network and the objective of facilitating safe walking and cycling movements, it was concluded that the proposals to route through Ardagh/Belmont were and remain, on balance, the most appropriate choice. In the report on public engagement completed in December the Council committed to carrying out further engagement with local residents to deal with their concerns and implement the routes in a considerate manner while safeguarding the amenity of the green space within Belmont Lawn and supporting the current use and character of the space. The detailed design is currently being worked on and we intend engaging with local residents, elected members and other stakeholders over the coming weeks and months to carry out further engagement on detailed solution.