Kildare County Development Plan 2023–2029 — Chapter 13: Landscape, Recreation and Amenity

1. Page 11

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   Objectives It is an objective of the Council to: LR O1 Ensure that consideration of landscape sensitivity is an important factor in determining development uses. In areas of high landscape sensitivity, the design, type and the choice of location of the proposed development in the landscape will be critical considerations. LR O2 Require a Landscape/Visual Impact Assessment to accompany proposals that are likely to significantly affect: • Landscape Sensitivity Factors; • A Class 4 or 5 Sensitivity Landscape (i.e. within 500m of the boundary); • A route or view identified in Map V1 - 13.3 (i.e. within 500m of the site boundary). • All Wind Farm development applications irrespective of location, shall be required to be accompanied by a detailed Landscape/Visual Impact Assessment including a series of photomontages at locations to be agreed with the Planning Authority, including from scenic routes and views identified in Chapter 13. LR O3 Require all Landscape and Visual Impact Assessments of specified linear infrastructure projects to be undertaken in line with the guidance on best practice methodology of the TII publication Landscape Character Assessment (LCA) and Landscape and Visual Impact Assessment (LVIA) of Specified Infrastructure Projects (2020). LR O4 Ensure that local landscape features, including historic features and buildings, hedgerows, shelter belts and stone walls, are retained, protected and enhanced where appropriate, so as to preserve the local landscape and character of an area. LR O5 Preserve, where appropriate, the open character of commonage. LR O6 Investigate the feasibility of preparing a Landscape Conservation Area Assessment within the county to identify any area(s) or place(s) within the county as a Landscape Conservation Area, in accordance with the Planning and Development Act 2000 (as amended). LR O7 Restrict the quarrying of sensitive sites within the Landscape Character Areas in line with Table 13.3 and Table 13.4 above and to protect and conserve the ecological, archaeological, biodiversity and visual amenity surrounding quarry sites. LR O8 Ensure that all quarrying activities and projects associated with the extractive industry comply with all relevant Planning and Environmental Legislation and the Guidelines for the Protection of Biodiversity within the Extractive Industry document ‘Wildlife, Habitats & the Extractive Industry’.449

2. Page 12

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   LR O9 Continue to support development that can utilise existing structures, settlement areas and infrastructure, whilst taking account of local absorption opportunities provided by the landscape, landform and prevailing vegetation. LR O10 Recognise that the lowlands and the transitional area are made up of a variety of working landscapes, which are critical resources for sustaining the economic and social well-being of the county and include areas of significant landscape and ecological value, which are worthy of protection. Such landscapes include the internationally recognised landscape of Punchestown and its environs. LR O11 Support collaboration between Kildare County Council, the Midlands Regional Transition Team and all other relevant stakeholders and the development of partnership approaches to integrated peatland management for a just transition that incorporates the management, rehabilitation and restoration / re-wetting of significant tracts of peatlands in conjunction with appropriate developed after uses. LR O12 Recognise that boglands, including cutaway and cut-over bogs, are critical natural resources for ecological and environmental reasons, particularly for climate mitigation and adaptation. Development proposals for boglands that reduce biodiversity and increase greenhouse gas will not be considered. Appropriate environmental assessment should be carried out for any development proposals which impact on boglands. LR O13 Recognise that some cutaway and cut-over boglands may represent degraded landscapes and thus may potentially be fit to absorb a variety of development provided that the development proposal does not increase Green House Gas emissions or damage protected habitats or species. Projects which result in increases in ammonia emissions to watercourses will not be considered. LR O14 Maintain the visual integrity of Eastern Transition Lands which have retained an upland character. LR O15 Continue to facilitate appropriate development in the Eastern Transition Lands, in an incremental and clustered manner, where feasible, that respects the scale, character and sensitivities of the local landscape, recognising the need for sustainable settlement patterns and economic activity within the county. LR O16 Require the undertaking of a peatland stability assessment, carbon emissions balance assessment and hydrological and ecological impact assessments, as appropriate, when developing project proposals for development on peatlands.450

3. Page 13

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   Actions It shall be an action of the Council to: LR A1 Review and update the County Landscape Character Assessment, within two years of the adoption of this Plan1, having regard to the European Landscape Convention Florence 2000, in accordance with all relevant legislation and guidance documents and to ensure consistency with the forthcoming National and Regional Landscape Character Assessment. All landscape character designations will be fully reviewed having regard to updated best practice guidance, LCAs of adjoining Local Authorities and other local relevant considerations, including clusters of biodiversity rich areas and the Council’s Green Infrastructure Strategy. LR A2 Investigate the feasibility of preparing a Historic Landscape Characterisation of the county. LR A3 Plant gateway roundabouts within the county with innovative design themes, having regard to traffic safety. Targets It shall be a target of the Council to: LR T1 Endeavour to increase the territory of County Kildare designated to increase nature by 27% from its current base of 3% by the end of this Plan period, in response to the Government’s commitment to designate 30% of the territory of Ireland for nature by 2030 and in accordance with the EU Biodiversity Strategy 2030. This may be achieved, in part, by the development of the proposed National Peatlands Park (see objectives in Section 13.6). Such endeavours, such as the development of the National Peatlands Park, shall be subject to an AA Screening Report, and where applicable, Stage 2 AA. They shall have a regard for any hydrological connection shared with a European Site and their qualifying interest species. The project shall account for any potential likely significant effects and provide mitigation and monitoring where appropriate. LR T2 Increase newly planted forest in line with the Government’s Climate Action Plan (2021) and the emerging Forestry Programme (expected to be published in 2023). 1 Should material changes be identified, a statutory variation may be required. 3% 30%451

4. Page 14

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   13.4 Areas of High Amenity In addition to Landscape Character Areas and the sensitivity of these areas to development, there are certain special landscape areas within the county, some of which overlap with sensitive landscapes. For the purposes of this Plan these areas have been defined as Areas of High Amenity. They are classified because of their outstanding natural beauty and/or unique interest value and are generally sensitive to the impacts of development. These areas are outlined in the following sub-sections. 13.4.1 Dun Ailinne Dún Ailinne is located on top of Knockaulin Hill, a short distance from the town of Kilcullen. Excavations and other investigations of Dun Ailinne (the Beautiful Fort) have established that it was the scene of major and regular gatherings going right back to Neolithic times. It is the largest pre-Norman earthen enclosure in Ireland, covering some 44 acres. The ditch or ‘henge’ which surrounds it is the best preserved and largest such feature in Ireland.2 Dun Ailinne is one of six locations known as Royal Sites which are being assessed for consideration for addition to the UNESCO World Heritage Sites Tentative List. 13.4.2 The Curragh and Environs The Curragh, located between Newbridge and Kildare Town, is the largest area of unenclosed natural grassland in the country. It is home to a significant number of archaeological sites and provides a hugely valuable amenity area for the surrounding towns of Kildare, Newbridge and Kilcullen. The Curragh Camp and the Curragh Racecourse are located within the plain. The Curragh constitutes a unique national asset from the point of view of landscape and geomorphology which extends over 2000 hectares and is a historic open plain of high conservation value. Extensive views can be obtained from the south-east of the site, at St. Ledgers Bottoms, around much of the perimeter of the site. The sense of openness has been diminished over the years with the development of the military camp, the racecourse complex, the railway, the new motorway and power lines. The Curragh is of conservation value for a number of reasons. It is most unusual in an Irish and European context, in that it is an extensive open plain area of lowland acidic grassland, succeeding to dry heath in places. It has been grazed but unfertilised for hundreds, perhaps even thousands, of years. Due to the management regime on the open grassland, nationally important populations of rare fungi are found which only occur in ancient grasslands. Curragh archaeological complex (RMP zone of archaeological potential KD022-071) is a rich archaeological landscape containing almost two hundred archaeological monuments. The earliest evidence for human activity on the open plain of the Curragh remains in the form of a possible Neolithic cursus monument (Clancy 2001) along with a number of lithics (O’Ríordain 1950, Duffy 1992). There are numerous ring ditches, barrows and tumuli, showing continuity of burial activity in the Bronze Age and Iron 2 KILDARE. 2015. Heritage: Dun Ailinne, Gathering place for the Leinster Kings https://www.kildare.ie/heritage/details.asp?GCID=120.452

5. Page 15

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   Age, and the Curragh itself forms part of a wider landscape centring on the ‘royal’ hilltop enclosure of Dún Ailinne from the Iron Age onwards. Land-use at the Curragh is dominated by sheep grazing on the open plains, which are commonage. Horse exercising and training are carried out on the many gallops. There is a military range at the southeast of the Curragh where target practice is regularly carried out. 13.4.3 Pollardstown Fen Pollardstown Fen is the largest remaining calcareous spring-fed fen in Ireland, a national nature reserve, Special Area of Conservation, and a Ramsar site of approximately 220 ha. It is recognised as an internationally important fen ecosystem with unique and endangered plant communities. The fen is situated on the northern margin of the Curragh, approximately 3km westnorth-west of Newbridge. It lies in a shallow depression, running in a north-west/southeast direction. From a landscape point of view, the unique vegetation and the low-lying nature of the area allows for extensive vistas of the site along the local roads, as well as to the hilltops in the vicinity (e.g. The Hill of Allen). Consequently, development can have a disproportionate visual impact in the local context, due to an inherent inability to be visually absorbed by the existing topography. 13.4.4 The River Liffey and the River Barrow Valleys The River Liffey and the River Barrow valleys are of significance in terms of landscape and amenity value and as such are sensitive to development. The River Barrow is a designated Special Areas of Conservation (SAC). They are characterised by smooth terrain and low vegetation, with extensive upland views (i.e. the Chair of Kildare to the west and the Eastern Uplands to the east) and distant views including the neighbouring Wicklow Mountains. The topography is such that it allows vistas over long distances without disruption along the river corridor. As a result, development on the banks of the rivers can have a disproportionate visual impact, due to an inherent inability to be visually absorbed. However, the undulating topography occurring within the river valleys provides physical shielding and has the potential to visually enclose the built form within the river valley, where it does not break the skyline. Shelter vegetation exists along some stretches of the valleys with the presence of natural and native woodland that grows on the floodplains of the rivers, as well as by conifer plantation in adjacent lands. This vegetation has a shielding and absorbing quality in landscape terms. It can provide a natural visual barrier as well as adding to the complexity of a vista, breaking it up to provide scale and containment for built forms. Many views of the river valleys are available from local roads and from viewing points located along the valleys. While river valleys represent potentially vulnerable linear landscape features, as they are often highly distinctive in the context of the general landscape, in certain circumstances landscape sensitivities may be localised or sitespecific.453

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   13.4.5 Rye Water Valley at Carton SAC Rye Water Valley/Carton Special Area of Conservation (SAC) is located between Leixlip and Maynooth, in Counties Meath and Kildare, and extends along the Rye Water, a tributary of the River Liffey. The river was arterially drained in the early 1950s but remains the only significant salmon spawning and nursery stream discharging into the River Liffey downstream of Leixlip dam. The Rye Water Valley/Carton SAC is designated for the protection of two molluscs listed on Annex II of the EU Habitats Directive. These semi-aquatic snails, Vertigo angustior and V. moulinsiana occur in marsh vegetation near Louisa Bridge, downstream of the Intel site. In addition, the marsh, mineral spring and seepage area found at Louisa Bridge, which supports the presence of these molluscs is of a type considered to be rare in Europe and is a habitat listed on Annex I of the EU Habitats Directive. This site is important due to the presence of several rare and threatened plant and animal species, and the presence of petrifying springs, a habitat type listed on Annex I of the E.U. Habitats Directive. The woods found on Carton Estate and their birdlife are of additional interest. 13.4.6 The Grand and Royal Canal Corridors The Grand Canal and the Royal Canal are extensive water corridors that flow through the county. The Grand Canal flows in an east to south-west direction and divides at Sallins into the Naas and Corbally Branch and is further divided in three branches at Robertstown: the Milltown Feeder, the Barrow Line and the continuation of the Grand Canal into neighbouring County Offaly. The Royal Canal flows in an east to west direction along the northern boundary of the county through Leixlip, Maynooth and Kilcock and continues into County Meath. The canal corridors and their adjacent lands have been landscaped and enhanced along the sections where the canals flow through urban areas and with the development of Greenways and Blueways. Canal locks are distinctive features of these water corridors. The smooth terrain, generally gentle landform and low canal bank grassland that characterise the canal corridors allow vistas over long distances without disruption, where the canal flows in a straight-line direction. Consequently, development can have a disproportionate visual impact along the water corridor, and it can prove difficult for the existing topography to visually absorb development. The occurrence of natural vegetation, coniferous and mixed plantations adjacent to the water corridors can have shielding and absorbing qualities in landscape terms, by providing natural visual barriers. Canal corridors are potentially vulnerable linear landscape features, as they are often highly distinctive in the context of the general landscape. In some cases, landscape sensitivities may be localised or site-specific.454

7. Page 17

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   13.4.7 Ballynafagh Lake SAC Ballynafagh Lake is located about 2 km north-west of Prosperous in Co. Kildare. The Blackwood Feeder, which connects Ballynafagh Lake to the Grand Canal, is also included in the site. The site is a Special Area of Conservation (SAC) selected for Alkaline Fens, Desmoulin's Whorl Snail (Vertigo moulinsiana) and Marsh Fritillary (Euphydryas aurinia). Ballynafagh Lake is a shallow alkaline lake with patches of emergent vegetation in the middle, as well as around the shore. Ballynafagh Lake has developed a very natural vegetation with some interesting plant communities, including alkaline fen, a habitat that is listed on Annex I of the E.U. Habitats Directive. The site supports a high diversity of molluscan species, with some rare species recorded, including Vertigo moulinsiana, a species that is listed on Annex II of the E.U. Habitats Directive. The site is also of ornithological importance. 13.4.8 Poulaphouca Reservoir SPA Poulaphouca Reservoir SPA, located in the western foothills of the Wicklow Mountains, was created in 1944 by damming of the River Liffey for the purpose of generating electricity from hydropower. The reservoir covers an area of approximately 20 square kilometres and is the largest inland water body in the mid-east and southeast regions. The reservoir receives water from two main sources, the River Liffey at the northern end, and the Kings River at the southern end. The exit is into the River Liffey gorge at the western end. Underlying the reservoir are sands and gravels deposited of the last glaciation. The shores of the lake are mostly sandy. The site is a Special Protection Area (SPA) under the E.U. Birds Directive, of special conservation interest for the following species: Greylag Goose and Lesser Blackbacked Gull. A range of other wildfowl species also occurs, including Whooper Swan, species that is listed on Annex I of the E.U. Birds Directive. The site is also notable as a winter roost for gulls, especially for the Lesser Black-backed Gull. Part of Poulaphouca Reservoir SPA is a Wildfowl Sanctuary. 13.4.9 Mouds Bog SAC Mouds Bog is located about 3 km north-west of Newbridge in Co. Kildare, close to the Hill of Allen, and includes amongst others, the townlands of Grangehiggin, Barrettstown and Hawkfield. The site comprises a raised bog that includes both areas of high bog and cutover bog. Much of the margins of the site are bounded by trackways. The site is a Special Area of Conservation (SAC) selected for the following: Raised Bog (Active), Degraded Raised Bog and Rhynchosporion Vegetation. Mouds Bog is significant in terms of its high bog area and geographical location as it is at the eastern extreme of the range of raised bogs in Ireland. It is a site of considerable conservation significance comprising a large, raised bog, a rare habitat in the E.U. and one that is becoming increasingly scarce and under threat in Ireland. This site supports a good diversity of raised bog microhabitats including hummock/hollow complexes, pools and flushes, and cutover, all of which add to the diversity and scientific value of the site.455

8. Page 18

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   Active raised bog is listed as a priority habitat on Annex I of the E.U. Habitats Directive. Priority status is given to habitats and species that are threatened throughout the E.U. Ireland has a high proportion of the total E.U. resource of this habitat type (over 60%) and so has a special responsibility for its conservation at an international level. 13.4.10 Ballynafagh Bog SAC Ballynafagh Bog SAC is a raised bog situated about 1 km west of Prosperous in Co. Kildare. The site comprises a relatively small core of uncut high bog (approx. 70 ha), which is surrounded by a more extensive area of cutover bog (approx. 90 ha). The high bog area can be divided into a wet core of active bog which covers an area of 23 ha, surrounded by approximately 44 ha of degraded raised bog which is experiencing drying-out at present. The site is a Special Area of Conservation (SAC) which supports the following habitats listed in Annex I of the E.U. Habitats Directive: Raised Bog (Active), Degraded Raised Bog and Rhynchosporion Vegetation. Of particular note is that the bog is one of the most easterly examples of a relatively intact raised bog in Ireland and, together with Mouds bog, is one of only two such systems in Co. Kildare. 13.4.11 Red Bog SAC Red Bog SAC is located 3 km north of the village of Blessington in east Co. Kildare. It comprises a wetland complex of lake, fen and bog situated in a hollow between ridges of glacially deposited material and underlain by rocks of Ordovician age. The site is a Special Area of Conservation (SAC) selected for Transition Mires. Red Bog is of ornithological significance and breeding birds recorded from the site include Mute Swan, Mallard, Tufted Duck, Coot, Moorhen, Snipe and Black-headed Gull. 13.4.12 East Kildare Uplands The Eastern Uplands are located in the east of the county and are part of the Wicklow Mountain complex. The topography rises from the lowland plains, through undulating terrain to the highest point of 379m above sea level (O.D.) at Cupidstownhill, east of Kilteel. The elevated nature of this area provides a defined skyline with scenic views over the central plains of Kildare and the neighbouring Wicklow Mountains which further define the skyline and the extent of visibility. The East Kildare Uplands are rural in character with a number of scenic views from elevated vantage points. The general land use on the uplands is pasture, with some tillage, quarrying and forestry. Along a number of roads, which cross the upper and lower slopes of the uplands, there are long-distance views towards the Kildare lowlands and the Chair of Kildare. The sloping land provides this area with its distinctive character and intensifies the visual prominence and potential adverse impact of any feature over greater distances. Public roads traversing the slope provides an increased potential for development to penetrate primary and secondary ridgelines when viewed from lower areas and in a few areas the recent pattern of ribbon development obscures views across the plains of Kildare. In the Eastern Kildare Uplands, nearly all ridgelines are secondary when viewed from the lowland areas, as the Wicklow Mountains to the east define the skyline456

9. Page 19

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   (i.e. form primary ridgelines). Gently undulating topography and shelter vegetation provided by conifer and woodland plantation can provide a shielding of built form. Views of the River Liffey Valley as well as of the Poulaphouca Reservoir are available from the hilltops and high points on some of the local roads. Policy It is the policy of the Council to: LR P2 Protect High Amenity areas from inappropriate development and reinforce their character, distinctiveness and sense of place. Objectives It is an objective of the Council to: LR O17 Control development that will adversely affect the visual integrity of Areas of High Amenity by restricting the development of incongruous structures that are out of scale with the landscape within the Areas of High Amenity including advertising signs, hoardings, fencing etc. which create visual clutter and disrupt the open nature of these areas. LR O18 Facilitate appropriate development in areas of high amenity that can utilise existing structures, settlement areas and infrastructure, taking account of the visual absorption opportunities provided by existing topography and vegetation. LR O19 Restrict the over development of the edge of the Curragh Plains and development that obtrudes on the skyline as viewed from the Plains. LR O20 Co-operate with all relevant stakeholders including the Department of Defence, the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, the racehorse industry, those with sheep grazing rights and the various interests currently with rights to the Curragh in the implementation of the Curragh Conservation, Management and Interpretation Plan, designated as a cNHA3. LR O21 Restrict development which may have a negative impact on the water quality and quantity of the Pollardstown Fen, in particular groundwater sources. LR O22 Co-operate with the relevant government departments and other statutory bodies in the protection and conservation of the Fen, a designated Special Area of Conservation (SAC). LR O23 Co-operate with the relevant government departments in the protection and conservation of both the Royal and Grand Canals and the River Barrow, designated as a cNHA and SAC respectively and in the sections of the River Liffey designated as a cNHA. LR O24 Support and promote an extension of the proposed Special Amenity Area Order for the Liffey Valley from Lucan to Leixlip and other parts of the Valley within County Kildare. LR O25 Work closely with the relevant State bodies, the International Council on 3 Candidate Natural Heritage Area457

10. Page 20

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    Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS), UNESCO and local stakeholders to support the designation of the Dun Ailinne Royal Site as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. LR O26 Contribute towards the protection of waterbodies and watercourses, including rivers, streams, associated undeveloped riparian strips, wetlands and natural floodplains, from inappropriate development. This will include buffers free of development in riverine and wetland areas, as per chapter 12. LR O27 Support the recreational amenity of wetlands. LR O28 Have regard to the four major steps in the integrated watercourse protection strategy of Inland Fisheries Ireland’s publication ‘Planning for Watercourses in an Urban Environment – 2020 Update’. LR O29 Ensure that the Streamside buffer zone (minimum of 10m plus) is kept free from development and existing vegetation is retained undisturbed to contribute to biodiversity and to ensure that bike paths and/or larger footpaths along rivers and streams are provided in the Middle buffer zone (15m-30m), in line with the Inland Fisheries Ireland’s publication ‘Planning for Watercourses in an Urban Environment – 2020 Update. Planting if required should be in keeping with the recommendations of the All-Ireland Pollinator Plan. LR O30 Sensitively consider developments in the Upland Character Areas including East Kildare Uplands that have a functional and locational requirement to be situated on steep or elevated sites (e.g. reservoirs, telecommunication masts or wind energy structures) where it can be explicitly demonstrated that residual adverse visual impacts are minimised or mitigated. LR O31 Have regard to the potential for screening vegetation when evaluating proposals for development within the Upland Character Areas including East Kildare Uplands. Actions It shall be an action of the Council to: LR A4 Deliver a Conservation Management Plan and a Branding & Interpretation Plan, in partnership with the Department of Defence, for the Curragh Plains, in order to address the conservation, management and interpretation of the Curragh. LR A5 Explore the establishment of the Barrow Valley and the Royal and Grand Canals as Areas of Special Amenity, as per section 202 of the Planning and Development Act 2000 (as amended).458

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