Strategic Development Zones such as Adamstown, for which the foundation stone was laid yesterday, have been a long time in gestation, writes Frank McDonald, Environment Editor.
It is now nearly four years since South Dublin County Council unveiled its master plan for a 550-acre swathe of land in south Lucan known as Adamstown, with the objective of turning it into a Strategic Development Zone (SDZ).
Provision for designating SDZs was made in Part IX of the 2000 Planning Act for sites where development was deemed by the Government to be of such strategic economic or social importance that it could bypass the normal planning process.
The intention was that this would enable greenfield industrial sites to be handed over, in "ready-to-go" fashion, to significant inward investors.
Curiously, it has never been used for this purpose; the three SDZs proposed so far all involve housing sites.
The purpose of an SDZ was to give developers greater certainty in terms of securing planning permission and also shorten the time-scale involved in progressing major schemes. A key factor was that it cut out third-party appeals once the master plan was adopted.
However, instead of providing a fast-track route for the construction of much-needed housing, the implementation of SDZs has been painfully slow.
Planners put this down to the newness of the concept and the reluctance of many politicians to come to terms with its implications.
Getting down to detail about how the new models are going to work has been a tortuous process. "Creating urban form is one of the most challenging things around," said Dick Gleeson, Dublin City Council's chief planner. "Sometimes you have to work ridiculously hard at it."
South Dublin County Council's master plan for Adamstown was intended from the outset to provide a forward-looking alternative to low-density suburban development, with a radically different vision of landmark modern buildings and roads designed as streets.
What it sought to do - in the words of Paul Hogan, the senior planner involved - was to present "a realistic high-density, mixed-use, public transport-based alternative to the low-density, mono-use, roads-based development of the suburban areas of the county to date".
Most buildings in Adamstown are to be at least three storeys high, rising to a minimum of four storeys along its main boulevard. At the core of the "urban zone", adjoining a transport interchange on the Kildare railway line, the minimum height is set at five storeys.
The objective is to provide "a lively and interconnecting network of streets, squares and public gardens with a wide range of public spaces and interesting buildings", mixing residential, commercial, public and community uses to "encourage . . . a sense of town and village".
A diverse range of housing is also planned, including larger than usual apartments, duplex units and town houses, laid out on squares and avenues or in courtyard or mews settings. All public open spaces were to be overlooked by housing, to ensure "passive surveillance".
But the very idea that Adamstown would contain 10,000 new homes caused alarm among residents of Lucan's sprawling suburban estates. They fear that the development will translate into at least 12,000 cars, causing even more traffic congestion in the area.
This was echoed yesterday by Paul Gogarty, Green Party TD for Dublin Mid-West, who accused the Government of failing to provide the resources to ensure that Adamstown actually works - in particular, funding for a new rail station and extra tracks on the Kildare line.
An Bord Pleanála's approval for the county council's master plan in September 2003 was strictly conditional on a phasing programme to ensure that new roads, public transport, schools and other community facilities would be delivered in tandem with the housing.
The appeals board ruled that Adamstown should not proceed beyond the first 1,000 homes until the Outer Ring Road, which would link it to the N4, is upgraded to a dual-carriageway.
The developers, led by Castlethorn Construction, must also provide the rail station.
Fingal County Council has not fared so well. Its SDZ plan for Hansfield, near Clonsilla, was rejected by An Bord Pleanála in December 2003 because it had failed to outline a clear phasing programme for the "timely delivery" of schools, transport facilities and open spaces.
Now, some 14 months later, Fingal councillors have been presented with a revised plan for Hansfield. It envisages the construction of 2,500 homes at a higher overall density than the earlier scheme and is based on the premise that the old Navan railway line will be reopened.
Iarnród Éireann has drawn up plans to reopen the line at least as far as Dunboyne, according to Cllr Dominic Hannigan (Labour), who chairs Meath County Council's planning committee. He saw this as a welcome first step to reinstating the line all the way to Navan.
The State's third SDZ, coincidentally, is on the outskirts of Navan.