Heritage Council

Press Release : Tuesday 6th October 2009

Considerable progress is now being made on formulating a Landscape Conservation Area plan for the Tara-Skryne Valley in Co. Meath arising from the controversy over the routing of the M3 motorway that is currently being constructed, according to the Chief Executive of the Heritage Council, Mr. Michael Starrett. Furthermore, the process shaping the plan can provide part of the framework for a landscape strategy for the whole country, which is an important component of the Programme for Government, he said.

"This Landscape Conservation Area plan is being developed in a partnership between the Department of Environment Heritage and Local Government, the Heritage Council, and Meath County Council, as well as the local community and other stakeholders. Building on the policy commitments in the Meath County Development Plan, these inclusive deliberations can form a template for the kind of deliberations required for a National Landscape Strategy", he said.

Speaking in the week before a major international conference on Ireland's landscapes, Mr. Starrett said that the Irish landscape had witnessed the most sustained period of economic growth our country has ever known in the past ten years. "Our landscape in fact was the stage on which a turbo-charged development process was played out.

"The reality is that we were woefully ill-equipped to deal with the pace of development, and serious damage was done to our landscape. The impacts of that can be seen where we all live, work and play – in our towns, our villages and in the rural landscape. All of us have been affected as individuals as have our communities and our environment."

However, despite the damage done during that period, Mr. Starrett said he was optimistic about the future. "Landscape is now very much on the agenda and the Government is committed to the development of a National Landscape Strategy. The Heritage Council intends to inform that strategy.

"This should allow an integrated approach and be implemented in a way that will enable and empower local and regional stakeholders and communities, as well as Local Authorities, the National Roads Authority and other development agencies, to put in place structures that can deliver an agreed range of actions", he added.

Next week the Heritage Council will hold a major Landscape Conference over three days (October 14-16) in Tullamore to promote discussion on the best ways in which Ireland can manage, plan and conserve all its landscapes, urban and rural, in to the future. It will hear from speakers from across the globe on how they have developed legislation and structures to meet similar challenges, as well as from key stakeholders at home, such as the IFA and major land users and promoters such as Failte Ireland, Teagasc the EPA, Coillte and the local authorities.

Local conservation initiatives in places like Bere Island, the Burren and the Wicklow Uplands will also be explored. "Our landscapes in all their guises represent our most significant cultural and natural assets. They deserve a National Landscape Strategy. The debates at Tullamore can accelerate our consideration on all these matters", Mr. Starrett said.