THE EUROPEAN LANDSCAPE CONVENTION ELC

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THE EUROPEAN LANDSCAPE CONVENTION (ELC) THE
IRISH PLANNING SYSTEMAlison Harvey, Planning
and Development Officer 26th May 2008
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Introduction to ELC?

• Adopted by the Committee of Ministers of the
  Council of Europe in July 2000
• Signatories must recognise landscapes in law and
  est. policies aimed at their protection,
  management and planning
• Recognition of all landscapes not just special
  areas approach
• Democratise landscape by extending to the
  entire pop the right to good quality landscapes

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ELC Status in Ireland?
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Article 3 Key Aim of ELC?

• To promote landscape protection, management and
  planning, and to organise European co-operation
  on landscape issues.

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Article 5 General MeasuresArticle 6 Specific
Measures
ELC Two Important Parts
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Article 5 General Measures (4)

• Recognise landscape in law as an essential
  component of peoples surroundings
• Establish implement landscape policies
• Est. procedures for the participation of the
  general public, etc.
• Integrate landscape into its regional and town
  planning policies PLUS?

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Article 6 Specific Measures (5)

• Awareness Raising among the Civil Society
• Training and Education 3 parts
• Identification and Assessment Value?
• Landscape Quality Objectives - Consultation
• Implementation

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Heritage Councils Role?

• Landscape and Seascapesare included in Section
  6 of the Heritage Act 1995
• HC and Clare CoCo commissioned a Pilot Study on
  Landscape Characterisation in County Clare in
  2000 included Historic Landscape Characterisation
• HC published Landscape Policy Paper in 2002
• HC has sponsored 50 landscape-related projects
  since 2000

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Heritage Councils Role?

• Prepared a National Baseline Audit of Landscape
  Character Assessment (LCA) in Ireland in Sept
  2006 68 had NO training in LCA
• Developing Pilot CPD Landscape Training Module
  in partnership with the IPI and ILI
• Involved in the Depts Working Group re. the
  National Landscape Strategy (NLS)

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Future Challenges for Irelands Landscapes?

• Implement the PD Act 2000
• Implement the ELC
• Formulate and implement a National Landscape
  Strategy (NLS)
• Implement the NDP 2007-2013
• SEA Sustainability Appraisals

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Integrated Area Planning and the
Environment Elisha McGrane Tipperary Institute
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Overview

• Why IAP as a tool for environmental
  sustainability?
• How to integrate environmental issues into an
  IAP?
• Benefits challenges of this approach

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Why IAP as a tool for environmental
sustainability?

• One way of getting a practical plan for the
  environmental management of an area
• But more importantly
• Builds a communitys capacity
• Empowers a community gives ownership
• Raises consciousness re sustainable development
• Forges links with other stakeholders
• In line with European policy (Aarhus Convention)

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How to integrate environmental issues into an
IAP?

• Community reflection Vision
• Key objectives
• Many issues that arise have had strong
  environmental focus
• Focus groups
• Identification of steps to realise these
  objectives
• A framework of actions

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Benefits challenges of this approach

• Community engages with environmental issues in a
  proactive manner
• Develop consciousness about linkages between
  pillars of sustainability
• Communities come to realise how intrinsic the
  natural environment is in a communitys well
  being identity

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Benefits challenges of this approach

• Fosters co-operation between community agencies
• Potential to capture knowledge expertise held
  within community
• Realisation of complexity of issues that L.A.s
  contend with
• Positive affects of collective effort in
  combating problems (vandalism litter)

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Benefits challenges of this approach

• Community taking responsibility for own
  environment
• Having a vision gives community a strong context
  in which to make decesions and contribute to
  processes plans

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Benefits challenges of this approach

• Long process
• Reaching concensus..?
• Preconcieved ideas prejudices
• Complex
• Iterative rather than linear process
• Messy

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Hacketstown, Co Carlow