A Community Request for a Fair and Complete Consultation

 

Part 8: Knocklyon to Ballyboden Active & Sustainable Travel Scheme

To: South Dublin County Council

Residents of the Ballyboden–Knocklyon area are requesting an extension of the consultation period to ensure fair and complete community engagement on a scheme affecting a 4-kilometre corridor and associated residential links across the area.

 
Community Position

Residents of Ballyboden and Knocklyon support sustainable transport infrastructure and recognise the importance of improving walking, cycling and public transport connectivity.

However, these communities believe that the current Part 8 proposal for the Knocklyon to Ballyboden Active & Sustainable Travel Scheme is premature and has not been subject to the level of consultation and engagement required for a project of this scale.

The proposed scheme extends for approximately 4 kilometres along the main corridor together with additional secondary links through residential areas, affecting multiple neighbourhoods, schools, parks and community facilities.

Many residents only became aware of the scheme late in the consultation process, and access to documentation has been limited.

Knocklyon was originally developed within a planned urban framework, and it is now appropriate that this framework be reviewed to assess how effectively it has delivered for the community. A review of the Knocklyon Urban Framework would therefore provide an opportunity to assess how the area can be supported and future-proofed for sustainable development.

In addition, the South Dublin County Development Plan 2022–2028 includes an objective to prepare a Local Area Plan for Ballyboden, which should provide the strategic planning framework for significant infrastructure proposals in the area.

Residents are therefore requesting that the consultation period be extended so the community can participate meaningfully and the scheme can be considered within a coordinated planning framework.

 
Key Issues Raised by the Community

1. Limited Accessibility of Consultation Documentation

Residents have experienced difficulty accessing the full scheme documentation.

The consultation materials were available for physical inspection at County Hall only until 27 February 2026, while the deadline for submissions remains 13 March 2026. This means residents could not inspect the plans physically for the full consultation period.

In addition:

• Documentation was not made available locally within the affected communities.
• Key locations such as Ballyroan Library were not used for public inspection, unlike other Part 8 consultations.
• The documentation consists of large technical drawing sets that are difficult for many residents to review online. 

These factors have limited the ability of residents to properly understand the proposals.

 
2. Insufficient Local Notification and Community Engagement

Many residents only became aware of the proposal late in the consultation period.

Concerns include:

• Lack of visible on-street consultation notices in many affected areas
• No leaflet distribution to households
• No public meetings or information sessions organised during the consultation period
• No direct engagement with residents’ associations, schools or community groups

Meaningful public participation requires more than the statutory minimum level of notification. Other local Part 8 Proposals like Rosemount and Rathfarnham Castle Stables had a series of Stakeholders Meetings and information sessions being advertised on local posters with documents on display in Ballyroan Library - this did not happen here.

Local organisations like Knocklyon Network, Ballyboden Tidy Towns clg have called for this extension with other residents groups. This petition echoes these concerns as expressed in their joint Community Request to SDDC.

 
3. Uncertainty Regarding the Full Scope of the Scheme 

While the statutory notice lists a number of roads, review of the drawings suggests that works may extend into additional residential areas and secondary links, including parks and neighbourhood streets.

Residents are seeking clarity regarding:

• the full geographic extent of the works
• whether all affected roads and locations were properly referenced in the statutory notice
• the impact of proposed changes to junctions, roundabouts and local access routes

Residents should be clearly informed if works may affect their local streets or neighbourhoods.

 
4. Traffic Analysis and Road Safety Information

The proposed scheme includes significant interventions along the corridor, including:

• carriageway narrowing
• traffic calming measures
• bus lane changes
• junction and roundabout modifications
• segregated cycling infrastructure

However, the consultation documentation does not appear to include the traffic analysis, modelling or junction capacity studies that may have informed the design.

Residents are seeking transparency regarding:

• baseline traffic counts and modelling
• potential traffic displacement to surrounding roads
• the status of any Road Safety Audit undertaken for the scheme.

This is a critical issue as the Orlagh Roundabout drastically changed after the Part 8 Public Consultation as SDCC did not subject the original plans to a Road Safety Audit before they went out for public consultation. We fear history may be repeating itself again.
 
5. Environmental Information and Hydrology

Local knowledge indicates that the Woodstown Stream flows through areas affected by the scheme, including Boden Park, through Sancta Maria College & GAA lands before connecting to the Owendoher River and the River Dodder, which ultimately flows to Dublin Bay, a Natura 2000 protected site.

Residents have raised concerns that this watercourse was not identified within the environmental baseline used for screening.

Clarification is requested regarding:

• Environmental Impact Assessment screening
• Appropriate Assessment screening
• surface water and groundwater protection
• Sustainable Drainage Systems and pollution pathways.

6. Prematurity of the Current Part 8 Process

Residents are concerned that the current proposal is being progressed prematurely and in isolation from the wider planning framework for the area.

Knocklyon was originally developed as a planned community, intended to provide a balanced residential environment supported by appropriate infrastructure, community facilities and public amenities.

Over time the population of the area has grown significantly. It is therefore appropriate that the Planning Framework for Knocklyon be reviewed to assess how effectively the planned community has delivered for residents and what infrastructure and amenities are required to future-proof the area for sustainable development.

At the same time, the South Dublin County Development Plan 2022–2028 includes a specific objective to prepare a Local Area Plan for Ballyboden.

A Local Area Plan is intended to provide a coordinated spatial framework addressing:

• transport infrastructure
• land use planning
• environmental protection
• green infrastructure
• community and recreational facilities.

Residents support the development of active travel infrastructure but believe that major transport projects should be delivered as part of a coordinated, plan-led approach, rather than progressing in advance of these strategic planning processes.

Progressing the scheme at this stage risks predetermining elements of the transport network before the Ballyboden Local Area Plan process has been completed and before a review of the planning framework for Knocklyon has been undertaken.

Residents believe that these planning processes provide the appropriate opportunity to consider how transport infrastructure, community facilities, environmental protection and active travel connectivity should be delivered in a coordinated and sustainable manner.
 

7. Community Infrastructure and Sustainability  

Development Plan Context

 The South Dublin County Development Plan 2022–2028 establishes the statutory framework for the proper planning and sustainable development of the County. Two relevant objectives within the Development Plan highlight the need for coordinated planning in the Ballyboden–Knocklyon area.

A.       QDP14 SLO 2               Ballyboden Local Area Plan Objective 

The Development Plan includes the objective:

QDP14 SLO 2: “To prepare a new Local Area Plan for Ballyboden.” (Development Plan, p.213).

A Local Area Plan is intended to provide a detailed planning framework addressing:

• transport and movement networks
• land use and development patterns
• environmental protection and green infrastructure
• community facilities and amenities
• sustainable development and population growth.

The proposed Knocklyon to Ballyboden Active & Sustainable Travel Scheme represents a significant transport corridor intervention, covering 4 kilometres in length, affecting a large residential catchment and multiple community destinations including schools, parks and sports facilities.

However, the scheme documentation does not explain how this proposal is being coordinated with, or aligned to, the forthcoming Ballyboden Local Area Plan process.

Residents are concerned that progressing the scheme in advance of the Local Area Plan may predetermine or constrain options that should properly be considered within that plan-led framework.

 
B .     COS4 SLO 2   Community and Social Infrastructure Objective 

The Development Plan also includes an objective relating to community infrastructure:

COS4 SLO 2: “To promote actively the provision of indoor sports facilities to meet the needs of the growing population of Knocklyon–Ballyboden.”

This objective recognises the need to plan proactively for community and recreational infrastructure in an area experiencing significant population growth.

Active travel infrastructure should play a key role in improving connectivity and safe access to:

• schools
• parks and green spaces
• sports and recreational facilities
• community amenities.

Residents therefore believe that active travel infrastructure should be developed in coordination with the delivery of these community infrastructure objectives, rather than progressing in isolation.

 
8. Lessons from Previous Infrastructure Projects in the Area

Residents remain mindful of the experience associated with previous works at Orlagh Roundabout, where the scheme that was ultimately delivered differed materially from the design that had originally been presented during the consultation process following a Road Safety Audit and subsequent use of powers under Section 138 of the Road Traffic Act.

That experience has led to a strong expectation within the community that future infrastructure proposals will be accompanied by clear documentation, transparent design processes and meaningful public engagement.

Residents are concerned that the current process risks repeating some of the shortcomings experienced in previous infrastructure projects in the area. This issue is of particular concern as the final design of the Orlagh Roundabout differed significantly from the design presented during the consultation process.

Given the scale of the scheme and the number of communities affected along the corridor, residents believe that enhanced consultation measures — including local document inspection, public information sessions and targeted engagement with community groups — would be proportionate and consistent with good practice for projects of this scale.

 
9. What the Community is Requesting

Residents believe that extending the consultation period would allow the community to engage constructively and ensure that the scheme can be properly assessed in the context of the Development Plan objectives for the area

In the interests of transparency, fairness and meaningful public participation, residents respectfully request that South Dublin County Council:

1. Extend the consultation period by a minimum of four weeks.
2. Ensure full documentation remains available for inspection for the entire extended consultation period.
3. Provide a local inspection venue within the affected community (for example Ballyroan Library).
4. Publish additional supporting information including:

• traffic analysis and modelling
• Road Safety Audit information
• environmental screening documentation
• clarification of the full scope of works.

      5. Organise a public information session or stakeholder       meeting with the project team to allow residents to understand the proposals and ask questions.
 
10. Position of the Community if the Consultation is Not Extended

The community remains committed to constructive engagement and supports the development of sustainable transport infrastructure where it is properly planned and consulted upon.

However, if the consultation period is not extended and the issues outlined above remain unresolved, residents believe the current consultation process does not provide an adequate basis upon which elected members can make an informed decision.

In those circumstances, residents will respectfully call on the elected councillors of South Dublin County Council to vote against the current Part 8 proposal, pending proper consultation and consideration of the scheme within the framework of the forthcoming Ballyboden Local Area Plan and a Review of the Knocklyon Planning Framework.

 
11. Final Statement to the Elected Members of South Dublin County Council

Under the Part 8 process, the elected members of South Dublin County Council have a statutory role in determining whether the proposed development should proceed.

Residents respectfully ask councillors to ensure that any decision is made on the basis of a complete, transparent and properly informed planning process.

Ensuring that the consultation process is accessible, transparent and allows meaningful public participation will help ensure that any decision taken under the Part 8 process is robust, well-informed and capable of withstanding public scrutiny.

Providing an extension to the consultation period would represent a reasonable and proportionate step to ensure meaningful participation and allow councillors to consider the proposal on the basis of a full and well-informed public record.

Residents remain willing to engage constructively with the Council and support sustainable transport initiatives where they are developed through transparent, inclusive and coordinated planning processes.

For the reasons outlined above, the undersigned residents respectfully request that South Dublin County Council extend the consultation period to allow fair and complete community engagement on the proposed scheme.

Thank you for taking the time to read our petition.