Newlands Cross Upgrade EIS - European Investment Bank

South Dublin County Council N7 Newlands Cross Upgrade
Environmental Impact Statement
Arup Consulting Engineers
The degree of impact is described as:
Imperceptible: An impact capable of measurement but without noticeable consequences.
Slight: An impact which causes changes in the character of the environment which are not
significant or profound.
Moderate: An impact that alters the character of the environment in a manner that is
consistent with the existing and emerging trends.
Significant: An impact which, by its magnitude, duration or intensity alters an important
aspect of the environment.
Profound: An impact which obliterates all previous characteristics.
The nature of the impact may be described as:
Neutral: Represents a change which does not affect the quality of the environment.
Positive: Represents a change which improves the quality of the environment.
Negative: Represents a change which reduces the quality of the existing environment.
The period of impact is described as:
Temporary Impact: Impact lasting for one year or less.
Short Term Impact: Impact lasting for one to seven years
Medium Term Impact: Impact lasting for seven to fifteen years.
Long Term Impact: Impact lasting fifteen to sixty years
Permanent Impact: Impact lasting over sixty years
7.3 Receiving Environment
The subject site is located on the N7 Naas Road at the junction with the Belgard / Fonthill
Road (R113). It is a heavily trafficked crossroads servicing the commuter belt to the south
west of Dublin as well as the large traffic volumes using the north to south link between the
Clondalkin and Tallaght areas.
7.3.1 Landscape Character
The proposed development site divides two landscape character areas as described in the
South Dublin County Council Development Plan 2004 – 2010 as follows:
1. The Tallaght Area:
2. The Clondalkin Area
The Tallaght Area description notes that the only area of significant woodland is located on
the Newlands Golf Course and is ‘an important landscape feature’. The description also notes
that the ‘the grassland in the area is of poor quality’ and that the dominant landscape
character types are ‘flat urban fringe farmland’ in Newlands and Belgard.
The Clondalkin Area is described in the Development Plan as being ‘very open and still quite
rural in character’ and, similar to the Tallaght area above, the ‘predominant landscape
character type is flat urban fringe farmland’.
7.3.2 Topography
The ground levels on this stretch of the N7 roadway are similar to the surrounding lands, i.e.
the existing road is generally on grade. The road level rises gradually in an east to west
direction from ground levels of approximately 74 metres O.D. rising to a height of
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