The Dodder Greenway runs alongside the River Dodder in South Dublin.
Summary
The Dodder Greenway is a 17km premium walking and cycling route along the River Dodder corridor. It is being advanced in sections by the National Transport Authority, in conjunction with South Dublin County Council, Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council and Dublin City Council.
ROD undertook the feasibility study, project management, planning and environmental assessment for the greenway.
Planning permission for the South Dublin section of the greenway was granted in October 2017. South Dublin County Council subsequently appointed ROD to undertake a pre-construction ecology study of the route. An environmental assessment of the Dublin City Council section is being advanced by ROD concurrently. It will be subject to Part VIII planning approval.
Construction on the South Dublin section of the route began in 2020, with ROD providing construction stage monitoring services.
Solution
ROD prepared the feasibility study, Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Screening, Appropriate Assessment (AA) Screening and an Ecological Impact Assessment for the scheme.
To provide the optimal environmentally sensitive solution, the proposed design of the greenway involves improvements to existing paths and public roads, supplemented by new bridges and boardwalks.
A Construction Management Plan providing steps for reducing potential environmental impacts arising from the construction of the greenway and an Invasive Species Management Plan to control and combat the further spread of invasive alien plant species threatening native plant diversity along the river have also been produced.
Our ecologists have proposed several impact avoidance measures on the scheme, including limited construction depths for pavements and bat-friendly lighting.
Enhancement measures aimed at improving green linear infrastructure along the route, including augmented native planting and the implementation of mowing regimes, have also been proposed.
I don’t think I’ve ever been so excited about the future of my city as I am after reading Roughan O’Donovan’s proposal for a Dodder Greenway.
Dodder Action Group
Challenge
Protecting the ecological integrity of the river corridor while developing a high quality walking and cycling route provided the key challenge. Close co-operation between the client, project manager, ecologists and designers ensured that a significant amount of environmental survey data informed the design of the greenway.
