ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY AND HERITAGE ISSUES Chapter Seven

Explain the term Heritage Describe the impact of heritage issues on planning decisions Explain the causes of air pollution in urban areas and methods to reduce it Discuss the problems of waste disposal and water quality in urban areas

Destruction of historic buildings: Due to urban decay many older inner city buildings are being demolished and the architecture and history of that building – lost. The variety of building styles and eras are being lost and being replaced with modern, uniform buildings. An example of this loss is the Georgian Mile on Mount Street, Dublin. Derelict Sites: Eyesores like the old flea market in Dublin 2 were replaced with the modern St. Stephens Green Shopping Centre. The Urban Renewal Act of 1986 aimed to reach a balance for the need to redevelop and the preservation of sites of heritage. Protection of heritage sites: Planning Act 2000 – local authorities must protect areas of architectural, historical or artistic interest.

Fossil fuels: Coal, peat, wood, oil, gas….burned in homes Industrial smoke Traffic emissions

Sales of smoky coals were banned in city areas Special Control areas were set up: areas where only smokeless coals could be used : Dublin Cork Waterford Limerick Drogheda And then spreading to other towns and areas. =pollution levels reduced by 70% and reduced death rates

Clean Air Act (1970) introduced to control smog in large urban areas………..

The EPA (environmental protection agency) recognised that air pollution from road traffic is the biggest threat to air quality today. So the following methods could be used: Lower speed limits Shopping areas pedestrianised Congestion charge on vehicles entering parts of the city Companies must use cleaner fuels Factories must remove pollutants from their emissions Cars must have catalytic converters to reduce toxic gases being released. Convert public transport to cleaner fuel source.

Currently the average Irish household produces approx. 1,240kg of waste per year…. Compared to the Swedish average of just 442kg. Waste hierarchy: Options used for dealing with Irelands and other developed countries waste. The objective is for waste disposal in Ireland to reach figures of: 40% recycling 40% thermal treatment 20% landfill Under EU law all countries must manage their own waste disposal systems

Waste disposal has historically been the traditional method used in Ireland. Landfills are giant rubbish dumps that are rapidly filling up. The health and environmental implications of these dumps are extremely serious. Methane gas is released with the breaking down of rubbish…this is a greenhouse gas that traps heat in the atmosphere causing global warming. Many of our landfill sites only have three years of space or capacity left. Efforts such as pay by weight and free recycling have reduced the amount of rubbish we produce.

Advantages Advantages Deals with large amounts of waste in a small area No poisonous liquids seep into the ground or water supply Size of rubbish heaps reduced by 90% Heat produced used to generate electricity and reduce need for fossil fuel burning. Disadvantages Disadvantages Increased amount of heavy vehicles on road to incinerator ‘Fly Ash’ is result of incineration, it is toxic and must be disposed of safely Dioxins released into the atmosphere are dangerous and increase air pollution.

Local authorities are responsible for the management of and treatment of waste water and sewage.

Dublin’s waste strategy Waste disposal in Cork City The Dublin Bay Project Read each case study for explained examples on urban problems in this chapter