2.3.9 Conservation, Culture and Heritage

The development plan recognises that Dublin’s built and natural heritage is the core determinant of the city’s character and is a unique cultural asset, invaluable for our collective memory and identity, to be enjoyed by all the communities of the city, all Irish people and visitors. The role of the city’s heritage in providing an authentic urban landscape is important for city marketing, investment and tourism and is acknowledged as a key social, cultural and economic asset for the development of the city.

It is a key objective of the core strategy to protect and enhance the special characteristics of the city’s built and natural heritage. The principal measures enabling the City Council to achieve this objective are the Record of Protected Structures and the designation of Architectural Conservation Areas. The City Council has identified priority areas of special historic and architectural interest and within these areas will review the Record of Protected Structures, consider the recommendations of the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage and, where required, designate Architectural Conservation Areas.

In developing the city’s cultural resources, Dublin City Council is a key driver behind the new cultural strategy for the city, to promote the cultural alliances between the Arts Council and other cultural groups. There is a need for a concerted effort to upgrade the public domain in the city to facilitate festivals, events and enjoyable movement between the city’s cultural attractions. There are policies to promote artists’ accommodation in new development and to allow for cultural uses in residential areas.

The city’s built heritage makes it unique. Key to the approach of this plan is to seek to increase the sustainability of urban planning, new investment, infrastructure improvement and regeneration by taking into account the existing built environment, intangible heritage, cultural diversity, socioeconomic and environmental values along with community values.