Designated Quiet Areas

Quiet Areas in an urban agglomeration context are not necessarily areas without or with reduced noise.  They may have a range of other qualifying characteristics which when combined with their low environmental sound levels (as identified by the noise mapping process) mean they can provide people with a more tranquil space to visit, away from the noisier areas of the city.

Dublin City Council developed a number of criteria and a process for identifying candidate Quiet Areas during Round 1 of the implementation of the Environmental Noise Directive (END). This process was used, together with the strategic noise maps developed in Round 2, to identify the following 8 locations which were subsequently designated as ‘Quiet Areas’ in Dublin City:

• Blessington Basin, Blessington Street
• Edenmore Park, Raheny
• Mount Bernard Park, Shandon Park, Phibsborough
• Dollymount SSA, Clontarf (terrestrial area only)
• St. Anne’s Park, Raheny
• Palmerston Park, Dartry
• Ranelagh Gardens, Ranelagh
• The Cabbage Gardens, Cathedral Lane, D2

More details on the process from Round 1 and the above designated Quiet Areas can be found in the report at the link below.

For the Round 4 Noise Action Plan, the process has been reviewed in-line with the latest guidance from the EPA. The revised EPA process, while similar to that used previously in that it identifies “absolute” and “relative” candidate Quiet Areas, makes use of revised criteria and the latest strategic noise maps prepared for Round 4.  Further details of the process adopted for Round 4 can be found in Sections 7 and 10.10 of the Dublin Agglomeration Noise Action Plan 2024 – 2028, which can be found at the following link;

https://www.dublincity.ie/residential/environment/air-quality-monitoring-and-noise-control-unit/dublin-city-noise-maps/noise-action-plan

The process for Round 4 identified 71 possible candidate Quiet Area locations from a list of publicly accessible parks and gardens.  This includes the 8 existing Quiet Areas.  The Noise Action Plan shortlists 11 of these candidate Quiet Areas, from the remaining list of 63, for further more detailed evaluation during the implementation of the Round 4 Noise Action Plan with a view to considering whether they should be put forward for designation as Quiet Areas.  The 11 shortlisted candidate Quiet Areas are as follows;

• National Botanic Gardens, Central Area
• Glasnevin Cemetery, Central Area
• Casino at Marino, North Central Area
• St Vincent’s GAA Grounds, Marino, North Central Area
• Whiteacre Park, North West Area
• Johnstown Park, North West Area
• Phoenix Park, South Central and Central Areas
• Ringsend Park, South East Area
• Eamonn Ceannt Park, South East Area
• National War Memorial Gardens, South Central Area
• Le Fanu Park, South Central Area.