Vol. 500 No. 6
116 Ms Shortall asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage, Gaeltacht and the Islands if she will report on the history of the designation of Santry Demesne, Dublin 9, as a national heritage area; when it was designated; the extent of the area designated; if this area has been reduced since then; the reason for this reduction; and the current situation regarding designation. [4726/99]
Santry Demesne was originally an area of scientific interest (ASI). When the procedures adopted in designating ASIs were found to be contrary to constitutional rights in the early 1990s the sites were subsequently subjected to a comprehensive review. In 1994 Santry Demesne was proposed for designation as a Natural Heritage Area (NHA). The original boundary of the proposed NHA was established on 5 December 1994 following a review of the site and this was advertised in the newspapers on 17 December 1994. Following a site visit in September 1997 it was decided that, as some land included in the site was not of conservation value, the boundary should be modified. This led to a reduction in the area of land included in the site from some 33 hectares to approximately 17 hectares.
The areas removed from the proposed NHA include the following (a) hedgerow composed of mature trees lining a ditch, (b) overgrazed woodland, (c) an open stand of trees containing Fagus sylvatica, Quercus spp, Populus alba, Acer pseudoplatanus, Pinus spp, Tilia cf. platyphyllos, Castanea sativa, Aesculus hippocastanum; also found here were Cynosurius cristatus. The area also included dense bramble, thickets, and saplings of Fraxinus and Crataegus monogyna growing through these. The ground flora is composed of rough grassland species which are not representative of woodland ground flora.
It is considered that there was no scientific basis for the inclusion of those areas in the proposed NHA. I have arranged that Dúchas, the heritage service of my Department, will forward a map directly to the Deputy, indicating the area currently proposed for NHA designation. I propose to introduce an amendment to the Wildlife Act, 1976 at an early date which will provide powers for the designation and protection of NHAs.
