Update 25th March 2024
National Landscape Forum 2023 issued ‘Red Alert’ on Landscape Strategy!
Had it been a gathering in the attractive setting of Waterford’s Mount Congreve House and Gardens of over 70 participants, 30 of whom electrified the room with their fascinatingly diverse presentations bridging the cultural/natural divide as only landscape can, the National Landscape Forum 2023 on the 28/29 September would have been a resounding success. But in reality it achieved far more than that!
Download the NLF 2023 Final Programme here
During the forum we sought feedback from the participants on their reaction to the proceedings and this yielded much food for thought as captured in a ‘Takes and Leaves’ report as did a survey on participants priorities with regard to the implementation of Ireland’s National Landscape Strategy as launched back in 2015 – the outcome of this survey will be of interest for those charged with delivering on the 6 objectives and 18 associated actions of this state website acknowledged ‘high-level’ strategy.
Download the ‘Takes and Leaves’ report here
Download the NLF 2023 NLS Survey Outcome here
The successful local integration of the forum was reflected in the The Irish Landscape Institute 30th Anniversary Exhibition on view at the SETU Granary Campus, Merchants Quay, Waterford and the ‘landscape and art evening event on 27th at Waterford’s Gallery of Art – where a full house enjoyed presentations from artists, poets and wandering gardeners. To cap the NLF outreach, the sixth class pupils of Gaelscoil Philib Barún in Tramore exhibited a series of landscape images, providing a fascinating insight into how our next generation perceives landscape today.
Perhaps the greatest achievement of NLF 2023 is that it issued a red alert on the slow progress in implementing our National Landscape Strategy and the welcome participation of the Department of Housing, Local Government & Heritage hopefully marks a fresh, energetic resumption of well-resourced action.
The forum could not have taken place without a team of enthusiastic LAI volunteers, our wonderful speakers, the good people of the 2023 forum host - namely Waterford City and County and our generous sponsors including Bioregional Weaving Lab. Waterford, The Irish Landscape Institute, Waterford City & County Council, Bord Bia, Southern Regional Assembly & MKOS Planning & Environmental Consultants and. We cannot thank you all enough. As a result of the success of NLF 2023 the forum will continue to convene on an annual basis throughout the island of Ireland.
Download the NLF 2023 Overview Report here
Update 18th August 2023
Register now for National Landscape Forum 2023
Registration is open for what promises to be the most integrated, ground-breaking Irish Landscape Forum in 28 years - the link is as follows: National Landscape Forum 2023 Tickets, Thu 28 Sep 2023 at 09:00 | Eventbrite
The forum featuring some 30 national, international and local speakers delivering excitingly diverse presentations will convene at Mount Congreve House & Gardens, Kilmeaden, Co. Waterford X91 PX05 on Thursday 28th and Friday 29th September a mere 15 minute drive from Waterford City - information on the venue is available on mountcongreve.com. There will be additional pre-forum events on Wednesday 27th including an early evening celebration of landscape in word, music, song and art at the Waterford Gallery of Art, 31/32 O’Connell Street.
The forum may well not alone change how you perceive landscape; it may even give rise to a blinker-busting shift in how the government perceives landscape.
Download the detailed 4 page draft programme here.
Update 3rd May 2023 (prepared by Terry O’Regan)
National Landscape Forum 2023
Venue: Mount Congreve, Kilmeaden, Co. Waterford X91 PX05
Time: Thursday/Friday 28th & 29th September 2023
Our 12th National Landscape Forum has the broad theme of ‘Landscape Past; Landscape Future’ - we exclude ‘Landscape Present’ because today change as never before characterises our landscape. ‘Landscape Present’ is now a fluid meeting point between landscape past and future. The pace of landscape change almost paralyses us and even when we cry “stop & reflect” it’s often too late for effective corrective input, this, despite the fact that when managed creatively and sustainably, our natural/cultural landscape enriches our lives in so many ways; and conversely a degraded, ill-treated landscape inflicts irreparable harm on humans and all other species on the planet. The quality of our shared landscape is decided by past actions & future plans – be they draft or in progress.
We in Ireland have been very adept at commodifying landscape as a leisure/tourism product best epitomised by the ‘Wild Atlantic Way’ and clones of same. But successful landscape commodification involves landscape ‘wear & tear’ heightening the need for active strategic landscape protection, management and planning.
Our management of the wider urban/rural /upland/coastal/water body landscape where the return might be less tangible than tourism income has been patchy and even irresponsible at times. The European Landscape Convention, Florence 2000 (ELC), featuring an integrated framework for landscape protection, planning and management almost passed us by – despite its representing the committed multidisciplinary preparatory work of Council of Europe member states, work continued with workshops and conferences including the 3rd workshop facilitated by LAI in Cork, 2005. Belatedly, Ireland prepared the National Landscape Strategy 2015-2025 (NLS). Regrettably the NLS, central to our implementation of the ELC and compliance with relevant EU directives to all intents and purposes stalled in 2018.
Under the aegis of the EPA valuable work is in progress on upgrading the fragmented landscape character assessment process, but all familiar with the European Landscape Convention and the NLS will know that LCA is but one part of the integrated range of actions required to deliver on the aims and objectives of both the ELC and NLS and vitally to enable full compliance with the relevant EU EIA and SEA Directives.
This September, LAI in partnership with the local Waterford community, will gather all interested parties to constructively explore landscape evolution, legislation and management in Ireland and Europe, focusing on successful best practice; lessons from failed measures and missed opportunities - aiming to clearly identify the most effective strategic way forward. Presentations and discussions will range widely across how best to manage the landscape changes involved in how we as a responsible society respond to the implications of climate change, carbon sequestration, bio-diversity loss, water scarcity, cultural diversity, urban density, food security and more. Waterford with its sweeping ‘Mountains to the Sea/Rivers’ topography, rich urban/rural cultural landscape, dynamic creative ethos and already experiencing many of the above landscape challenges is the perfect setting for what promises to be a landmark forum.
All are welcome to participate. The forum rules as always apply – everyone’s point of view is entitled to be heard, respected and recorded during presentations, panel discussions & open forums. Registration fee will be as reasonable as funding provided permits. Those interested should contact terryjoregan@gmail.com for further information & future updates re forum details.
Strategic Landscape Action will provide integrated, multi-disciplinary cultural & natural solutions; but only if we are actively invested in the process with the requisite resources and urgent energy!
Update 25th July 2022 (prepared by Terry O’Regan)
Call for a ‘State of Ireland’s Landscape Report 2024!’
Landscape Alliance Ireland continues to be active in promoting the case for effective landscape policy and practice in Ireland within the framework of the European Landscape Convention (ELC). Following the launch of the National Landscape Strategy 2015-2025 (NLS) we had envisaged participating constructively in the implementation process particularly in the areas of public awareness raising and community engagement. The state obviously has a vital role to play in implementing the NLS, but following a short initial burst of activity it seems to have lost its appetite for landscape with the strategy effectively grinding to a halt back in 2018.
We wrote to Minister Malcolm Noonan in March 2021 enquiring about reactivating the NLS. We were advised that the answer would be incorporated into the then upcoming ‘Heritage Ireland 2030’. Sadly that densely packed document fails to address the resourcing and reactivation of the NLS. Our government departments are becoming rather adept at preparing and publishing strategies and plans. They seem to have a difficulty with the follow-up steps – at least that is the case with the NLS – a strategy intended to fulfil our obligations under the European Landscape Convention, Florence 2000 (ELC) and more.
We have recently written again to Minister Noonan about reactivating the NLS, reminded him that landscape as envisaged in the ELC and NLS is a much ‘bigger picture’ than heritage landscapes per se, we await his reply.
There was significant enthusiastic public engagement in the 20 year process that resulted in the preparation and launch of the National Landscape Strategy; facilitated in part by Landscape Alliance Ireland and also by the Heritage Council, the Irish Landscape Institute and others.
Active citizenship is a delicate flower easily destroyed by careless state inaction and disinterest. Democracy suffers as a result.
During the Council of Europe Workshops that followed the launch of the ELC there was a very heated debate about how states that signed and ratified the convention might be monitored with regard to effective implementation. Delegates were anxious for the Council of Europe to undertake such a role, but they were advised that that was not feasible and that it was up to each state to undertake such monitoring within their own jurisdiction.
Ireland is in urgent need of a structured control mechanism to deal with the current inaction and to ensure a dynamic process in the future.
We are therefore issuing a call for a ‘State of Ireland’s Landscape Report’ to be prepared, published and updated every four years. All interested players and stakeholders are invited to join this call. A useful template for such a report is the EPA ‘State of the Environment in Ireland’ reports published every four years since 1996 which may not have solved all our environmental challenges, but they are clear incremental independent action-generating reports that measure our progress and most importantly focus attention on our environment on a consistent, integrated, informed basis. To provide the necessary driving force to get the NLS moving again, we urgently need a similar ‘State of Ireland’s Landscape’ report to be prepared and published no later than 2024. Such a report will not alone energise the NLS but will also provide a standard framework for updating Landscape Character Assessments prepared by local authorities. The first‘State of Ireland’s Landscape Report’ will be a significant undertaking that ideally should be overseen by the EPA. For a starting point all interested parties might read not alone the NLS and the ELC but also the ELC explanatory notes and ‘The Challenge of Change’ section of that ground-breaking 1997 publication ‘Atlas of the Irish Rural Landscape’ by Fred Aalen, Kevin Whelan and Matthew Stout. There are other sources including the National Landscape Forum proceedings and two comprehensive Heritage Council conference proceedings.
Over coming months LAI will seek to establish if there is widespread interest in this proposal and if there are alternative options.
As a parallel initiative LAI will shortly publish a ‘Landscape & Planning’ timeline and invite those interested to convene their own local landscape for a as part of a year-long open National Landscape Forum focussed on identifying where the legislation and associated measures have to date contributed to good landscape management and where they have failed. The initiative might culminate in a plenary session where the local fora groups would present their findings. It may make sense to initiate a landscape forum to facilitate the conversation/debate that needs to take place.
Footnote: Landscape Alliance Ireland has always had limited resources and a small team, its website is in need of replacement if we are to follow through with the above initiative, it also needs a new generation of active members if it is to continue. For now we will tidy up the existing website while we establish the level of interest and engagement that exists out there.
Update 17th March 2021
Time to end Ireland’s
Landscape Strategy Lockdown!
Covid 19, when it finally passes on or at least abates will
leave a stark, unwelcome legacy. We have lost so many fine citizens before
their time, people with so much still to share; not least the wisdom of mature years
and oral histories of past times and forgotten landscapes. The curriculum of
lessons from the experience will be long and demanding. In lockdown we were
confined to very limited landscape circles; our mental and physical health and
well-being depended on the diversity and richness of the natural and cultural
heritage embedded within that very local landscape. Rarely if ever has human
society in peacetime asked so much of its local place and space.
The Council of Europe’s visionary European Landscape
Convention, Florence 2000 (ELC) was not inspired by the prospect of a worldwide
pandemic, but it did recognise that we were becoming ever more dependent on the
quality of our local everyday landscapes; whilst concurrently eroding that very
quality through careless and ill-informed design and management actions.
Ireland at government level did not actively participate in
the preparation of this extraordinary convention, it then casually signed and
ratified the convention in March 2002 and very late in the day it launched a
National Landscape Strategy for Ireland in May 2015 (NLS) - a potentially
progressive strategy document based on the well-crafted ELC. Guided by the NLS some
progress made up to early 2018. But the NLS went into lockdown well before
Covid 19 came on the scene.
We badly needed a dynamic well-resourced National Landscape
Strategy decades before 2015, to guide, inform and control the landscape
dimension of planning and development and the management of our evolving
landscape; many mistakes have been made in its absence; but it was a case of better
late than never!
The most consistent characteristic of our landscape
throughout the ages has been change, today our capacity and capability for
traumatic physical landscape change grows by the day; in a civilised,
responsible society our capacity and capability to sustainably manage that
change should grow in parallel.
The last thing we need in such a scenario is a stalled or worse
still, a conveniently forgotten National Landscape Strategy. Landscape Alliance
Ireland therefore calls for Ireland to live up to its obligations under the
European Landscape Convention and its responsibilities to enrich the quality of
life of present and future generations by immediately investing in the
implementation of the National Landscape Strategy for Ireland 2015-2025 across
all its objectives and actions. The small team that was involved in the
preparation and launch of the NLS no longer exists and the 10 year programme of
implementation ended in 2018.
The top priority therefore has to be the establishment of a
landscape management unit within the responsible department (currently
Department of Housing, Local Government & Heritage). The staffing and
resourcing of this unit must match the scale and scope of the task involved in implementing
such a vital strategy and the programme for implementation must be accelerated.
Landscape Alliance Ireland calls for a National Landscape Strategy
Reactivation Plan as a matter of urgency. We invite other interested players
and stakeholders to join with us in this call.
Update 2nd May 2018
National Landscape Forum 2018
‘Ireland’s Waterscapes’
Killaloe, Co. Clare, 24/25 May
2018
Details of this year’s forum have
now been finalised and the programme
devised by forum convenor Ruth Minogue
not alone provides participants with
the opportunity guided by local
experts to ‘immerse’ themselves in the
rich waterscapes and landscapes of the
Ballina-Killaloe Landscape Circle, but
even more so to ‘ride the big wave’
with some of the big players in
Irelands Waterscapes and ‘dip their
toes’ into best practice in community
engagement with people, place and
landscape from the enviable
waterscapes of our Gaelic neighbour
Scotland courtesy of Scottish Natural
Heritage.
Advance booking is strongly
recommended as there will be capacity
limitations on the lake cruise on
Thursday evening and two of the
fieldtrips on Friday afternoon.
Click
here to download the updated
programme
Click
here for booking details
Update 22nd March 2018
National Landscape Forum 2018
‘Ireland’s Waterscapes’
Killaloe, Co. Clare, 24/25 May
2018
Click
here for further information,
programme and booking details
Update 22nd May 2017
National Landscape Forum Programme
2017
Click
here to download the National
Landscape Forum 2017 Programme
Click
here to download the National
Landscape Forum 2017 Booking Form
Update 3rd May 2017
National Landscape Forum 2017
aka
‘Back to the Landscape Coalface!’
Abbeyleix, Co. Laois 22nd & 23rd
June 2017
‘Local Communities & Their
Landscape’
(hosted by Abbeyleix Community
Organisations)
Venue: Abbeyleix Manor Hotel
This
year’s landscape forum marks a
significant progression in the
evolution of the event with the
forum being hosted by the dynamic,
progressive community of Abbeyleix.
The theme chosen is intended to
facilitate an in-depth exploration
of the close interactive
relationship between communities and
their landscape, the challenges we
all face in managing our landscape
responsibly, creatively and
sustainably in the interests of
achieving a high quality of life for
present and future generations.
Abbeyleix, its community and its
hinterland will provide an ideal,
tangible living stage-set for the
exercise.
The
forum is being convened in the
context of the aims and objectives
of:
The
National Landscape Strategy • The
European Landscape Convention • The
National Planning Framework 2040 •
The UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable
Development • The Council of Europe
Strategy 21 for Cultural Heritage
Outline Forum
Programme
Thursday: Open evening
forum following overview
presentation to maximise community
participation.
Friday: Full day
programme featuring presentations,
open forum, field visits and
workshops based on the themes of the
natural, the settlement, the
cultural and the farmed landscape.
The
forum platform is open to all points
of view, presentations/interventions
should be concise and to the point
focusing on identifying priorities
& solutions. Landscape embraces
most sectors of society. All are
invited to attend and participate. Participation
is free but advance booking is
recommended to facilitate planning
workshops and field visits.
Booking
form will be available shortly -
for further information contact:
Terry
O’Regan,
LAI,
terryjoregan@gmail.com
Update 6th May 2016
National Landscape Forum 2016
aka ‘Landscape Revolution 2016’
University College Cork, Thursday
9th & Friday 10th June 2016
MAKING GOOD DECISIONS ABOUT LANDSCAPE
‘Real World Challenges and
Opportunities’
The year Landscape Alliance Ireland
is convening the forum in Cork, where
it is being hosted by the UCC Centre
for Planning Education & Research
will explore how we as a society can
in the best interests of the common
good improve decision-making with
regard to our shared landscape. It
aims to find effective ways of
converting the aspirations of the
National Landscape Strategy into
action where it matters: in the living
place and space where natural
processes and human activities
interact to shape our place, our
environment - our landscape.
Landscape embraces all sectors of
society. Yet, on a day-to-day basis,
important decisions about the
character of our settlements,
countryside, uplands, coasts and water
bodies are being made through
statutory processes that are poorly
understood. Even though these
decisions (such as zoning, planning
permissions, licensing, designations,
spatial policy, infrastructural
priorities, construction or
conservation) are made in the name of
the common good, the political, legal
or economic forces of the day
invariably take precedence, while the
voice for people and place struggles
to be heard.
In the spirit of the year that is in
it in revolutionary mode the
integrated proactive forum will look
at how planning processes and practice
(including legislation, regulations,
guidelines, development plans, local
area plans, planning appeals etc.) can
be more effective from a landscape
point of view. With Cork City and
County providing a local and practical
context, the forum will explore best
practice requirements for community
engagement, cross-disciplinary
working, training and education needs,
and the importance of a validated
knowledge and evidence base to support
more aware and assertive
decision-making about our landscape.
Outline Programme
(detailed programme and booking
form)
Thursday: Focussed workshops and
local study trips – urban &
peri-urban landscapes.
Friday: plenary session: keynote
presentations, workshop reports,
discussion and open forum.
The forum platform is open to all
points of view with the aim of
identifying priorities & practical
ways forward; presentations should be
concise and to the point. All are
invited to attend and participate.
Advance booking recommended especially
for workshops. Fee: € 40 with
concessions
Download Detailed
Forum Notice and Booking Form here
Update
12th June 2015
National Landscape
Forum 2015
Venue: National Botanic Gardens,
Glasnevin, Dublin 9
Thursday 25th June 2015 (9.00am to
5.00pm)
The
2015 National Landscape Forum will be a dynamic event with a
strong panel of keynote speakers
promising to set out the required
structures and actions to ensure
that the National Landscape Strategy
moves rapidly from its current
rather vague and ‘can kicked down
the road’ characteristics to an
actioned strategy that will begin
the long-overdue defining and
integration of landscape quality
objectives into all state and
municipal processes.
Speakers
on the day will include:
Conor Newman - Chairman Heritage
Council, Conor Skehan DIT, Brendan
O’Sullivan – UCC MPlan, Mansil
Millar – DOE NI, Maggie Roe –
Newcastle University, Ian Lumley -
An Taisce, Willie Cumming - DAHG,
Helen Lawless – Mountaineering
Ireland, Terry O’Regan – Landscape
Alliance Ireland, Tony Williams –
Irish Landscape Institute,
Christopher Gallagher, Historic
Landscape Consultant, Diarmuid
McAree CRANN, Alison Harvey –
Heritage Council, Aidan ffrench –
Landscape Architect plus
updates on the current state of
progress in Scotland and Wales.
***Advance
booking is essential to facilitate
the organisation of the forum***
Download
Forum Notice and Booking Form here
Update
29th April 2015
National
Landscape Forum 2015
Venue: National Botanic Gardens,
Glasnevin, Dublin 9
Thursday 25th June 2015 (9.00am to
5.00pm)
It will be 20
years on the 21st June next since
the National Landscape Forum first
convened in response to a civil
society call for a National
Landscape Policy. The forums
convened regularly until 2005 to
address the inadequacies of
government with regard to landscape
management. In March 2002 Ireland
signed and ratified one of the best
constructed conventions yet prepared
by the Council of Europe – The
European Landscape Convention,
Florence 2000. Whilst official
Ireland had little grasp of what the
convention was about our planning
and development legislation has made
some attempts to suggest that the
authorities understand what they
signed and ratified and this year a
National Landscape Strategy has
finally been prepared and is
expected to be launched shortly.
Policy and
strategy documents are worthless
unless they are resourced and
actioned. They also should be
communicated effectively to civil
society and explored and discussed
by concerned citizens. Such
awareness-raising and civil
engagement is vital to ensure that
delivery mechanisms and
methodologies are effective.
Launching a National Landscape
Strategy is but one small step on
the road to implementing the
European Landscape Convention.
Landscape Alliance Ireland is not
quite convinced that government
appreciates the hard work is yet to
come!
Therefore the
National Landscape Forum is being
reconvened to provide Irish civil
society with the democratic
opportunity to demonstrate that our
landscape that was in urgent need of
our shared attention 20 years ago is
now in critical urgent need of our
shared attention.
Much time has
been lost in the interim and
considerable unnecessary damage has
been inflicted on the quality of our
landscape. This forum is intended to
highlight the priorities and begin
the difficult process of achieving
consensus on how best to conserve
our landscape heritage and guide
responsible, sustainable development
and change.
The forum
platform is open to all points of
view, but presentations must of
necessity be short (6 minutes) and
to the point focusing on priorities
and potential solutions.
All
interested organisations, government
departments, local authorities,
institutions, representative bodies,
non-governmental organisations,
community groups and concerned
citizens are invited to
attend/participate.
***Advance
registration is essential as venue
capacity is somewhat limited***
For further
information contact Terry O’Regan,
Landscape Alliance Ireland:
T. 021 4871460
M. 087 2407618
E. terryjoregan@gmail.com
LAI
acknowledges the support of the
Department of Arts, Heritage &
the Gaeltacht
Update
12th March 2015
The plans
indicated in our March 2012 update
had unfortunately to be put on hold
due to diverse constraints. LAI has
however been busy in the interim not
least in participating with other
concerned organisations and
individuals in seeking to ensure
that a valid and viable National
Landscape Strategy would finally see
the light of day! We understand that
the document following a final
consultation process has been or
will shortly be signed off by
Heather Humphreys T.D., Minister for
Arts, Heritage & the Gaeltacht.
If this vital strategy document is
not simply to gather dust on
department shelves, it must be
energised and resourced into action.
With this in mind it is envisaged
that the National Landscape Forum
will be reconvened this year to
provide all concerned citizens with
a shared platform to demand the
urgent implementation of the
indicative strategy outlined in the
document in a manner that delivers
long overdue results on the ground
now. The provisional basic theme for
the forum is: “National
Landscape Strategy? – where have
we been?, where are we now?, where
should we be going? - and when is
the train departing?” the
venue will be in the vicinity of
Dublin, actual venue and date will
be decided shortly.
A revitalised
LAI website will also ‘go live’ to
provide additional ‘heat and light’
in the management of our most
valuable resource – our
living landscape – people, place
and heritage.
Follow
this site for further updates,
Terry
O’Regan
Updated
7th March, 2012
We are
currently finalising a new LAI
website with a more focussed domain
‘lai-ireland’ to replace the old
‘landscape-forum-ireland’ site. The
new site will go live shortly. Due
to change-over difficulties the old
domain licence lapsed and our site
was unaccessible, we apologise for
any inconvenience experienced by
those attempting to visit our site
in recent weeks.
Terry
O’Regan
Updated
23rd March, 2009
With 30
states having ratified the European
Landscape Convention, it is now
being progressively implemented
across a large part of Europe. The
convention requires a wide range of
measures to be undertaken across the
fabric of administration, education
and development processes in each
state.
It can be
difficult for those who
enthusiastically support the
implementation of the convention and
indeed for those responsible in each
state for implementing the
convention, to measure the progress
being made at state level.
At recent
conferences and workshops a degree
of disillusionment related conflict
has surfaced with regard to the
perceived lack of uniform progress
being achieved throughout Europe in
implementing the convention.
Landscape
Alliance Ireland believes that some
impatient advocates may be
underestimating the height of the
mountain we have to climb to fully
realise the aims of this great
convention. Equally some complacent
administrations may be
underestimating the effort required
and the urgency for action. This is
a potentially volatile situation
feeding off misunderstandings which
may seriously damage the convention.
It is
therefore important that there
should be a methodologies in place
to enable citizens to assess the
extent of the progress achieved to
date and equally the extent of the
further work required to fully
implement the convention.
In Landscape
Alliance Ireland we have developed
such a methodology available
entitled the 'Marking Progress'
template for this purpose.
The pamphlet
describing the marking progress
template is now available on this
website as a Pdf. Those who would
wish to carry out an assessment of
the progress on their own state can
obtain a word version of the
template from Landscape Alliance
Ireland. We would welcome feedback
on the use of the template and
suggestions for improvements or
modifications.
We wish to
stress that this template is for use
at state level only and is very
unlikely to be appropriate for
interstate comparisons, though it
might provide the basis for
productive interstate discussions.
Terry O'Regan
Landscape Alliance Ireland
23rd March 2009
Marking_Progress_Template_6thMay_2009.pdf
Updated 2nd
February 2009
The Landscape
Alliance Ireland publication ‘A
Guide to Undertaking a Landscape
Circle Study in Seven Easy Steps’
complete with 98 full colour
illustrations is now available. It
is a 64 page paperback, A5 size, in
landscape format.
The book is available for sale from
Landscape Alliance Ireland, Old
Abbey Gardens, Waterfall, Near Cork
City, Ireland at a cost of €10.00,
plus €2.00 P&P for delivery in
the Republic of Ireland and plus
€4.00 P&P for UK and elsewhere
in Europe.
Whilst written in an Irish context
it should be equally applicable to
all the landscapes of Europe and
beyond.
For further information contact us
by phone at 00353 (0)21 4871460, by
email at lai.link@indigo.ie or post
at the above address.
Workshops will be organised later in
the year in association with the use
of the Guide and the development of
the National Landscape Strategy.
The guide is an initiative of
Landscape Alliance Ireland in
support of the implementation of the
European Landscape Convention and is
also intended as a bottom-up measure
to inform the eagerly awaited Irish
National Landscape Strategy that is
promised in the government
programme. It will assist
individuals, local community groups,
tidy towns committees, transition
year students, 3rd level students
and course lecturers and others
wishing to carry out a study of
their local landscape. It will also
be of assistance to those charged
with planning policy and control.
The aim of
the guide is to equip all citizens
with a knowledge and understanding
of their landscape and to empower
them to engage effectively with and
influence developers, officials and
experts involved in the processes of
change affecting their landscape.
Updated
9th July 2008
The Landscape Alliance Ireland
‘Position Paper on the proposed
National Landscape Strategy’ is now
available on this web site. It is an
adapted version of the position
paper circulated at the first
meeting of the National Landscape
Strategy steering group and
consultative panel convened by the
Department of Environment, Heritage
& Local Government on Tuesday
29th April 2008. The changes made in
the original document have been
minor.
It is being made available to
encourage and inform the public
consultation/participation process
that is expected to be undertaken
shortly by the Department of
Environment, Heritage & Local
Government.
Ireland has rarely had Minister’s in
this department who recognized and
respected the importance of
landscape management and quality. It
is vital that all interested
citizens participate energetically
and proactively in the process that
is in train. We may not get a
similar opportunity again.
LAI will be adding further relevant
material to our web site over coming
months in support of the process of
developing and implementing a
National Landscape Strategy.
LAI_Position_Paper_on_Proposed_National_
Landscape_Strategy.pdf
Updated
18th June 2008
The Landscape Alliance Ireland
‘Guide to undertaking a Landscape
Circle Study in seven easy steps’
is now available on this web site.
The guide is an initiative of LAI
in support of the implementation
of the European Landscape
Convention and the Irish National
Landscape Strategy promised by the
current government. It will assist
individuals, local community
groups, tidy town committees,
transition year students and
others wishing to carry out a
study of their landscape. The aim
is to equip citizens with a
knowledge and understanding of
their landscape and to empower
them to engage effectively with
the processes of change affecting
same including the planning
system.
An illustrated handbook will be
published this autumn with the
assistance of a Heritage Council
grant. A workshop will be
organised later this year by LAI
to assist and support those
wishing to undertake a landscape
circle study.
Guide to undertaking a Landscape
Circle Study in seven easy steps
Updated on
16th May 2007
Landscape Alliance Ireland has
developed a unique user-friendly
'Landscape Circle' template to
assist communities and
individuals in 'capturing and
owning' their landscape.
Information on the template will
appear on this web site shortly.
The template is featured in the
current issue of Heritage
Outlook from the Heritage
Council. A special 'Landscape
Circle' session of the National
Landscape Forum will be
organized later this year. For
more information contact us by
e-mail or post.
Landscape
Alliance Ireland calls for a
dedicated European Landscape
Convention unit in the
Department of Environment,
Heritage & Local Government.
Landscape
Alliance Ireland calls for a
European Union Landscape Policy
reflecting the aims, objectives
and measures of the Council of
Europe European Landscape
Convention.
Updated on
13th December 2005
Extracts
from Proceedings of 2005
European Landscape Convention
Cork Workshops - Irish Welcome
Addresses - Theme 3 The Irish
Experience
Submission
on Proposed Development of a
National Countryside Recreation
Strategy
Updated
on 7th November 2005
Submission
Invitation - Development of a
Countryside Recreation
Strategy.
Updated on 14th June
2005
Council
of Europe, European Landscape
Convention - Associated Public
Events 13th June - 17th June
2005
Council
of Europe, European Landscape
Convention Workshop, Cork 16th -
18th June 2005
The
following proceedings have been
added to the 1998 Natioanl
Landscape Forum Proceedings.
World
Landscape Lecture, The Role of
Public Art in Ireland by Brian
Fallon
Updated
on 21st December 2004
The
following proceedings have been
added to the 1998 National
Landscape Froum
Proceedings.
Landscape
character assessment in
Northern Ireland by Joyce
McCormick
Teaching
a design process as youth
empowerment by Erik van Leenep
Hyland.
Et
in Arcadia by Des Gunning
Feng
Shui in the Landscape by Anne
Walsh
Updated
on 30 April 2004
Notice
Board
Submission
Consultation Draft of
Guidelines for Planning
Authorities in relation to
Sustainable Rural Housing.
Updated on 29 April 2004
Notice
Board
European
Landscape Convention
Workshop, Cork 2005
Updated
on 29 April 2004
Notice
Board
Report on
the 2003 Forum
Updated on 6 February 2003
Notice
Board
Update: 17 April 2002
Notice
Board:
Report
on the 2001/2002 Forum
Landscape
Forum Proceedings:
Birds
as an Indicator of
Environmental Quality
