Dublin Mountains Project
The Dublin Mountains Project is a proposal by South Dublin County Council, Coillte and the Dublin Mountains Partnership to develop Coillte’s Montpelier Hill (incorporating the Hell Fire Club) and Massy’s Wood sites as a key recreation site and a gateway to the heritage and recreation amenities of the Dublin Mountains. The site was selected for its position at the threshold between city and mountains, its unique combination of landscape and natural and cultural heritage, representing the essence of the Dublin Mountains, and its established and growing use as a recreation facility.
Background
What's Happening
What's Happened
Feasibility Study
The Concept
Q&A
The period 2008-to date has seen the coincidence of strategic plans from Failte Ireland, the Dublin Mountains Partnership (DMP), Coillte and South Dublin County Council that support the inevitable and growing interest in accessing Dublin’s Outdoors and enable appreciation and protection of the heritage and rural character of the Dublin Mountains in a managed and sustainable way.
The period 2014-2015 witnessed the coincidence of strategic plans from central government, Failte Ireland, the Dublin Mountains Partnership (DMP), Coillte and South Dublin County Council to facilitate the inevitable and growing interest in fitness, health and wellbeing and accessing the great outdoors for locals and visitors alike. Not only does DMP data suggest increasing visitor numbers to the Dublin Mountains, in particular at Hellfire and Ticknock, but Central Statistics Office data shows that the greater Dublin area continues to be the fastest-growing area of Ireland, and projections indicate that by 2031 the population of this area could rise to 2.2 million, an increase of more than 400,000. The combination of these factors necessitates a sustainable plan with a long-term vision to manage current and future access to and within the Dublin Mountains.
At a high level, the Dublin Mountains Project is a proposal by South Dublin County Council, Coillte and the Dublin Mountains Partnership to develop Coillte’s Montpelier Hill (incorporating the Hellfire Club) and Massy’s Wood sites as a key recreation site and a gateway to the heritage and recreation amenities of the Dublin Mountains. The site was selected for its position at the threshold between city and mountains, its unique combination of landscape and natural and cultural heritage, representing the essence of the Dublin Mountains, and its established and growing use as a recreation facility.
While a robust assessment was carried out in the early stages to establish concept viability, the feasibility study did not finalise designs and details, which required a further, more rigorous and detailed phase over the period November 2016-April 2017.
This feasibility study and masterplan is in response to the 2015 South Dublin Tourism Strategy proposal in which the principal recommendation was the creation of a Dublin Mountains Flagship Project. This followed the 2007 Dublin Mountains Strategic Development Plan for Outdoor Recreation in which a flagship welcome and orientation point was proposed. The Dublin Mountain Partnership and Coillte also have a key objective to develop a flagship facility to act as a focal tourism attraction and actively support this project.