Industrial Development
Industrial development and the locational requirements of industrial developments has changed considerably in the last number of decades.
Industrial estates of old are more likely to now act as office parks rather than accommodate heavier manufacturing. New types of industrial development ranging from data centres or whiskey maturation plants have also emerged in the Irish industrial landscape, which have a requirement for very large sites that do not conveniently fit into urban areas zoned for industrial use.
Long-established industrial areas originally developed in the 1960’s, 70’s and 80’s, have seen a proliferation of non-industrial uses ranging from retail to office-type developments. Such areas are increasingly being identified for redevelopment or regeneration, making them less likely and suitable to accommodate new industrial facilities.
Modern industry is more likely to be based around clean rooms or clean-tech, and not particularly suited to more long-established industrial areas. While such industries may be manufacturing-based, the high-quality, clean and well-maintained settings for these facilities are much sought after. So are the services and other infrastructure that certain types of industry depend on, whether that be electricity, gas, fibre or transport infrastructure, proximity to which can be key factors in initial site identification, selection and justification.
Industrial Development – Key Services
We manage the entire planning permission application process, or provide key inputs and planning advice. From advice at the pre-planning stage, through to preparing and managing the planning application or responding to further information requests, we help applicants or their project teams navigate a project through the planning process.
We can either lead the planning-phase design team or are equally happy to play out part as a team member. Our most experienced planners lead the consultations with the Planning Authorities, from the initial concept feasibility discussions right through to agreeing pre-commencement compliance requirements.
We project manage client, design team and specialist inputs, and meet our client’s deadlines. Our EIA experience spans every industry sector. Projects and clients benefit from the combined experience of all our company’s staff, who have refined our EIA knowledge and practices over decades of work in this field.
We offer a client-focused project management service across all types of project and sectors. This includes full day-to-day management of any project from initial design to project close-out, overseeing design team and contractor activities, and coordinating all interfaces between the project team, clients and third parties.
We tailor our Project Management services to match the scale or complexity of the project and meet our client’s needs. We adapt our role as Project Manger to suit the client organisation’s resource availability, experience, and desire to play an active role in the project. Where appropriate client resources are not available, we can also fulfill a broader “Employer’s Agent” role. When engaged from project commencement, we advise on the most appropriate structure to successfully deliver the project and ensure that all project participants’ activities are fully aligned to achieve the project goals.
The submissions we prepare for the reviews of Development Plans and Local Area Plans are instrumental in increasing the development potential of sites and properties. Our submissions take account of planning precedents and policy trends to make the strongest possible argument in favour of the suggested policy changes.
We assess the planning opportunities or threats of draft planning policy, and advise our clients on the planning policy strategy most appropriate to their property assets. Submissions can range from simple letters to more comprehensive report documents relying on primary research we undertake to strengthen the specific case being made.
LVIA is a core company specialism, with our approach to projects being informed by our specialist landscape architecture, planning and environmental staff. We use qualitative and quantitative methodologies in our landscape policy, landscape character assessment and visual impact assessment work on projects of every size, from large scale wind farms to single houses.
We prepare detailed photo-realistic visualisations, wireframe models and other visual tools to help stakeholders visualise a project’s scale, size and setting in the receiving landscape. Our project-specific, tailored approach to LVIA has proven to be effective on multiple large scale infrastructure projects.
We prepare comprehensive and fit-for-purpose Ecological Impact Assessments (EcIA) as either stand-alone reports or for use as chapters of an EIS/EIAR. The scope of each EcIA is tailored to the specific client’s requirements of their site and project.
They can be targeted at a specific ecological subject matter of relevance, or span the full spectrum of ecology, from terrestrial habitats, flora and fauna, to freshwater, marine and avian ecology. Our EcIA are solutions-focused, proposing ways to mitigate potential impacts rather than just identify problems. Our clients benefit from the EcIA experience we bring to their projects, from having worked on some of the country’s largest infrastructure projects.
The requirements of the EU habitats directive are well known to us, and we prepare Appropriate Assessment Screening Reports (AASR) as Stage 1 assessment/reports or Natura Impact Statements (NIS) as Stage 2 assessment/reports.
Our expert knowledge of the requirements, pitfalls and nuances of habitats directive assessments has been honed by completing many hundred such assessments/reports over the last decade. Our knowledge of the planning system, makes us acutely aware of the planning implications of conducting a Stage 2 assessment for developments that otherwise would not require planning permission. Given our experience, we can advise clients very quickly on whether a Stage 1 “screening” will suffice of whether a full Stage 2 “assessment” is required.
As the ECoW (environmental clerk of works) on construction projects, we provide an on-site presence to assist contractors and developers get their job done, while ensuring that all required measures are implemented to meet any planning or regulatory requirements.
Our presence can by full-time or more occasional, as required by the scale of project, site sensitivity or client’s requirements. Our ECoW staff have the necessary experience to be able to translate written mitigation and design measures into practical, on-the-ground solutions to ensure the implemented measures are fit for purpose. We can take responsibility for on-site environmental monitoring (water, noise, dust, air), as well as all auditing and reporting duties.
We compile comprehensive, robust and effective planning appeals or responses to grounds of appeal when a planning application is subject to an An Bord Pleanála appeal.
We prepare responses to grounds of appeal when a successful planning application must be defended on appeal. Where an application to a planning authority has been unsuccessful, our appeals focus on the planning arguments most relevant to An Bord Pleanála. Every appeal is individually tailored to the particulars of the project and the most relevant planning policy to give our clients the best possible chance of securing their desired outcome.
