7.3.1 | Natural Amenities 7.3 | Environmental & Built Heritage The Regions’ diverse landscapes and seascapes, rich farmland, river valleys, lakes, upland areas, peatlands and our coastline and marine environment, are key assets that demand careful protection. Other areas, such as national parks and nature reserves, including Coillte forests and uplands, are important natural amenities which provide areas with key natural & recreational assets for local communities as well as being attractive for visitors and tourists. The RSES supports the NPF objectives underlining the importance of biodiversity and the protection of our natural heritage and landscape and these policy objectives are reflected in regional policy objectives.
7.3.3 | Built Heritage and Archaeology
The Region’s attractive streetscapes, built fabric, archaeological structures and monuments contribute to the historic character and appeal of our settlements and rural areas. The protection of our built heritage and the restoration and re-use of derelict or under-used buildings and streetscapes can provide for a variety of innovative uses such as education, arts and cultural spaces or can be converted into essential uses such as residential accommodation. The restoration of extant built fabric coupled with sensitive new build developments can also add to the vitality of urban centres and attractiveness of places to visitors/tourists and to residents. The protection and conservation of buildings and structures and their settings as protected structures and archaeological (recorded) monuments will continue to be a key element in built heritage policy, with all buildings/structures identified as protected structures or recordedmonuments entitled to protection under national legislation. A key area for the long-term protection of our built heritage is community involvement through programmes, such as ‘Adopt a Monument’. Such projects are supported as important links for communities to the built heritage of their area and can also be a focus for tourism projects, which can support community- led employment schemes, local economic development as well as the social and cultural development of communities. The RSES recognises the value of marine heritage, particularly in our harbours and estuaries and the customs and folklore developed around them. Local authority heritage plans should include appropriate policies and actions relating to marine heritage.
7.3.2 | National Parks
Two of the six National Parks in the State are located in the Region – the Burren National Park and Killarney National Park. They are established in accordance with the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and are protected under law. The RSES acknowledges their importance to the Region and the need to continually maintain and enhance this amenity in terms of their nature conservation, biodiversity and amenity importance.
Southern Regional Assembly | RSES
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