ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY AND HERITAGE ISSUES Chapter Seven
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Explain the term Heritage Describe the impact of heritage
issues on planning decisions Explain the causes of air pollution in
urban areas and methods to reduce it Discuss the problems of waste
disposal and water quality in urban areas
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Destruction of historic buildings: Due to urban decay many
older inner city buildings are being demolished and the
architecture and history of that building lost. The variety of
building styles and eras are being lost and being replaced with
modern, uniform buildings. An example of this loss is the Georgian
Mile on Mount Street, Dublin. Derelict Sites: Eyesores like the old
flea market in Dublin 2 were replaced with the modern St. Stephens
Green Shopping Centre. The Urban Renewal Act of 1986 aimed to reach
a balance for the need to redevelop and the preservation of sites
of heritage. Protection of heritage sites: Planning Act 2000 local
authorities must protect areas of architectural, historical or
artistic interest.
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Fossil fuels: Coal, peat, wood, oil, gas.burned in homes
Industrial smoke Traffic emissions
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Sales of smoky coals were banned in city areas Special Control
areas were set up: areas where only smokeless coals could be used :
Dublin Cork Waterford Limerick Drogheda And then spreading to other
towns and areas. =pollution levels reduced by 70% and reduced death
rates
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Clean Air Act (1970) introduced to control smog in large urban
areas..
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The EPA (environmental protection agency) recognised that air
pollution from road traffic is the biggest threat to air quality
today. So the following methods could be used: Lower speed limits
Shopping areas pedestrianised Congestion charge on vehicles
entering parts of the city Companies must use cleaner fuels
Factories must remove pollutants from their emissions Cars must
have catalytic converters to reduce toxic gases being released.
Convert public transport to cleaner fuel source.
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Currently the average Irish household produces approx. 1,240kg
of waste per year. Compared to the Swedish average of just 442kg.
Waste hierarchy: Options used for dealing with Irelands and other
developed countries waste. The objective is for waste disposal in
Ireland to reach figures of: 40% recycling 40% thermal treatment
20% landfill Under EU law all countries must manage their own waste
disposal systems
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Waste disposal has historically been the traditional method
used in Ireland. Landfills are giant rubbish dumps that are rapidly
filling up. The health and environmental implications of these
dumps are extremely serious. Methane gas is released with the
breaking down of rubbishthis is a greenhouse gas that traps heat in
the atmosphere causing global warming. Many of our landfill sites
only have three years of space or capacity left. Efforts such as
pay by weight and free recycling have reduced the amount of rubbish
we produce.
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Advantages Advantages Deals with large amounts of waste in a
small area No poisonous liquids seep into the ground or water
supply Size of rubbish heaps reduced by 90% Heat produced used to
generate electricity and reduce need for fossil fuel burning.
Disadvantages Disadvantages Increased amount of heavy vehicles on
road to incinerator Fly Ash is result of incineration, it is toxic
and must be disposed of safely Dioxins released into the atmosphere
are dangerous and increase air pollution.
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Local authorities are responsible for the management of and
treatment of waste water and sewage.
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Dublins waste strategy Waste disposal in Cork City The Dublin
Bay Project Read each case study for explained examples on urban
problems in this chapter