At a ceremony in London on Thursday 5th February 2009, the Adamstown Strategic Development Zone (SDZ) received a Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI) Planning Award for Sustainable Communities.

In deciding to give an Award to Adamstown in this category, the RTPI Judges reported “we were impressed by the quality and scale of the development at Adamstown. It is of a size (10,000 homes plus community and employment uses) often advocated for ‘new settlements’ and, as such, is a model for developments elsewhere”.

Adamstown was entered for the RTPI Awards by South Dublin County Council, which is the Development Agency for the area and Chartridge Developments Limited, the developer consortium established to deliver the infrastructure required for Adamstown. Chartridge represents Castlethorn Construction, Maplewood Developments and Tierra Limited.

To date, there are almost 1,000 homes occupied in Adamstown. Whilst there are a range of house types, almost three-quarters of homes have three or more bedrooms. A new railway station and two primary schools opened in 2007 and a post primary school, local shops and community centre will open in 2009. The first phase of a major District Centre at the station is expected to start on site later this year.

The Royal Town Planning Institute confirmed that there was a record entry of 111 schemes of which 34 were short listed in a range of categories and 13 received awards. To merit an award, an entry had to demonstrate outstanding achievement that has advanced significantly the art and science of town planning. The degree of originality and innovation were particularly important considerations.

The RTPI judges considered that “the design and layout of Adamstown delivers an attractive ‘modern vernacular’ incorporating, despite the greenfield location, the key features of a sustainable community..”

Speaking on behalf of South Dublin County Council, Paul Hogan, Senior Planner, explained that “whilst Adamstown may now be developed over a longer period than was originally anticipated, the approach taken has ensured that those already living there have access to train and bus services, new road links, schools, childcare and play facilities, with more on track for this year, despite the downturn.”

The preliminary findings of a survey commissioned by the Council as part of the community development process indicate that there is a young, highly educated and diverse community living in Adamstown. The results also indicate a high degree of resident satisfaction, with 7 in 10 residents strongly agreeing that “Adamstown feels like home”. Undertaken at the end of 2008, the survey findings support the RTPI Judge’s positive assessment. The survey outcome will be used to inform the ongoing planning and development of the area.

Frank Nevin , Director of Planning at South Dublin County Council said that “this international award represents recognition of how sustainable communities can be achieved through the SDZ process which is ongoing in Adamstown and will be replicated in the Clonburris area”. A second major SDZ Plan in the South Dublin County Council area was approved for Clonburris in November 2008.