Clondalkin Decarbonising Zone

Developing the evidence base and engaging the community in Clondalkin in the creation of South Dublin County Council’s Decarbonising Zone Plan.

April 2024 – March 2025

sdcc.ie

On this page: About the project Evidence base Community engagement Project results Project team

Image of the round tower in Clondalkin with pink and green plants in the foreground

About the project

A Decarbonising Zone (DZ) is a specific area that has been chosen by a local authority where a range of solutions are identified to address local low-carbon energy, greenhouse gas emissions, and climate needs. South Dublin County Council identified Clondalkin as a key area for climate action and to act as a test-bed for innovative climate solutions. A requirement of every local authority in Ireland is to create a “Decarbonising Zone Plan”. Codema are supporting South Dublin County Council in the development of their plans by providing an evidence base and carrying out community engagement.

Evidence base

Codema supported South Dublin County Council by developing an evidence base for the Decarbonising Zone Plan. This includes mapping and analysing the energy demand and emissions for residential and commercial buildings (including public sector and industrial), and the transport sector across the Decarbonising Zone. This work resulted in:

A full evidence base of spatially mapped out emission sources and low-carbon resources in the Decarbonising Zone
Potential increase/decrease in emissions projected to 2030
Costs associated with reducing emissions and climate pathways
A gap-to-target analysis, based on the 51% emissions reduction target. A register of opportunities to help define a portfolio and pipeline of decarbonisation projects for delivery and outline potential funding opportunities.

Community engagement

From April 2024 to March 2025, our Public and Stakeholder Engagement (PASE) team worked very closely with South Dublin County Council. During this time a Local Engagement Plan for the Clondalkin DZ was developed and implemented. As part of this plan, our PASE team conducted stakeholder mapping, a community climate action survey, on-the-ground engagement, six visioning workshops with six different community groups and two workshops with the Clondalkin DZ consultation group, which was made up of local community members who expressed an interest in continuing on in the process. To conclude the engagement process, a wider community event was held in Brú Chrónáin, Round Tower Café, Clondalkin to allow those who were not able to take part in the process an opportunity to sense-check the work that was completed with other members of the community.

Once the engagement process was complete, our team compiled the work completed over the last year, including local discussions,needs and challenges alongside the vision, mission, and opportunities identified in workshops to create a local decarbonising zone plan for the area. While Codema’s role in the DZ is complete, South Dublin County Council continues to work with the local Clondalkin community to help identify and support local climate action.