Council receives compensatory habitat from daa

Fingal County Council has received an ecological habitat which was designed and constructed by daa as compensation for the removal of hedgerow during the construction of the North Runway.

The eight hectare habitat, which is located in Kilsallaghan, will be a haven for wildlife with native wildflowers, shrubs, and trees. It includes a wetland and a bat roost, with a tree line to increase connectivity between the existing hedge surrounding the site and the bat roost.  The site design is based on the existing habitats and species at the location and incorporates native plant species to assist in the development of a natural ecosystem.

Kevin Halpenny, Senior Parks and Landscape Officer with Fingal County Council, said: “Fingal has a rich and varied biodiversity and one of the challenges for the Council is to manage the development and growth of Fingal in a way that maintains and enhances our biodiversity for future generations. This compensatory habitat, which replaces 15.8km of hedgerow, is a good example of how we can align the protection of our biodiversity with development.”

Andrea Carroll, Director of Sustainability at daa, said: "We are delighted to gift the compensatory habitat at Kilsallaghan to the people of Fingal. This initiative underscores our dedication to preserving biodiversity and fostering a strong connection between the community and the natural environment." 

To ensure that the biodiversity on the site is protected and further enhanced, access to the habitat will be controlled and limited to educational visits and events which will be managed by the Council’s biodiversity team. 

Watch the video below about the new habitat.