Marc Ó Cathasaigh (Waterford, Green Party)
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53. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the way in which climate action, adaptation and sustainability will be considered and prioritised in the development of the sports campus at Abbotstown; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [56952/22]

Jack Chambers (Dublin West, Fianna Fail)
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On Tuesday, the Government approved a new Masterplan for the development of the Sport Ireland Campus. The Masterplan, which will be published later today, provides a framework for the further development of the campus over the next 15 to 20 years.

Sustainability and energy-efficiency are key elements of the campus masterplan. Passive design strategies and energy-efficient buildings will be used throughout the campus, supported by the implementation and integration of renewable and recoverable energy on site. Sustainable construction technologies and a circular economy strategy will be adopted as part of the Masterplan to reduce embodied carbon and minimise waste within all developments on the campus. The Masterplan aims to have net-zero emissions on all new facilities by 2030.

Additionally, a key component of the masterplan vision is to facilitate a paradigm shift away from the car and towards more sustainable modes of public transport. It is intended to achieve a reduction of the car modal share to 45% for non-event-related trips and 35% for event-related trips to the campus within the lifetime of the Masterplan. It is also proposed that campus car parks will incorporate EV charging points to support and encourage the wider use of EVs by athletes, staff and visitors. Work on this is already underway.

The Masterplan vision seeks to encourage cycling and walking as a sustainable means of transport to and through the campus, while providing a valuable public amenity to the surrounding community.

The landscape strategy for the Masterplan vision seeks to enrich the existing ecology on site while creating new habitats and environments to encourage biodiversity. The Masterplan will introduce a number of sustainable drainage features within the landscape to control the flow of surface water and manage discharge into the local water course.