A Decarbonising Zone (DZ) is a chosen area where local authorities and communities work together to find local solutions to global problems, such as reducing greenhouse gas emissions, improving air quality, saving energy and reducing waste. The main objective is to find innovative but achievable ways to live and work more sustainably thus reducing the amount of carbon produced by everyday activities in the zone by 51% by 2030, based on 2018 levels. In the DZ, different approaches and projects can be tested and perfected, allowing other communities to apply proven ideas based on their own needs.

Dún Laoghaire- Rathdown County Council (dlr) does not possess the control or power to directly influence all the energy and emission reductions within the boundaries of the DZ area. Therefore, dlr plans to engage a wide range of sectors and stakeholders to identify actions and progress the development and implementation of a DZ plan.

To qualify as a DZ, the chosen area needs to have certain characteristics that have potential for climate action across a variety of sectors. Dún Laoghaire and Blackrock were selected to form one DZ as they were considered to have many projects in the built environment, renewable energy and transport sectors currently underway which could be included in developing the plan for the DZ, have a strong sense of community, and are the right size in terms of population (at least 5,000 people are required for urban DZs).

Dún Laoghaire and Blackrock also have a wide variety of building types with varying energy needs, used daily by the community, public, and business sectors, and have a lot of potential for developing new climate projects providing co-benefits for the area. For example, air quality could be improved by more use of public transport, active travel, and mobility hubs, and energy sustainability could be addressed with electricity network upgrades, district heating, improving energy efficiency and using renewable heat in residential, public, and commercial sector buildings.

The Dún Laoghaire/Blackrock DZ has an area of 6.4 km2 and includes both Dún Laoghaire town centre and Blackrock village, as well as the nearby residential and amenity areas and several small commercial clusters. The population of Dún Laoghaire/Blackrock DZ is approximately 28,000. Notably, there is a balance across age groups with those older than 60 making up 22% of the population and those younger than 20 years old making up 23%. The remaining 55% of the population are between 20 and 60 years old.

Residential areas make up most of the zone at 63% of the total area. The use of the remaining 37% of the area is apportioned as follows: Open space, such as parks (14%), town and neighbourhood centres (7%), sustainable neighbourhood infrastructure (such as schools and community centres (5%), the waterfront and harbour (4%), economic development areas (4%), and third level education institutions (3%).