Draft Heritage Signage & Heritage Trail Guidance Consultation

Fingal County Council has developed Draft Heritage Signage & Heritage Trail Guidance in order to provide clear direction and advice on how to develop heritage signage and heritage trails-and they want your opinion!

Interpretative signage of heritage sites can add significantly to the understanding and enjoyment of the site by visitors and it can highlight the significance of a site, raise awareness and can be an important communication and education tool. Equally signage if done carelessly, placed badly or incorporating inappropriate or out-of-date information can have a detrimental effect on a site. It can also be difficult to know just how approach the process of acquiring heritage signage.

The Draft Heritage Signage and Heritage Trail Guidance has been developed to provide clear direction and advice to the public and stakeholders on the best practice, procedures and requirements for the development of heritage signage and heritage trails in Fingal; to safeguard the amenity and enjoyment of public spaces and areas by ensuring appropriate heritage signage within these public places and to establish an agreed process for the integrated development of heritage signage and heritage trails across the County. The public now have an opportunity to have their say on this document through a Non-statutory Consultation process.

Speaking about the Draft Guidance consultation Mayor of Fingal Cllr David Healy said ‘I would encourage people to engage with this consultation process. Signage involves lots of different stakeholders so it is important to establish an agreed process for the integrated development of heritage trails across the County.’

‘Heritage interpretation is not just about signage’ said Fingal Heritage Officer Christine Baker ‘one of the first questions this document asks is if signage is necessary? There are lots of different ways, from guides and apps to videos and podcasts, to highlight the heritage in your area. This Draft Heritage Signage Guidance is designed to make the process clearer and easier for all the interested groups who are doing so much to highlight our heritage’.

Fingal has its own suite of signage most recently put up in Rush and Balbriggan. The Draft Guidance encourages the formulation of interpretation plans to establish the best interpretation options for an area and a community to reach the audience they wish to inform and attract. The Guidance also includes information on deciding on the best location; what the content should include and an outline of the permissions required.

‘We want submissions, observations and comments from members of the public’ said Christine Baker ‘so we can support the innovation and enthusiasm for heritage in communities across Fingal’.

Submissions/Observations can be made online at https://consult.fingal.ie or in writing to Heritage Officer, Planning and Strategic Infrastructure Department, Fingal County Council, County Hall, Main St., Swords, Co. Dublin, K67X8Y2. The draft document is available to view on fingal.consult.ie until Friday January 29, 2021.