A radical "partnership" approach to the conservation of eight natural amenities in the greater Dublin area resulted in the breaking down of "traditional mistrust and suspicion between planning authorities and the communities they serve," a conference in Dublin was told.

The eight Sustainable Recreational Use of Natural Assets (SRUNA) projects, include conservation of the Liffey Valley, Glenasmole, Marlay Park, Laytown Beach, Bray Head, The Curragh, Carrigolligan Wood, and farmland at Dublin Airport.

The pilot EU-sponsored scheme saw community activists join groups which included local authority staff to plan for the development and conservation of the selected amenities.

Most of the communities which were represented at the conference spoke of approaching the issues in an atmosphere of mistrust and suspicion due to poor relations between local authorities and the communities which they serve.

Some speakers claimed that even as they engaged in the projects, the planning process went ahead and undermined their efforts. Brian Malone of the Chapilizod Residents' Association, part of the Liffey Valley SRUNA project, said his community was under constant pressure from developers and even while they engaged in the SRUNA project an apartment block "was built in a purple blotch on the map which was described as private ownership".

In Glenasmole, the community felt it could not trust the local authority over the extension of the operating life of a landfill dump, said David Cotter, a local resident. Things had improved with the SRUNA project but people were shocked to learn that the Dublin Waste Management Plan was considering another landfill in the area.

Maurice Bryan, who recounted the experience of Birdwatch Ireland in dealing with local authorities, had another warning for the SRUNA projects however: "It is like day two on the Titanic, it's all right so far," he said.

Despite the setbacks to the partnership approach, most speakers felt it had worked and confidence building measures had been achieved.

They agreed that the partnership approach to the development of their communities was a "radical improvement on existing `top down' arrangements". Peggy Downey of the Laytown Working Group said the SRUNA project was successful in avoiding a coastal erosion solution which would have resulted in the loss of the beach for the Laytown races, while David Lewis said the Carrigolligan Wood project had involved locals in the future of the wood as a recreational amenity and the building of a strategy which would have community support.

Mr Lewis said ultimately the SRUNA approach would have to be enshrined in law and this was a matter for the Minister for the Environment, Mr Dempsey.

According to SRUNA project manager, Frank O'Gallaghacoir, the challenges facing planners are accommodating "bottom-up" consultation, Agenda 21 and the adoption of the European Spatial Development Perspective which was agreed in Potsdam in 1999.

The impact of these measures is that planners can no longer rely on land use planning criteria and professional opinion.

"The spatial planning now required must be integrated with social, environmental, and economic objectives. Development plans must be a statement of community consensus developed in partnership with local stakeholders with regard to national and regional policies," according to the SRUNA project office.