Wildlife Corridors 

The town of Swords has an extensive Green Infrastructure network, but several areas face 'bottlenecks' where corridors are disrupted. One such location is the Ward River near Bridge Street, south of Swords Castle. Here, steep concrete banks and adjacent buildings restrict wildlife movement and diminish the river's ecological value. Currently, the river is confined to a concrete channel, offering little aesthetic or ecological benefit.

The 2009 Fingal County Council Swords Masterplan proposed a Riverside Walk to enhance this area. However, the plan primarily focuses on aesthetic improvements and has left the concrete banks largely unchanged, limiting wildlife access and reducing the value of the Green Infrastructure network.

Research on riverbank design, such as the Inland Irish Fisheries guide for urban watercourses, emphasizes the importance of Riparian Buffer Zones. These zones include the Streamside Zone (prioritizing vegetation and wildlife), the Middle Zone (allowing limited recreation), and the Outer Zone (a transition to urban areas).

Based on this, I propose removing the riverside buildings on the eastern bank to create a Riparian Buffer Zone. This includes regrading the bank, planting native vegetation, and adding paths for wildlife and pedestrians. The new design transforms this bottleneck into a functional, attractive Urban Park, enhancing Swords' Green Infrastructure.