Cavan County Development Plan 2022–2028 — Chapter 1

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   2.6 Population Trends and Targets Census 2016 results show that Ireland’s population stood at 4,761,865 in April 2016, an increase of 173,613 (3.8%) since April 2011. The population within the NWRA area amounts to approximately 18% of Ireland’s total. This can be considered a relatively low proportion of the overall population considering the geographical size of the region. However, as the RSES notes, this should not be seen as a negative, rather it provides the region with its distinctly rural, and at times remote character which can be advantageous. Indeed, each county in the region has a majority living in rural areas, with Leitrim the highest on 89%. Within County Cavan, this figure stood at 69.5% (the state average was 37%). While this rural nature is common to each of the eight counties within the region, there are also a multitude of differences. For example, the counties of Donegal, Leitrim, Monaghan and Cavan all share the border Ireland possesses, something that has its own specific challenges. Within County Cavan, the county saw a population increase of 4% (+2993 persons) between 20112016, as the population increased to 76,176 from 73,183. However, there are significant variances in population trends across the county. In 2011, six towns (including Cavan Town) had an ‘urban’ population of more than 1,500 people4 (with Ballyjamesduff, Bailieborough, Kingscourt, Virginia and Cootehill forming the remaining five). However, between 2011-2016, each of these settlements experienced quite different growth trajectories. During this period, Cavan Town continued its steady growth to reach a population of 10,914 (a growth rate of 6.9%). Virginia experienced one of the highest rates of population increase in the county between 2011-2016 at 16%. However, Cootehill recorded a population decline of 12%, with a total of 1853 people in 2016 (in comparison to the 2011 figure of 2123). However, it should be noted that the CSO settlement boundary for Cootehill has changed between 2011-2016, which impacts the reporting of this data. The remaining three urban settlements (Ballyjamesduff, Bailieborough, Kingscourt) all recorded growth rates of between 3-7% (see table 3). In 2016, of the three towns which had populations of between 1000-1,500 people, Belturbet marginally declined by 2.7%; Mullagh grew by a significant 18%; while Ballyconnell grew by 4.1%. The rest of the County experienced varying growth rates. However, towns with populations of between 500- 1000 have experienced the largest overall growth between 2011-2016. Ballinagh grew by 22.1% during the same period. Table 3: Population Growth 2011-2016 Settlement 2011 2016 2011-2016 Growth Rate % Cavan Town 10,205 10,914 6.9% Ballyjamesduff 2,568 2661 3.6% Bailieborough 2,530 2683 6.0% Kingscourt 2,326 2499 7.4% Virginia 2,282 2648 16.0% Cootehill 2,123 1853 -12% Belturbet 1407 1369 -2.7% Mullagh 1,137 1348 18.0% Ballyconnell 1061 1105 4.1% Ballinagh 766 936 22.1% Killeshandra 364 388 6.5% Arva 380 411 8.1% Kilnaleck 384 393 2.3% Shercock 384 588 53.1% Ballyhaise 620 711 14.6% Lough Gowna 161 149 -7.4% Blacklion 229 194 -15% Butlersbridge 282 276 -2% Swanlinbar 211 207 -1.8% Rest of the County 43,763 44,843 2.5% Total for County Cavan 73,183 76,176 4.0% 11 Core Strategy 4 The CSO defines a settlement as urban when it has a population of 1,500 or more.

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   2.6.1 Population Distribution According to the CSO’s parameters, a total of 23,258 people (30.5%) were living in urban settlements in Cavan in 2016. 52,918 (69.5%) were living in smaller towns and villages, as well as in the rural remainder of the county. In 2011, census results showed a distribution between the urban and rural population as 30% and 70% respectively. Thus, the urban/ rural split has remained relatively stable over this period, with a marginal increase in the urban population. 2.6.2 Population Structure The Census 2016 results show that Ireland’s population has been getting steadily older since the 1980s. In 2016, 37.2% of the Irish population were aged 45 and over, compared with 34.4% in 2011 and 27.6% in 1986. As is the case in the rest of Ireland, the NWRA has an ageing population, with the average age of the population standing at 37.9 in 2016. The average age of Cavan’s inhabitants is 36.7 years old, lower than the national average age of 37.4. 13.7% of the county population were over 65 years old in 2016, in contrast to state figure of 13.4%. 23.1% of Cavan’s population is aged under 14. In total, the number of children of pre-school age (0-4) is 5,725 (7.5%). 9,678 (12.7%) are of primary school going age (5-12) and a further 6,596 (8.6%) are of secondary school going age (13-18). An extended age of the county is presented in figure 2 below. 2.7 Settlement Hierarchy In developing a settlement hierarchy for County Cavan, an asset-based approach has been adopted. Such an approach acknowledges that population and employment size are not the sole determinant of a settlement’s functional role or of its strategic regional significance. Indeed, this approach identifies and builds on a combination of social, economic and natural assets and potential that is available within towns and smaller settlements in the County. This has been broadly informed by the criteria listed in the Hierarchy of Settlements and related Infrastructure considered by NPF First Revision (see figure 3). These criteria are grouped under eight overarching themes, with criteria graded according to the size of the settlement in question (ie. Smaller settlements and rural areas; Smaller towns and villages; Large towns; and Cities). Figure 2: Cavan Extended Age Profile (CSO, 2016) -10% -8% -6% -4% -2% 0% 2% 4% 6% 8% 10% Age Group ■ Female % ■ Male % 85+ 80-84 75-79 70-74 65-69 60-64 55-59 50-54 45-49 40-44 35-39 30-34 25-29 20-24 15-19 10-14 5-9 0-4 12 Cavan County Development Plan 2022-2028

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   Hierarchy of Settlements and Related Infrastructure The hierarchy of Settlements and Related Infrastructure Wheel Source: Derived from Strategic Investment Board Limited, 2008 Smaller Settlements and Rural Areas Smaller Towns and Villages Large Towns Cities P o w e r G e n e r a t i o n W a s t e & S e w a g e T r e a t m e n t P l a n t s W a s t e l a n d fi l l W a s t e - r e c y c l e d R e c y c l i n g R e n e w a b l e s W a t e r & S e w e r s S u p p l y A c c e s s t o c l e a n S e w a g e D e p a r t m e n t S t o r e s S p e c i a l i s t S h o p s , A r t s & C u l t u r a l F a c i l i t i e s S h o p p i n g C e n t r e s R e t a i l W a r e h o u s i n g R a n g e o f r e s t a u r a n t s S u p e r m a r k e t s , R e s t a u r a n t s , M i x o f R e t a i l F a c i l i t i e s S h o p P u b P o s t O ffi c e P e t r o l S t a t i o n H ig h er EducationInstitutes S p ecialSchools H i g h e r E d ucationInstitutes F urtherEducation C a m p usesof H i g h e r Educatio n I n s titutes L i b r ary,Post G a r d a H Q , H i g h C o u r t , P r i s o n , F o r e n s i c S c i e n c e G a r d a D i s t r i c t C o u n t y C o u r t P r o b a t i o n S e r v i c e G a r d a S t a t i o n N e i g h b o u - h o o d W a t c h M u s e u m / G a l l e r i e s C o n f e r e n c e / C o n c e r t A r e n a L e i s u r e C e n t r e ( p o o l ) V i s i t o r C e n t r e , A d v i c e C e n t r e , A r t s & C u l t u r e C e n t r e C o m m u n i t y C e n t r e s , S p o r t s F a c i l i t y W e l f a r e S e r v i c e s L o c a l H a l l P l a y A r e a s (El e c ti v e a n d E m e r g e n c y ) A c u t e H o s p i t a l S e r v i c e s I n j u r y C l i n i c s S e r v i c e s , M i n o r O u t p a t i e n t a n d D i a g n o s t i c C a r e S e r v i c e s P r i m a r y a n d S o c i a l T o u r i s m O ffi c e I n d u s t r i a l P a r k O ffi c e I n f o r m a t i o n E n t e r p r i s e C e n t r e , C h i l d c a r e B u s i n e s s U n i t W o r k s h o p / K e y T r a n s p o r t N o d e s E n e r g y G e n e r a t i o n I n t e r c o n n e c t o r P o r t s & A i r p o r t s S c i e n c e c e n t r e , M a j o r I n d u s t r i a l P a r k s , S t r a t e g i c D e v e l o p m e n t Z o n e s T o u ris m S i g n a t u r e p r o j e c t s C y c l e N e t w o r k P a r k N ’ R i d e B u s / R a i l , M a j o r R o a d s l a r g e r c e n t r e s B u s / r a i l t o T r u n k R o a d s L i n k C o r r i d o r s E N V I R O N M E N T C O M M E R C I A L SKILLS J U S T I C E S O C I A L H E A L T H N E T W O R K S P R O D U C T I V E L i g h t i n g S t r e e t B r o a d b a n d S c h o ol, E C C E P r i m ary O u t r e a c h A m b u l a n c e G P , P h a r m a c i s t 83 Building on the above, the following broad considerations have informed the development of Cavan’s settlement hierarchy; M Scale: The scale of population, growth rates and local ambition for sustainable compact growth M Function: The scale of employment provision and commuting flows; Particular sub-regional interdependencies and influence M Human Capital: The extent of local services provision i.e. administration, educationparticularly third level, health, retail and amenities; Levels of relative affluence or deprivation M Enterprise: The availability of economic development assets and clusters M Placemaking: This is linked to ‘Functionality’ in terms of provision of suitable sites and property solutions to meet enterprise and labour force expectations M Connectivity: Transport accessibility and trip profiles, including internal trips M Environmental / Natural Capital: Environmental sensitivities, resources and assets M Infrastructure: Current and planned infrastructure capacity The specific criteria stemming from these thematic considerations are further elaborated in in table 4. Figure 3: Hierarchy of Settlements and related Infrastructure considered by NPF (Source: NPF; page 83) Hierarchy of Settlements and Related Infrastructure The hierarchy of Settlem and Related Infrastructu Source: Derived from St Smaller Settlements and Rural Areas Smaller Towns and Villages Large Towns Cities P o w e r G e n e r a t i W a s t e & S e w a g e T r e a t m e n t P l a n t s W a s t e l a n d fi l l W a s t e - r e c y c l e d R e c y c l i n g R e n e w a b l e s W a t e r & S e w e r s S u p p l y A c c e s s t o c l e a n S e w a g e D e p a r t m e n t S t o r e s S p e c i a l i s t S h o p s , A r t s & C u l t u r a l F a c i l i t i e s S h o p p i n g C e n t r e s R e t a i l W a r e h o u s i n g R a n g e o f r e s t a u r a n t s S u p e r m a r k e t s , R e s t a u r a n t s , M i x o f R e t a i l F a c i l i t i e s S h o p P u b P o s t O ffi c e P e t r o l S t a t i o n H i g h e r E d u c a t i o n I n s S p e c i a l S c h o o l s H i g h e r E d u c a t i o n I n s t it u tes F u r t h e r E d u c a t i o n C a m p u s e s o f H i g h e r E d u c a t i o n I n s t i t u t e s L i b r a r y , P o s t G a r d a H Q , H i g h C o u r t , P r i s o n , F o r e n s i c S c i e n c e G a r d a D i s t r i c t C o u n t y C o u r t P r o b a t i o n S e r v i c e G a r d a S t a t i o n N e i g h b o u - h o o d W a t c h C o m m u n i t y C e n t r e s , S p o r t s F a c i l i t y W e l f a L o c a l H a l l P l a y A r e a s C a r e S e r v i c e s Pri m a r y a n d S o c i a l T o u r i s m O ffi c e I n d u s t r i a l P a r k O ffi c e I n f o r m a t i o n E n t e r p r i s e C e n t r e , C h i l d c a r e B u s i n e s s U n i t W o r k s h o p / K e y T r a n s p o r t N o d e s E n e r g y G e n e r a t i o n I n t e r c o n n e c t o r P o r t s & A i r p o r t s S c i e n c e c e n t r e , M a j o r I n d u s t r i a l P a r k s , S t r a t e g i c D e v e l o p m e n t Z o n e s T o u r i s m S i g n a t u r e p r o j e c t s C y c l e N e t w o r k P a r k N ’ R i d e B u s / R a i l , M a j o r R o a d s l a r g e r c e n t r e s B u s / r a i l t o T r u n k R o a d s L i n k C o r r i d o r s E N V I R O N C O M M E R C I A L S K I L L J U S T I C E N E T W O R K S P R O D U C T I V E L i g h t i n g S t r e e t B r o a d b a n d S c h o o l , E C C E P r i m a r y O u t r e a c h A m b u l a n c e G P, P h a r m a c i s t Project Ireland 2040 | B 13 Core Strategy Building on the above, the following broad considerations have informed the development of Cavan’s settlement hierarchy; Scale: The scale of population, growth rates and local ambition for sustainable compact growth Function: The scale of employment provision and commuting flows; Particular sub-regional interdependencies and influence Human Capital: The extent of local services provision i.e. administration, educationparticularly third level, health, retail and amenities; Levels of relative affluence or deprivation Enterprise: The availability of economic development assets and clusters Placemaking: This is linked to ‘Functionality’ in terms of provision of suitable sites and property solutions to meet enterprise and labour force expectations Connectivity: Transport accessibility and trip profiles, including internal trips Environmental / Natural Capital: Environmental sensitivities, resources and assets Infrastructure: Current and planned infrastructure capacity The specific criteria stemming from these thematic considerations are further elaborated in in table 4. 13 Core Strategy Figure 3: Hierarchy of Settlements and related Infrastructure considered by NPF (Source: NPF; page 83)

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   Table 4: Summary of criteria utilised to develop the settlement hierarchy for Cavan 2022-2028 Criteria Description Rationale SCALE Population Population resident within CSO defined settlement boundary Settlements with critical mass of population to drive regional development Growth Rate % Growth rate between 2011- 2016 Growth rate will determine capacity for future growth. Towns that have experienced high growth rates may require additional investment in services, infrastructure and employment NPF / RSES designation Settlements designated for growth in the NPF and RSES include Regional Growth Centres and Key Towns The NPF and RSES identified a number of centres of scale, which have the potential to meet the critical mass to drive regional growth – this includes the Key Town of Cavan. FUNCTION Commuter Trips Journey times from the settlement to work, school or college The scale of commuting flows will inform the characterisation of a settlement as commuter focused or as more self-sustainable. Ratio between workers and jobs (where relevant data is available) The average ratio of jobs to resident workers in the Northern and Western Regional Assembly area is 1:13. An analysis of the ratio between workers and jobs at the settlement level reveals the economic importance of a number of Cavan towns for surrounding areas. Retail Hierarchy Retail hierarchy based on the Retail Strategy reflected in the Plan. Consideration must be given to the retail hierarchy included in Cavan Retail Strategy SOCIAL INFRASTRUCTURE / PLACE MAKING Community Facilities Sustainable neighbourhoods require a range of community facilities as stated in the Department of Environment, Heritage and Local Government Guidelines on Sustainable Residential Development and Compact Settlement Guidelines for Planning Authorities (2024) The extent of local services provision (such as shops, schools, preschool facilities, community halls or centres; medical centres etc) will determine the attractiveness of a settlement to attract and retain a critical mass of population. ENTERPRISE Economic Assets Higher Education Centres, Business Incubation and Innovation Centres, Technology Gateways and Research Centres, IDA Business parks or industrial estates, local enterprise office, and Strategic sites Firms and enterprise development are drawn to urban locations by market forces such as agglomeration, migration and specialisation that depend on factors such as scale, accessibility, innovation supported by higher education institutions and quality of life. Moreover, as the NPF (p. 71) notes, Ireland’s natural resources are some of our greatest assets and through the development of the agriculture, food, forestry, tourism and renewable energy sectors, this will not only sustain rural employment, but also contribute to driving the national economy. 14 Cavan County Development Plan 2022-2028

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   Criteria Description Rationale CONNECTIVITY Public Transport Proximity to high quality public transport, both existing and planned. Access to transport infrastructure influences the location of housing and employment growth, with compact settlements more efficient in terms of maximising returns on transport investment Mode Share % Mode share of work and education trips (Origin) by Active Travel (walk, cycle), Public Transport, Car (driver, passenger). Mode share data indicates the extent of car dependency in a settlement NATURAL CAPITAL Flood Risk (RPS -RFRA) Flood Risk Summary of key Towns from SEA Environmental Report. Includes Flood Zones, constraints and measures identified in the FRMP along with assessment of climate change and adaption measures Future development and flood risk assessment will need to consider and address flood risk at settlement level. 15 Core Strategy

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   2.7.1 Cavan Settlement Hierarchy Table 5: Cavan Settlement Hierarchy Category Description Settlement Population (2016) Key Town County Town with large economically active services that provide employment for their surrounding areas and with high-quality transport links and the capacity to act as growth drivers Cavan Town 10,914 Self- Sustaining Growth Town* A sub-county town that has significant employment and service functions relative to its regional and local catchment has good regional transport links and has the capacity for continued commensurate growth to become more selfsustaining. It supports the regional driver role of Cavan, and acts as an important local driver providing a range of functions for its resident population and its surrounding catchment including housing, employment, services, retail and leisure opportunities. The town should grow at a sustainable level appropriate to its position in the settlement hierarchy Virginia 2648 Self- Sustaining Towns Self-Sustaining Towns with high levels of population growth but which require targeted ‘catch up’ investment to become more self-sustaining. Ballyjamesduff 2661 Bailieborough 2683 Kingscourt 2499 Cootehill 1853 Medium Towns Towns with a varied employment base and can be reliant on other areas for employment and/or services but which play an important role in supporting the social, economic and cultural life within rural communities. Belturbet 1369 Mullagh 1348 Ballyconnell 1105 Small Towns Smaller Towns with local service and employment functions. Ballinagh 936 Ballyhaise 711 Shercock 588 Killeshandra 388 Arva 411 Kilnaleck 393 Villages Villages that serve their local area and have serviced land (lands that are able to connect to existing development services, i.e. road and footpath access including public lighting, foul sewer drainage, surface water drainage and water supply, for which there is service capacity available, and can therefore accommodate new development). Swanlinbar Butlersbridge Blacklion Lough Gowna Bawnboy, Crossdoney, Crosskeys, Dowra, Kilcogy, Mountnugent, Redhills, Stradone 1137 Rural Community Nodes Rural Community Nodes: un-serviced rural nodes with limited social and community infrastructure. Rural Community Nodes 44,532 Rural Remainder Remaining Rural Areas Remaining Rural Areas 16 Cavan County Development Plan 2022-2028 *Place of Strategic Potential

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   2.8 Population Estimates and Projections to meet Regional Population Targets The NPF Implementation Roadmap states that “As the six-year City and County Development Plans approved in 2020/21 will commence review in 2025/26, this will require demographic data for the period beyond 2026 and the next iteration of RSESs will address the period to at least 2031”. As such, the critical population projection periods are to 2026 and 2031, with a particular emphasis on the initial six-year period to 2028 for this Development Plan. The Roadmap provides transitional population projections for these milestones at a regional and county scale, in order to inform Development Plans for the period 2026 and 2031. These transitional population projections plot a growth trajectory set approximately mid-way between what is currently being planned for in statutory Development Plans if projected forward to 2031, and the more likely evidence based and nationally coherent projected scenario to 2031 and 2040. These ‘adjusted’ transitional figures will apply to 2026 and will also inform the period to 2031. By 2031 the NPF states that the population of Cavan is to be in the range of 86,000-88,000. At the higher projected growth rate, this means that the population of the county will grow by approximately 12,000 people from its 2016 base (or approximately 10,000 people at the lower rate). By 2026, it is envisaged that the population of Cavan will grow by 8,500 people at the higher projected rate to reach 84,500 (or 7,000 people at the lower rate). In addition, the RSES for the Northern and Western region envisages that population of Key Towns will grow by 30% to 2040 (from their 2016 base). In the context of Cavan Town, this relates to a minimum increase of 4,366 people, with the town thus reaching a total population of 15,280 by 2040. In addition, the RSES for the Northern and Western region envisages that population of Key Towns will grow by at least 30% to 2040 (from their 2016 base). In the context of Cavan Town, this relates to a minimum increase of 3,274 people, with the town thus reaching a total population of approx. 14,190 by 2040. The NPF First Revision estimates a population growth of the NWRA area by 2030 to be an additional 85,000 persons and by 2040 to be an additional 150,000 persons. Table 6: NPF / RSES Population Targets to 2026 and 2031. Source: Amended from NPF Implementation Roadmap Census 2016 2026 NPF/RSES Target 2031 NPF / RSES Target 2040 NPF/ RSES Target NWRA Region 847,442 942,500-986,500 961,500-1,014,500 N/A Mid Border 137,500 150,000-152,500 155,000-159,000 Cavan (County) 76,000 83,000-84,500 86,000-88,000 Cavan Town 10,914 N/A N/A 14,190 (~>30% uplift) 17 Core Strategy

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   2.8.1 Population Scenarios at Settlement Level As outlined previously, the NPF and RSES set out population targets for the county as whole and Cavan Town as a Key Town. In seeking to determine a settlement strategy for Cavan which achieves these targets and aligns with the national and regional objectives, a series of demographically projected population scenarios have been developed. In total, six scenarios were developed, with a seventh being the interpolated NPF High for comparison. Each of the scenarios vary by their migration assumption and are elaborated in table 7. Table 7: Population Scenarios Category Description Scenario #1: Current and Growing This scenario looked at the impact of a sustained and growing level of high net inward migration. It adapted the CSO’s core M1 assumption to grow above 30,000 people per annum, increasing to just over 56,500 nationally by 2031. This figure is in line with historical comparatives for the early 00’s from ~40,000 in 2002 to 105,000 in 2007 – and is closely linked with a continuation of buoyant economic circumstances. It presented a robust basis for assuming a continuation of current trends as of February 2020. Scenario #2: Current and Growing – Covid Adjusted This scenario assumes a Covid adjustment to Scenario #1 by reducing net inward migration in 2020 by -50% and recovering by 20% in 2021, to realign with CSO M1 and then continue to grow Scenario #3: Current and Stable This scenario looked at the impact of a sustained and stable level of net inward migration at 30,000 people per annum, lower than the latest available information indicating 33,700 in 2019. It aligns with the CSO’s core M1 in this respect by adjusting growth to a fixed 30,000 per annum throughout the lifetime of the projection. This figure is in line with a stable but continued consideration of buoyant economic circumstances as of February 2020. Scenario #4: Current and Stable – Covid Adjusted This scenario assumes a Covid adjustment to Scenario #3 by reducing net inward migration in 2020 by -50% and recovering by 20% in 2021, to realign with CSO M1 and hold fixed for the duration. Scenario #5: Lower Migration Outlook This scenario looked at the impact of a sudden drop towards a lower net inward migration assumption of 10,000 people per annum, aligning with the CSO’s M3 assumption; cutting net inward migration from 2019’s 33,700 by half in 2020 to align with M3 in 2021 – holding fixed thereafter. This assumption represents a sudden but stable drop in migration and reflects a sustained low. However, this is not held to be representative of true growth potential over the period, even considering current Covid impacts. Scenario #6: Lower Migration Outlook – Dublin Inflow This scenario also looked at the impact of a sudden drop towards a lower net inward migration assumption of 10,000 people per annum (fixed), aligning with the CSO’s M3 assumption. However, it also looked at a reversal of Dublin’s net outward flow of migrants, to the effect of aligning with the CSO’s +2,100 net inward assumption. As this reflects an even more severe base reduction on migration, it is not held to be representative of true growth potential, even considering the current Covid impacts 18 Cavan County Development Plan 2022-2028

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   In assessing the above scenarios, it was determined that Scenario 4 ‘Current and Stable – Covid Adjusted’ reflects Cavan’s current development trajectory. This scenario broadly envisages stable growth to 2028 in line with current trends, with adjustments made to consider impacts stemming from the Covid-19 pandemic (but assuming recovery in 2021). However, this scenario projects a county population of 88,409 by 2028. This figure exceeds that set out in the NPF Implementation Roadmap (see Section 2.2), which envisages a county population of 85,500 by 2026 and 88,000 by 2031 (NPF high). Thus, in seeking to fully align with the NPF Implementation Roadmap, this Core Strategy adopts an NPF high scenario in shaping its settlement strategy to 2028. In doing so, it envisages a county population of 85,900 in 2028. Table 8 provides an overview of this scenario across the plan period for each of the settlement hierarchy and also indicates the share of overall county growth allocated to each settlement. 19 Core Strategy Table 8: NPF High Scenario Hierarchy Settlement Census (2016) 2022 (allocated) 2028 (allocated) Share of County Growth % (2022-2028) Key Town Cavan Town 10,914 11,794 12,674 18.6% Self-Sustaining Growth Town* Virginia 2648 3,079 3,510 9.1% Self-Sustaining Towns Ballyjamesduff 2661 3,007 3,353 7.3% Bailieborough 2683 3,032 3,380 7.4% Kingscourt 2499 2,824 3,148 6.9% Cootehill 1853 2,094 2,335 5.1% Medium Towns Belturbet 1369 1,574 1,778 4.3% Mullagh 1348 1,549 1,751 4.3% Ballyconnell 1105 1,270 1,435 3.5% Small Towns Ballinagh 936 1,076 1,216 3.0% Ballyhaise 711 817 923 2.2% Shercock 588 676 764 1.9% Killeshandra 388 446 504 1.2% Arva 411 472 534 1.3% Kilnaleck 393 452 510 1.2% Villages Swanlinbar Butlersbridge Blacklion Lough Gowna Bawnboy, Crossdoney, Crosskeys, Dowra, Kilcogy, Mountnugent, Redhills Stradone Est. 1,137 1,263 1,390 2.7% Rural Community Nodes & Rural remainder Remaining Rural Areas 44,532 45,746 46,695 20.1% County Total 76,176 81,170 85,900 100% *Place of Strategic Potential

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    2.9 Overview of the Settlement Hierarchy 2.9.1 Key Town – Cavan As the RSES highlights, Cavan Town performs a regional function, being the largest town within the Cavan/ Monaghan/Leitrim sub-region. Moreover, it is the town which experienced the largest growth within the past 10 years. Over the course of the last Census period (2011-2016), the town grew by 6.9%, reaching a population of 10,914. The town is of strategic importance within the Border Region, located in close proximity with County Fermanagh. It has excellent transport linkages nationally, regionally and locally. The town is on the main N3 road that links Dublin with Enniskillen, Ballyshannon and Donegal Town. As the County Town, it has strategic facilities such as an acute hospital, the Local Authority Headquarters, the Department of Agriculture, Cathedrals and Sports Stadium. The town also has a third level college, Cavan Institute, which is the largest provider of FETAC courses in the northeast region. Appendix 2 of the NPF First Revision identifies population and jobs in all urban settlements in Ireland as defined by the Central Statistics Office (CSO), using data from the Census of Population 2022. Cavan Town has a very strong Jobs to Resident Workers ratio of 1.22. The town is also the location of the Cavan Business and Technology Park and the newly established Cavan Digital Hub. Key Towns including Cavan Town are targeted to have a 30% population uplift in the RSES. In achieving this, the Council is committed to the delivery of sustainable, compact, sequential growth in Cavan Town by consolidating the built-up footprint. This will necessitate a focus on the development of town centre infill and brownfield sites, and encouraging regeneration of underutilised, vacant and derelict lands for residential and mixed-use development. In addition, the development of key opportunity sites such as the Abbeylands Cultural Quarter must be prioritised in the first instance. This site has received URDF funding of €14.49 million under the urban regeneration and development fund in 2021. 20 Cavan County Development Plan 2022-2028

Source Cavan County Council: Cavan County Development Plan 2022–2028 — Chapter 1 (2022–2028) · Licence the publisher's termsText read from the publisher’s PDF; tables, maps and drawings do not survive as text, and page numbers are the PDF’s (its first page is 1). Check the original before relying on a passage.