Development plan · Cavan County Council
Cavan County Development Plan 2022–2028 — Chapter 1
One part of the council's development plan written statement, which the council publishes in parts.
Cavan County Council · 2022–2028 · 36 pages
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- GT 01 2.9.2 Self-Sustaining Growth Town – Virginia (Place of Strategic Potential) Virginia is located in the east of County Cavan close to the border with County Meath. Over the last Census period, the town grew by a substantial 16%, reaching a population of 2,648 in 2016. Virginia is strategically located on the N3 giving it easy access by private car and public transport to Dublin City and towns such as Navan and Kells. The N3 along with the regional roads the R194, R195 and R178 makes the town one of the most accessible in the county providing direct linkages to Cavan Town, Ballyjamesduff, Mullagh and Bailieborough. Over the past 20 years Virginia has grown from a village, with a population of just 811 in 1996, into one of County Cavan’s larger towns in 2016. The RSES identifies Virginia as a “Place of Strategic Potential” of a regional scale. Specifically, referring to: Virginia performing important sub-regional functions for employment, housing and services… being the hub for east Cavan…. being the main economic driver for wider highly populated catchments, where commuting out of the county is an issue that needs to be addressed by providing employment and support services,… being strongly positioned to attract businesses, that need access to the Belfast/Dublin corridor, available talent, quality of life and housing (RSES; p 139) Virginia currently has a jobs to resident workers ratio of 0.66. The town has a good mix of professional, business, retail and other services within the town that provide employment. Indeed, the RSES states that the Agri-Food sector is vital to the Northern and Western region and particularly to Counties Monaghan and Cavan. It further acknowledges the importance of the agri-food cluster of Glanbia and AW Ennis feeds in Virginia. The town also boasts the Ramor Theatre and an abundance of natural assets which attract visitors. 2.9.3 Self Sustaining Towns Four settlements are designated as ‘Self Sustaining Towns’ – Ballyjamesduff, Bailieborough, Kingscourt and Cootehill. These are towns with high levels of population growth, but which require consolidation and targeted ‘catch up’ investment to become more self-sustaining. Virginia Development Objectives It is a development objective of Cavan County Council to: Promote sustainable growth and consolidation in Virginia coupled with targeted investment where required to improve local employment, services and sustainable transport options and to become more self-sustaining. 21 Core Strategy Key Town, Cavan Development Objectives It is a development objective of Cavan County Council to: KTC 01 Support the continued growth and sustainable development of Cavan Town to act as a growth driver in the region and to fulfil its role as a Key Town, focused on employment, retail, quality of life and economic investment. KTC 02 Promote Cavan Town as an attractive investment location for the County, utilising Cavan County Economic Forum and building upon the towns proven track record as an excellent investment location, which is aided by the IDA business park in the town KTC 03 Support the delivery of additional economic development lands to overcome significant recognised deficit that exists in the town. KTC 04 Require sustainable, compact, sequential growth in Cavan Town by consolidating the builtup footprint through a focus on regeneration and development of town centre infill and brownfield sites, and encouraging regeneration of underutilised, vacant and derelict lands for residential development and mixed use to facilitate population growth. KTC 05 Commence the preparation of a Local Transport Plan (LTP) for Cavan Town in conjunction with the National Transport Authority (NTA) and other relevant stakeholders within one year of the adoption of the County Development Plan.
- SST 01 The population of Ballyjamesduff was 2661 in 2016, growing 3% from its 2011 baseline. The town has a Jobs to Resident Workers ratio of 0.49, one of the lower rates of the county towns. The main employers in the town include Gleneagle Woodcrafts, Liffey Meats and Cavan Box. Community infrastructure includes Ballyjamesduff Health Centre, tennis courts, the GAA pitch, Soccer Pitch, and numerous sports and social clubs and groups in the town. The town has a crèche, a primary and secondary school and a VEC. The Cavan County Museum in the town traces the history of the county from earliest times to the present day. It is an important resource for the county and as a tourist attraction Bailieborough grew by 6% between 2011 and 2016, reaching a population of 2,683. The town has a Jobs to Resident Workers ratio of 0.70, with a number of employment providers including Lakeland Dairies and Terra Limited. The RSES acknowledges the role of the agri-food sector within the town, which should be further promoted and enhanced. The Bailieborough Business Centre at Barrack Street further aids in the creation of local enterprise in the area. The town has both primary and secondary schools as well as a number of crèche and childcare providers Kingscourt recorded a population of 2,499 in 2016 and has a Jobs to Resident Workers ratio of 0.65. The town has a number of large and smaller employment providers including Kingspan, O’Reilly’s Concrete, Gypsum Industries, Paramount Roller Doors, as well as, other services provided within the Town core area. The RSES highlights the following in relation to the town “The Dublin Belfast Economic Corridor and the Regional Growth Centres of Drogheda and Dundalk have a significant reach into the Central Border Counties, including into South Monaghan, and East Cavan, particularly influencing towns such as Carrickmacross, and Kingscourt within the NWRA area”. Thus, the town has potential to further build on its employment base. Cavan County Council secured €787,500 under the Rural Regeneration and Development Fund (RRDF) for the Kingscourt Town Centre Regeneration project in 2020. Cootehill has a Jobs to Resident Workers ratio of 0.78, one of the stronger rates in the county towns. There are a number of large and small employment providers within the town core. The retail and service function is strong with a good mix of comparison and convenience retailing and a number of professional and other services well represented in the town. Cootehill has three primary schools, St. Michael’s National School, the Darley National and the Holy Family School which provides primary schooling for children on the autistic spectrum and with moderate general learning disabilities. The town also has a secondary school and a number of crèches/playschools. Self Sustaining Towns Development Objectives It is a development objective of Cavan County Council to: Promote commensurate population and employment growth in the designated Self-Sustaining towns, providing for natural increases and to become more economically selfsustaining, in line with the quality and capacity of public transport, services and infrastructure available. 2.9.4 Medium Towns Medium towns are towns with a varied employment base that 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, Mullagh and Ballyconnell are designated as ‘Medium Towns’ within the settlement hierarchy. Belturbet is located to the north west of Cavan Town near the border with County Fermanagh and sits overlooking the River Erne. The town’s population declined slightly (-2.9%) between 2011 and 2016. Belturbet Business Park is home to a number of smaller scale businesses. Belturbet has a Jobs to Resident Workers ratio of 0.48, The town has a number of social and community facilities including the Belturbet GAA Grounds, Belturbet Health Centre, Morrissey Park and Turbot Island, the Riverside Park, a playground, and significant riverside amenity areas. There are three primary and one secondary school in the town and a playschool which caters for afterschool services. Mullagh is located in the south east of County Cavan, near to the border with County Meath. In contrast to Belturbet, the town grew by a significant 18% between 2011-2016. Mullagh has a Jobs to Resident Workers ratio of 0.59. Local employment opportunities within the town comprise mainly of Wellman’s International, retail and services provided within the Town Core and agriculture. There are a number of community, 22 Cavan County Development Plan 2022-2028
- MTD 01 Medium Towns Development Objectives It is a development objective of Cavan County Council to: Promote consolidation coupled with targeted housing and investment in Medium Towns where required to improve local employment, services and sustainable transport options and to become more selfsustaining. 2.9.5 Small Towns Small towns provide local service and employment functions. Within the settlement hierarchy, these include Ballinagh, Ballyhaise, Shercock, Killeshandra, Arvagh and Kilnaleck. These smaller towns range in population size from 393 (in the case of Kilnaleck) to 936 (in the case of Ballinagh). Support for housing and population growth within rural towns and villages in County Cavan will help to act as a viable alternative to rural one-off housing, contributing to the principle of compact growth. The availability of serviced sites, in tandem with schemes such as the Irish Water Scheme for Small Towns and Villages, will help to enable this. Small Towns Development Objectives It is a development objective of Cavan County Council to: Promote consolidation coupled with targeted rural housing and investment policies in Small Towns where required to improve local employment, services and sustainable transport options and to become more self-sustaining. STD 02 To ensure that 20% of lands zoned ‘whitelands’ for which permission for the development of houses is granted, be reserved for social and affordable housing in accordance with the Planning and Development Act 2000 (as amended) and national guidance and regulations. 23 Core Strategy STD 01 social and leisure facilities in the town which act as local attractions and amenities for inhabitants. These include, Mullagh Health Centre, Saint Killian’s Heritage Centre, the Edwin Carolan Community Park, The Fair Green and playground. The town has one primary school as well as creches/playschools.
- VC 01 VC 02 2.9.6 Village The‘Villages’ tier encompasses rural areas with 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) but have more limited community facilities and services. Swanlinbar, Butlersbridge, Blacklion, Lough Gowna, Bawnboy, Crossdoney, Crosskeys, Dowra, Kilcogy, Mountnugent, Redhills and Stradone are designated as ‘Villages’ in the Settlement Hierarchy. Villages Development Objectives It is a development objective of Cavan County Council to: Promote Serviced Villages as an attractive housing option for rural areas of the county through the promotion of quality of life, placemaking, and sufficient local service and infrastructure provision. To ensure that 20% of lands zoned ‘whitelands’ for which permission for the development of houses is granted, be reserved for social and affordable housing in accordance with the Planning and Development Act 2000 (as amended) and national guidance and regulations. 2.9.7 Rural Community Nodes and Rural Remainder Rural Cavan is home to a diverse range of land uses including agriculture, local food production, recreational and tourist activities, established villages and rural housing. It is a goal of this plan to respect the long tradition of people living in rural areas in County Cavan and promote sustainable rural settlements as a key component in achieving strong and vibrant rural communities. Within the settlement hierarchy, ‘Rural Nodes’ and ‘Rural Remainder’ are identified and can be described as follows: Rural Community Nodes Rural housing needs of those members of the rural community who are not part of the agricultural/ horticultural community will be facilitated in the extensive network of rural smaller community nodes. These are largely un-serviced rural areas with limited social and community infrastructure. These are designated for limited development at a sustainable scale for immediate local need through development of clusters. It is anticipated that each smaller community area can cater for a small population increase from their current population base over the period of the plan. Examples of these smaller community areas include Ballymagovern, Ballymahugh, Bunnoe, Canningstown, Cloverhill, Corlough, Cross, Drung, Finnea, Glangevlin, Killinkere, Killydoon, Larah, Lavey, Maghera, Maudabawn, Milltown, Mountainlodge, Munterconnaught, Tierworker and Tullyvin. Rural Remainder In support of the overall pattern of rural and small town development in Ireland, the NPF seeks to protect areas that are under strong urban influence from unsustainable over-development on the one hand, and to encourage population to be sustained in more structurally weak areas, that have experienced low growth or decline in recent decades, on the other, while sustaining vibrant rural communities. However, the NPF, through National Policy Objective 28 requires a clear distinction to be made between areas under 24 Cavan County Development Plan 2022-2028
- 25 Core Strategy urban influence and elsewhere in providing for the development of rural housing. National Policy Objective 28: Ensure, in providing for the development of rural housing, that a distinction is made between areas under urban influence, i.e. within the commuter catchment of cities and large towns and centres of employment, and elsewhere: In rural areas under urban influence, facilitate the provision of single housing in the countryside based on the core consideration of demonstrable economic or social need to live in a rural area and siting and design criteria for rural housing in statutory guidelines and plans, having regard to the viability of smaller towns and rural settlements; In rural areas elsewhere, facilitate the provision of single housing in the countryside based on siting and design criteria for rural housing in statutory guidelines and plans, having regard to the viability of smaller towns and rural settlements. In accordance with the NPF First Revision and the ‘Sustainable Rural Housing Guidelines’, it is necessary to identify rural area types within the county that require tailored settlement policies in the development plan. These are: 1. Areas under Strong Urban Influence 2. Stronger Rural Areas 3. Structurally Weak Areas Cavan County Council is sensitive to the needs of the rural community and recognises the need to facilitate housing development for people who are an intrinsic part of a rural community. The HNDA, as set out in Appendix 1, accounts for the potential demand for single rural dwellings over the lifetime of this Development Plan. In establishing rural area typologies for County Cavan, analysis was undertaken at Electoral Division (ED) level and incorporated a combination of socio-economic indicators and an assessment of demand for one-off housing across the county as well as considerations around proximity to the commuting catchment of large cities and towns. Specifically, the following core areas were examined: Population change between 1996-2016 ❍ This is deemed a core consideration in the determination of rural typology areas according to the Sustainable Rural Housing Guidelines (2005) Projected population change between 201620265 ❍ This analysis was undertaken to determine if population trends over the past two decades are likely to continue to 2026 Economic Structure of the County ❍ The relative strength of the economic structure of the county’s ED’s was established through three core strands of analysis: CSO Annual Estimates of Income; the Pobal Deprivation Index6 (ED analysis for 2011 and 2016); and area designations under the CLAR Programme Housing Demand ❍ Planning applications for one-off housing between 2014-2019 were assessed and mapped to determine which areas were under greater demand for development and those which were experiencing little or no demand. The spatial extent of the three rural typology areas are shown in the Core Strategy Map (see Figure 6). Chapter 12 Rural Strategy contains further detail around rural housing objectives. Rural Development Objectives It is a development objective of Cavan County Council to: Support the servicing of rural villages (serviced sites) to provide an alternative to one-off housing in rural Cavan Support rural community nodes in offering attractive housing options to meet the needs of the established rural communities and to support existing local community facilities such as schools, post offices, recreational facilities, shops and community facilities like childcare. Implement the development objectives relating to the three specified rural area types of Co. Cavan as outlined in Chapter 12 Rural Strategy. 5 Population projection analysis was undertaken to 2026 utilising the “Demographic Component Method” that integrates the dynamic components of population change namely, mortality, fertility and migration, and enables age cohort analysis 6 The index provides a method of measuring the relative affluence or disadvantage of a particular geographical area using data compiled from various censuses. RA 02 RA 01 RA 03
- Figure 4: Population Change in Cavan 1996-2016 26 Cavan County Development Plan 2022-2028
- Figure 5: Population Change in Cavan 2011-2016 27 Core Strategy
- 2.10 Housing Stock and Capacity Census 2016 results record a total housing stock of 33,585 units in County Cavan, which represents a marginal decrease of 126 units on 2011 levels. The number of vacant units in 2016 stood at 4,829 (excluding holiday homes and those dwellings deemed to be temporarily absent). The 2011 Census data does not distinguish between categories of vacancy and indicates that there were 7,867 unoccupied dwellings in 2011. In contrast, the 2016 data illustrates the number of temporarily absent dwellings, unoccupied holiday homes and other vacant dwellings. For comparison purposes, the total number of vacant dwellings across these three categories in 2016 is 6,660. As such, there is an overall decline in the number of vacant dwellings of 1,207 between 2011-2016. This indicates the existing vacant stock absorbing much of the growing need for housing in the county. A summary of the information on the existing housing stock is provided in Table 9. Home ownership remains the dominant tenure in Cavan with 71.5% of households within this category in 2016 (compared to a State average of 67.6%). 31.7% of households pay a mortgage. 15.6% of households were in the private rental market; an increase of 7% or 278 households since 2011. 8.6% (2302) of households in the county resided in social housing. 2.10.1 Housing Land Requirements This section sets out key considerations in relation to residential land requirements for this plan period as set out in the NPF and RSES. The NPF notes that the concept of headroom based solely on zoned land provision does not account for housing yield arising from the re-use of existing housing stock, mixed-use development, urban intensification or infill or brownfield development. Indeed, projected population growth must be planned in accordance with NPF First Revision National Policy Objectives 7, 8, 9, which target infill and brownfield development within the existing built footprint of urban settlements, in particular the objective to target at least 30% of all new homes that are targeted in settlements other than the five Cities and their suburbs, within their existing builtup footprints. The average occupancy rate in Cavan in 2016 was 2.80 compared to a state average of 2.75. However, the NPF states that this is expected to decline to around 2.5 by 2040, while also acknowledging that household sizes in urban areas tend to be smaller than in the suburbs or rural parts of the country. Moreover, the Revised NPF continues with the standardised methodology that addresses the differentiation between zoned land that is available for development and zoned land that requires significant further investment in services for infrastructure for development to be realised. In this regard, lands have only been identified for development where they are able Table 10: Tenure Households Persons Households % Persons % Social Housing 2302 5822 8.6% 7.7% Rented (Privately) 4171 11625 15.6% 15.5% Owner Occupied (All) 19164 55162 71.5% 73.4% Table 9: Occupancy Status County Housing stock Unoccupied Holiday homes Temporarily Absent Vacancy % Vacancy7 County Cavan 33,585 1046 785 4829 14.3% 28 Cavan County Development Plan 2022-2028 7 The percentage vacancy rate provided is based on ‘Other Vacancy’ category as a percentage of total housing stock and excludes vacant holiday homes and those temporarily absent.
- 2.10.2 Urban Regeneration and Development Fund (URDF) and the Rural Regeneration and Development Fund (RRDF). One of the key objectives of the NPF relates to the need for compact growth, with development being focused within and close to existing builtup areas. A core element of this approach is the regeneration of infill and brownfield sites. This is in line with the NPF targets of achieving at least 50% of all new homes within or contiguous to the builtup area of Dublin city and suburbs and a target of at least 30% for other urban areas. In this regard, it is a policy of Cavan County Council to promote measures to reduce vacancy and the underuse of existing building stock and support initiatives that promote the reuse, refurbishment and retrofitting of existing buildings within urban centres. The importance of the role of regeneration in the delivery of Project Ireland 2040 is acknowledged by the provision of the Urban Regeneration and Development Fund (URDF) and the Rural Regeneration and Development Fund (RRDF). Urban Regeneration and Development Fund (URDF) The €2 Billion ten-year Urban Regeneration and Development Fund (URDF) was launched in 2018 to support compact sustainable development, through the regeneration of Ireland’s cities and large towns, in line with the objectives of Project Ireland 2040 – The National Planning Framework (NPF) and the National Development Plan (NDP) 2018 -2027. The Regional Spatial and Economic Strategy (RSES) provides the investment framework for Northern and Western Region. The types of proposals eligible for funding include strategic development areas, active land management, measures to address building vacancy and refurbishment, public realm improvements, enabling infrastructure, sustainable mobility and transition to low carbon and climate resilience. Rural Regeneration and Development Fund (RRDF) The Rural Regeneration and Development Fund is a commitment of €1 billion by government to be invested in rural Ireland over the period 2019 to 2027. The purpose of the fund is to support job creation in rural areas, address de-population of rural communities and support improvements in our towns and villages with a population of less than 10,000, and outlying areas. Initial funding of €315 million has been allocated to the fund on a phased basis over the period 2019 to 2022. It will be administered by the Department of Rural and Community Development. This Fund provides an opportunity to support the revitalisation of rural Ireland, to make a significant and sustainable impact on rural communities, and to address de-population in small rural towns, villages and rural areas. It will be a key instrument to support the objectives of the NPF and to aid in the implementation of the RSES and the Cavan County Development Plan 2022-2028. 29 Core Strategy 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. These lands are also positioned within the existing builtup footprint of established settlements or contiguous to existing developed lands.
- 2.11 Core Strategy Map 30 Cavan County Development Plan 2022-2028 Figure 6: Core Strategy Map
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.