Development plan · Clare County Council
Clare County Development Plan 2023–2029 (as varied)
The council's development plan written statement: its strategy, policies, objectives and development standards.
Clare County Council · 2023–2029 · 568 pages
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- __________________________________________________________________________________ Clare County Development Plan 2023-2029 5 | Housing 5.2.8 Ancillary Living Criteria It will be a requirement that all applications for Ancillary Living Units shall comply with the following criteria: • The unit shall be modest in size and consist of no more than a combined kitchen/dining/living room, a bathroom and contain no more than two bedrooms. The unit shall not exceed a gross floor area of 100sq.m; • If the site is not connected to public sewer, it must be demonstrated that the existing wastewater treatment system on site is capable of taking any additional loading associated with the unit. Details of any required upgrades shall be submitted as part of the development management process; • Provision for a shared vehicular entrance only will be considered and no subdivision of the garden or entrance shall be permitted; • The extension/unit shall remain in the same ownership as that of the existing dwelling on site. In this regard, the unit shall not be sold or otherwise legally transferred, other than as part of the overall property; and, • Use of the unit will be restricted from sale or short-term letting separate to the main dwelling house. 5.2.9 Sites for Independent Development Sites for independent development allow applicants to design and build their own homes tailored to their specific needs within the towns and villages of the county and provide an alternative to single houses in rural areas. These sites provide opportunities for compact growth, placemaking and the development of housing in close proximity to amenities and services. Housing developments of this nature also have the potential to increase the number of people living in towns and villages across the county. The Council will require development proposals for sites for independent development housing schemes to be accompanied by a detailed design brief setting out the parameters for architectural form, plot ratios, external finishes and boundary treatments. In such developments infrastructure such as roads, lighting, water connectivity and other services will be developed by the primary developer, with house design and development, wastewater treatment (in areas without public wastewater treatment services) and on-site landscaping being carried out by the individual site purchasers. It is essential that such developments include adequate connectivity and are fully integrated into existing towns and villages and reflect the character of the surrounding settlement. In rural settlements in particular it is important to ensure that new houses constructed as part of a scheme of this nature are sympathetic in their design and do not result in the creation of a suburban-style environment in a primarily rural area. All applications for such units shall comply with the criteria set out in Section 5.2.8 below.117
- __________________________________________________________________________________ Clare County Development Plan 2023-2029 5 | Housing Clare County Council will prepare guidance on the preparation of housing schemes comprising sites for independent development within the lifetime of this plan. This guidance will address issues such as placemaking, the integration of the development into the existing settlement, the potential order of work and the preparation of an overall masterplan for the site to ensure that the development is fully completed to a satisfactory standard. Development Plan Objective: Sites for Independent Development CDP 5.10 It is an objective of the development plan: a) To support the development of housing schemes of ‘Sites for Independent Development’ in the settlements of County Clare on lands that have been zoned for Residential or Low Density Residential development or sites that have been designated as Village Growth Areas; b) To prepare a guidance document on the preparation of housing schemes of ‘Sites for Independent Development’ during the lifetime of this plan. 5.2.10 Traveller Accommodation Clare County Council recognise the specific requirements of providing accommodation for the Traveller community. It also recognises its role in empowering and facilitating the travelling community so that it can provide for its own accommodation to a greater degree. Under the Housing Acts 1966-1997 Local Authorities are responsible for the provision of accommodation, including serviced caravan sites, for the travelling community. The Housing (Traveller Accommodation) Act 1998 places a statutory obligation on Clare County Council to prepare and adopt a Traveller Accommodation Programme, subject to periodic review, which meets the existing and projected needs of the Traveller community in the county. The current programme is the Clare County Council Traveller Accommodation Programme 2019-2024. Clare County Council has provided housing for Traveller communities in Ennis, Ennistymon and Shannon. Development Plan Objective: Traveller Accommodation CDP 5.11 It is an objective of Clare County Council: To provide appropriate housing accommodation for the Traveller Community in accordance with the Clare County Council Traveller Accommodation Programme 2019-2024, and any subsequent programme adopted by the Council. 5.2.11 Housing and Accommodation for an Ageing Population The ageing of Ireland is recognised in the 2020 Programme for Government as one of the most significant societal developments the country will encounter in the coming decades.118
- __________________________________________________________________________________ Clare County Development Plan 2023-2029 5 | Housing According to the most recent Central Statistics Office (CSO Population 2017-2051) population projections, trends indicate that the number of people over the age of 65 is expected to reach up to 1.6 million by 2051, more than double the population in that age cohort in 2016. Age Friendly Principles and Guidelines for the Planning Authority (June 2021) sets out to ensure integration of age friendly principles into the development plan and regard is had to these guidelines in the objectives of this plan. In addition, with the Town Centre First principle our town and village centres will become age friendly and will progress towards universal design. Older people have certain housing requirements relating to access, medical care, security and personal safety, amongst other issues. While the majority of older people own their own homes, some may find that their accommodation is not entirely suitable to their needs. The demographic profile of County Clare demonstrates that the number of older people as a percentage of the overall population is increasing. This changing profile which is part of a long term trend requires the further provision of assisted housing which is suitable to the needs of older people. Day care and nursing home facilities will become increasingly important in the coming years and Clare County Council will facilitate the development of quality services throughout the county. It is important that, wherever possible, these facilities are integrated into the community and towns and villages to allow residents to access goods and services outside the facility and to ensure convenient access for visitors, staff and servicing vehicles. In addition to the provision of assisted housing, it is highly important to recognise that many older people wish to live in their own homes for as long as possible. For this reason it is important to ensure that new developments provide accessible and adaptable homes so that residents can continue to live independently in their own community, if they so wish, through all stages of their life. The Mobility Aid Grant and the Housing Aid for Older People Grant operated by the Council also assist in the retrofitting of houses with mobility aids and the carrying out of essential repairs so that older people can continue to live in their own homes. Older members of the community, particularly those currently living in rural areas, can also experience social isolation and difficulties in accessing essential services. They can benefit from moving to towns and villages where they are close to services and social opportunities. Housing for older people in such locations also supports the Council’s objectives of compact growth and greater residential uses in town and village centres. Development Plan Objective: Lifelong Housing CDP 5.12 It is an objective of Clare County Council: a) To ensure that new housing developments are attractive, safe and provide a range of house types and that accessibility and lifetime adaptability that can accommodate the changing needs of a household over time are key elements in house design;119
- __________________________________________________________________________________ Clare County Development Plan 2023-2029 5 | Housing b) To provide and facilitate the provision of accommodation to meet the needs of older people and to encourage the provision of a range of housing options for older people in appropriate, convenient and easily accessible locations; c) To promote ‘aging in place’ opportunities for ‘downsizing’ or ‘right sizing’ within their community; d) To support the development of new nursing home and day care facilities in towns and villages in the county; e) To support nursing home and day care facilities on brownfield sites outside of settlements, subject to normal site suitability criteria; and, f) To proactively support the implementation of the Smart Ageing and National Positive Ageing policies, the An Garda Siochána Older People Strategy and the Clare Age Friendly Strategy and Action Plan 2018-2022. 5.2.12 Housing for People with Disabilities An aim of all new housing and, wherever possible, housing conversions and refurbishments should be to construct homes that are universally designed and easily adapted to meet the changing needs of occupants over time. This will provide everyone with greater choice in terms of where they live, and will enable people to continue to live in their own homes for as long as possible as their needs change. The Clare County Strategic Plan for Housing People with Disabilities (2018) provides a framework for social housing provision for people with disabilities in County Clare and for inter-agency co-operation in delivering appropriate housing. Its vision, which is based on the National Housing Strategy for People with a Disability 2011-2016, is to facilitate access for people with disabilities to the appropriate range of housing and related support services, delivered in an integrated and sustainable manner, which promotes equality of opportunity, individual choice and independent living. Effectively meeting the housing needs of people with disabilities requires a variety of approaches and responses. The Council recognises and supports other key areas including person-centred and specific design to meet an individual’s personal needs, circumstances and choice, and a person-centred service with accessible information provision and inter-agency cooperation. The Council operates a number of grant schemes to assist the owners of private houses to adapt their homes to meet their changing needs during their lifetime such as the Housing Aid for Older People Scheme, Mobility Aids Housing Grant Scheme and the Housing Adaptation Grant for New Houses.120
- __________________________________________________________________________________ Clare County Development Plan 2023-2029 5 | Housing Development Plan Objective: Accommodation for People with Disabilities CDP 5.13 It is an objective of the development plan: a) To provide and facilitate the provision of accommodation to meet the needs of those with disabilities through the provision and/or adaptation of appropriate accommodation and through the promotion of lifetime adaptable homes; b) To require all new residential buildings to provide a ground floor, low-level-access shower and toilet to ensure adaptability to future needs; and, c) To support housing options for older people and persons with disabilities in line with current and future national policies and plans including Rebuilding Ireland: An Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness. 5.2.13 Student Accommodation Purpose-built student accommodation has particular requirements in terms of design and location. It should be located so that it has convenient access to universities and colleges, particularly by foot, bicycle and public transport and generally be within urban or suburban centres or within college campuses. Such developments are generally relatively high density projects with a range of facilities appropriate for student living. Development Plan Objective: Student Accommodation CDP 5.14 It is an objective of the development plan: a) To facilitate the provision of high quality student accommodation in appropriate locations having regard to relevant guidance in relation to residential development; and, b) To encourage new student accommodation to locate in areas where smarter travel transport options are available. 5.2.14 Holiday Homes Holiday homes form an important part of the tourism infrastructure in County Clare and make a valuable contribution to the local economy particularly in the coastal areas of North and West Clare. However, large numbers of holiday homes in an area can also have negative impacts in terms of high numbers of vacant dwellings in the low season and, in some cases, associated issues with poor property maintenance during those times of vacancy. High levels of holiday home development can also have an effect on the provision of services and planning for future population growth. In County Clare settlements such as Kilkee, Liscannor,121
- __________________________________________________________________________________ Clare County Development Plan 2023-2029 5 | Housing Querrin, Mountshannon and Carrigaholt have the highest seasonal vacancy rates. The provision and distribution of holiday homes in settlements throughout the county, particularly along the Atlantic Coast will be carefully monitored. The development management process will ensure that the overall vision of sustainable communities is achieved. Development Plan Objective: Holiday Homes CDP 5.15 It is an objective of the development plan: a) To permit holiday homes in settlements where the developments are of a scale and at a location which contribute to sustainable communities, while ensuring an appropriate balance between the number of permanent homes and holiday homes; b) In settlements where an overconcentration of holiday homes has been identified, namely Ballyvaughan, Bellharbour, Bunratty, Carrigaholt, Doolin, Doonbeg, Fanore, Kilkee, Lahinch, Liscannor, Mountshannon, Querrin and Spanish Point to permit new residential development for permanent occupancy only; c) In the settlements of Ballyvaughan, Bellharbour, Bunratty, Carrigaholt, Doolin, Doonbeg, Fanore, Kilkee, Lahinch, Liscannor, Mountshannon, Querrin and Spanish Point to support and facilitate the conversion of some holiday home units to permanent homes or appropriate uses where: i) It can be demonstrated that both the dwellings and the associated infrastructure (open space provision, car parking, wastewater capacity etc.) are of a sufficient standard to support the proposed new use; and, ii) The Planning Authority is satisfied that the conversion will not have a negative impact on the tourism product in the area. 5.2.15 Naming of Developments It is important that place names in new developments such as housing developments, streets, business centres etc. and their associated signage reflect the local topography, history, culture or ecology, such as ancient fields, roads, people and significant events. The Clare Place Names Committee gives advice on selecting place names and monitors new names given to developments. Bilingual signage within housing developments is required and the applicant/developer should ensure that the chosen place name for a new residential development is appropriate relative to its location, and should avoid names already in use within the county.122
- __________________________________________________________________________________ Clare County Development Plan 2023-2029 5 | Housing Development Plan Objective: Naming of Developments CDP 5.16 It is an objective of Clare County Council: To promote local heritage by encouraging the use of local placenames or geographical, historical or cultural names in the naming of new residential or other developments. 5.2.16 Green Infrastructure within Residential Developments In many cases the ‘greening’ of residential areas focuses on the requirement to provide a percentage of open space, back gardens/balconies, privacy strips and street planting. Quantity can often take precedence over ecological quality and function. Levelled areas of grassland provide ease of maintenance but have limited ecosystem benefits. Open spaces in residential developments can be enriched by retaining and enhancing existing natural features as well as introducing additional features. New developments will be required to ensure that quality takes precedence through the incorporation of eco-system benefits alongside established features e.g. the retention of existing and/or the provision of new edges rich in biodiversity such as treelines, hedgerows, wetland areas or meadow planting which can be provided in conjunction with recreational amenity facilities. Regard should be had to the adopted County Clare Biodiversity Action Plan 2017-2023 and County Clare Heritage Plan 2017-2023, and their future iterations, in the design of green areas in residential developments. Development Plan Objective: Green Infrastructure in Residential Developments CDP 5.17 It is an objective of the development plan: a) To ensure that green areas associated with new residential developments enrich the quality of life of local residents and provide ecologically rich areas that enhance biodiversity and contribute to the green infrastructure network in the county; and , b) To facilitate and encourage community stakeholders to repurpose underutilised pockets within existing residential areas for the enhancement of biodiversity and green infrastructure. 5.2.17 Radon Radon levels in the county have been collated from the Radiological Protection Institute of Ireland. The central portion of the county is above reference level and therefore within a high radon area. A High Radon Area is any area where it is predicted that 10% or more of homes123
- __________________________________________________________________________________ Clare County Development Plan 2023-2029 5 | Housing will exceed the Reference Level of 200 Bq/m3. Actions are required to reduce the risk to health from high radon levels in particular, within this central location. Development Plan Objective: Radon CDP 5.18 It is an objective of Clare County Council: To have regard to the specific guidance on radon prevention measures for new homes as contained within the existing Building Regulations (including any updated/superseding regulations that may be published within the lifetime of this plan).124
- __________________________________________________________________________________ Clare County Development Plan 2023-2029 6 | Economic Development and Enterprise Chapter 6 Economic Development and Enterprise Goal V: A county in which jobs and people are brought together and where the sustainable growth of employment, indigenous enterprise and economic activity is pursued proactively across all economic sectors throughout the county. Chapter 6 Table of Contents 6.0 Introduction 6.1 Strategic Aims 6.2 Economic Development and Enterprise 6.3 Regional Enterprise Plan to 2024 for the Mid-West 6.4 Clare Local Economic and Community Plan 6.5 Atlantic Economic Corridor 6.6 Economic Development in Ennis 6.7 Economic Development in the Limerick-Shannon Metropolitan Area. 6.8 University of Limerick – Clare Campus 6.8.1 South Clare / University of Limerick Economic Strategic Development Zone 6.9 Higher Education Institutes, the Knowledge Economy and Access to Talent 6.10 Shannon Estuary 6.11 Moneypoint Power Station 6.12 Research and Innovation 6.13 Clare Digital Hub Network 6.14 Sustainable Design and Working Environments 6.15 Availability of Land and Infrastructure 6.16 Brownfield and Infill Sites 6.17 Ancillary Services 6.18 Energy 6.19 Green Technology and the Circular Economy 6.20 Agricultural Development 6.21 Rural Enterprise 6.22 The Food Industry 6.23 Craft/Creative Industries 6.24 Home-Based Economic Activity and Remote Working 6.25 The Film Industry 6.26 Retail Developments 6.27 Tourism Developments 6.28 Data Centres125
- __________________________________________________________________________________ Clare County Development Plan 2023-2029 6 | Economic Development and Enterprise 6.0 Introduction County Clare is a strategic location for enterprise, innovation and investment. It benefits from a high quality workforce and is an attractive place to live, work and do business. Clare County Council recognises the pivotal role of economic development and enterprise within the county. Together with its Local Enterprise Office, the Clare Economic Taskforce and relevant stakeholders the Council will build on the economic strengths within the county and region, will proactively pursue further economic development opportunities, will facilitate conditions that foster enterprise and enhanced resilience to economic vulnerabilities and that attract and retain high quality jobs that will allow for better standards of living. There are a range of new economic issues facing County Clare that were not apparent in previous county development plans and these have given rise to uncertainty in recent years. These issues include the challenges posed by Brexit and the Covid-19 pandemic, and both the challenges and opportunities arising from carbon emission targets and changes in work practices and particularly remote working or working in hubs. As a direct result of the Covid- 19 pandemic Ireland moved from being one of the fastest growing economies in Europe with near full employment to an unemployment rate of in excess of 20%1. The Three Regional Assemblies of Ireland commissioned a Covid-19 Regional Economic Analysis in 2020 which demonstrated that County Clare has significant exposure to economic disruption caused by the pandemic. Analysis of the exposure levels across the county indicates that settlements such as Bunratty, Lahinch, Liscannor and Kilkee and other settlements which have a high dependency on the tourism industry have the greatest exposure. Clare County Council is fully committed to assisting in tackling such challenges and a primary aim of this County Development Plan 2023-2029 is to positively and proactively encourage sustainable economic and enterprise development. In particular, it aims to promote flexible policies and objectives which are responsive to economic change, opportunities for job creation, investment, advances in technology and changing work practices. To ensure that County Clare maximises its capacity to deliver on its population and growth allocations, the objectives of the plan align with the NPF, the RSES, the LSMATS and the planned infrastructure delivery in the county. 6.1 Strategic Aims The development plan sets out an economic strategy to achieve greater prosperity in all areas of the county. This strategy, which is in accordance with the overall vision for the county is based on the following strategic aims: • To ensure that the benefits of economic growth and prosperity are spread to all parts of the county; • To maximise the return from the economic assets of the county including Ennis, the Limerick-Shannon Metropolitan Area, Shannon International Airport, University of Limerick – Clare Campus, the Shannon Estuary, the proposed South Clare/University of 1 CSO Unemployment figure Oct 2020126
Source Clare County Council: Clare County Development Plan 2023–2029 (as varied) (2023–2029) · 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.