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 18 | Design and Placemaking • To ensure the undergrounding of wires, particularly in historic areas, and upgrading ground surfaces; • To consider use of co-ordinated painting schemes; • To erect street names in consultation with the Council; and, • To implement the principles established in the Design Manual for Urban Roads and Streets (DMURS). * Defining elements are buildings, walls, trees, hedges or other street furniture which form the visible edges of the space. New Housing Areas Priorities for the public realm in new housing areas are: • Well-designed layouts forming attractive spaces appropriate to local character and scale; • To avoid undefined set-backs where new housing abuts regional or local roads. These edges should be designed to enhance the public realm in character with the settlement; • To ensure that suitable boundaries between public and private spaces, where defining elements give sufficient enclosure, are specified at planning application stage; and, • To plant at least one oak tree or other equivalent large deciduous indigenous tree species in a suitable location on public open space within a scheme. Overall Settlement Priorities for the public realm in the overall settlement are: • To highlight unique heritage or other features; • To enhance the sense of place at gateways and key junctions; • To enhance permeability and to promote compact growth; and, • To form transition areas on approach roads, both to calm traffic and enhance the arrival to the settlement. Gateways Gateways are used to demarcate a point of arrival from one place to another. They are important placemaking tools as they form the first impression of a place. Gateways are also an important traffic-calming tool as they can be used to inform drivers of a change in driving conditions ahead. Transition Zones A transition zone refers to an area that may be needed for slowing vehicles when entering an urban area from a faster moving road, such as from a rural road into a city, town or village or from a motorway into an integrated street network. Transitions Zones can be emphasised by:427
- __________________________________________________________________________________ Clare County Development Plan 2023-2029 18 | Design and Placemaking • Applying transitional geometric measures, such as the narrowing of carriageways; • Introducing measures that provide enclosure, such as large trees; and • Applying changes to carriageway surfacing materials. Development Plan Objective: 10 Minute Towns CDP 18.3 It is an objective of Clare County Council: a) To facilitate sustainable compact settlements with the ’10 Minute Town’ concept, whereby, a range of community facilities and services are accessible in short walking and cycle timeframes from homes or are accessible by high quality public transport services by connecting people to larger scaled settlements delivering these services; b) To ensure that decision making in relation to new infrastructure to provide improved connectivity is informed by an appropriate level of environmental assessment and in accordance with CDP Objective 3.3 in Chapter 3; and, c) To support the delivery of the Strategic Objectives of Ennis 2040 An Economic and Spatial Strategy in establishing Ennis as Ireland’s first 10 Minute Town. 18.3.4 Place Making and Amenity Along Tourism Corridors The Wild Atlantic Way and the Shannon Estuary Way are essentially routes with potential stopping-off points at the towns, villages and viewing points along the way. The road is the ‘place’ in this instance from which the coast and surrounding countryside is viewed. It follows that the roads along these need well-defined edges i.e. boundaries which are in character with the area, where setbacks are carefully tailored to the minimum required and are surfaced with locally occurring grasses. The towns and villages on the Wild Atlantic Way and the Shannon Estuary Way need good gateways to calm traffic and to follow the guidelines above on edges and setbacks. Setbacks which become parking bays in front of large one-off sites in settlements have a negative visual impact on sense of place, facilitate vehicular speed, uncontrolled traffic movements and can impact on sightlines at entrances. Ideally the road or street, its width determined by DMURS movement function, should have its edge defined either by footpath or grass verge as appropriate to the settlement. This will help to manage speed and achieve self-regulating streets i.e. using ‘place’ to manage movement. 18.3.5 Rural Design The challenge for new built form in the countryside is to fit comfortably into that ‘place’. In terms of new houses in the countryside, the County Clare Rural House Design Guide is a useful reference. The Council will prepare a new rural house design guide within the lifetime of the428
- __________________________________________________________________________________ Clare County Development Plan 2023-2029 18 | Design and Placemaking plan. Boundaries are important and a site design which places the house at an angle to the road can sometimes respond better to the rural setting. In particular, the sensitive refurbishment of existing buildings is welcomed. While vernacular cottages are smaller than the average single rural house, the combined area of the cottage and out-buildings is usually close to that size, making it feasible to refurbish a group of buildings as one residence (see Figure 18.4). Figure 18.4 Farm Building Renovation Where an existing vernacular house is to be extended, a well-designed contemporary extension may be a good option. The Government Policy on Architecture 2004 advise that “Contemporary architecture and design also have an important role to play in the design of rural buildings that make the best use of their location while still blending into and enhancing the natural landscape.” 18.3.6 Universal Design “Universal design is the design and composition of an environment so that it can be accessed, understood and used to the greatest extent possible by all people, regardless of their age, size or disability. This includes public spaces in the built environment such as buildings, street or spaces that the public have access to; products and services provided in those places and systems that are available including information and communications technology (ICT)”. (Disability Act 2005) Universal design is one of the key elements of the proper planning and sustainable development of any area. Clare County Council is committed to the principle of universal design, enabling all people to participate in a county that takes account of human differences and to interact with their environment to the best of their ability. Universal design is not a special requirement, for the benefit of only a minority of the population. It is a fundamental condition of good design. If an environment is accessible, usable, convenient and a pleasure to use, everyone benefits. In this way, sustainable design and universal design are inextricably linked. By considering the diverse needs and abilities of all throughout the design process, universal design creates products, services and environments that meet people’s needs. This reflects the life-cycle approach, which should allow people to stay living longer in the community, ideally throughout their lifetime. Before After429
- __________________________________________________________________________________ Clare County Development Plan 2023-2029 18 | Design and Placemaking Development Plan Objective: Universal Design CDP 18.4 It is an objective of the development plan: To require all new buildings, facilities and works to the public realm to meaningfully engage with the principles of universal design so that all environments and buildings can be accessed, understood and used by all persons to the greatest extent possible and to have regard to all existing relevant legislation, publications and guidelines in their design. 18.3.7 Design Statements Following on from the design process, the preparation of a design statement is an important end product to demonstrate how a particular design solution has been chosen. It can provide a rationale for a particularly innovative design or demonstrate how the context of a particular setting has been taken on board or respected (see Appendix 1 Development Management Guidelines, including Section A1.4.4 for further details). 18.4 Regulations and Guidelines Regulations and guidelines covering a wide range of topics must now be considered in the preparation of any development proposal. These regulations are intended to improve conditions for owners, users and society at large by ensuring minimum acceptable standards. They have undoubtedly resulted in improvements in the areas of environment, health, safety, accessibility and energy performance. However, the use of regulations and guidelines in themselves does not result in a quality built environment and it is important to achieve a balance between all of these issues. In this regard, the Government Policy on Architecture 2004 advises: “Building Regulations set standards for structural safety, drainage, ventilation, stairways and similar matters. However, a building can comply with every regulation and still be ugly, inefficient and depressing. It may make poor use of space which has cost so much to build or it may degrade the landscape or townscape in which it sits.” 18.4.1 Energy Efficiency and Sustainability Energy efficiency is about achieving the same result with less energy. Recognising the importance of energy efficiency, the Government has established ambitious targets. The national commitment requires a 30% reduction in carbon emissions between 2021 and 2030 and the development of a carbon neutral society in Ireland by 2050. This requires contributions from all sectors of the economy and will bring significant economic and environmental benefits.430
- __________________________________________________________________________________ Clare County Development Plan 2023-2029 18 | Design and Placemaking In accordance with the carbon reduction measures outlined in Chapter 2 of this Volume, the proposed development of structures or groups of structures in urban and rural areas should achieve high energy efficiency both at construction stage and during the lifetime of the development. This can be achieved by climate sensitive design which takes account of the orientation, topography and surrounding features so as to control wind effects, while optimising the benefits of daylight and solar gain as well as the installation of renewable energy technologies such as solar panels, geothermal heating etc. Structures should be designed so that they are comfortable, adaptable to changing needs, cost effective to build and economic to manage and maintain. In terms of protected structures and architectural conservation areas, it is the policy of the Council to incorporate these new technologies where it can be demonstrated that they can be satisfactorily integrated. Development Plan Objective: Sustainable Developments CDP 18.5 It is an objective of Clare County Council: To require all new developments to maximise energy efficiency and conservation and to ensure that they embrace the concept of sustainable design, achieve excellence in siting and design and promote the use of low carbon materials. 18.5 Collaboration The Government Policy on Architecture 2009 recognises that good quality design is not easily achieved. It confirms the importance of effective collaboration between planners, architects, applicants and others in the team who may be involved in producing good design for the built environment. Within the overall process of placemaking, the boundaries of various disciplines overlap. Supporting sustainable placemaking will take account of the economic, planning, architectural, engineering, environmental, landscape and community development challenges. Successful placemaking depends on the effective management of the overlaps between disciplines. The Design Manual for Urban Streets and Roads recognises this and makes collaborative management and interdisciplinary co-operation a statutory requirement. The Council has recognised this process in the past through the Clare Design Awards Scheme which acknowledged the collaborative work of the client, architect and builder in bringing successful schemes to fruition. It is an objective of the Council to run a Design Awards Scheme to encourage excellence in the built environment during the lifetime of this plan.431
- __________________________________________________________________________________ Clare County Development Plan 2023-2029 18 | Design and Placemaking Development Plan Objective: Design and Built Environments CDP 18.6 It is an objective of Clare County Council: a) To encourage and facilitate excellence in the siting and design of new buildings in the county and particularly through contemporary and innovative architectural solutions; b) To encourage and facilitate high standards of energy efficiency; c) To facilitate and promote the use of appropriate low carbon materials in all future development and embrace the principles of sustainable design; d) To ensure the integration of safe and convenient alternatives to the car into the design of our communities, by prioritising walking and cycling accessibility to both existing and proposed developments, and integrating physical activity facilities for all ages; and d) To run a Design Awards Scheme to encourage excellence in the built environment.432
- __________________________________________________________________________________ Clare County Development Plan 2023-2029 19 | Land Use and Zonings Chapter 19 Land Use and Zonings Goal XVIII: A county where the overall strategic objectives of the county development plan are translated into settlement plans and local area plans containing detailed land use zonings and master-planning of neighbourhoods in an evidence-based, plan-led approach with a focus on ensuring a high quality of life. Chapter 19 Table of Contents: 19.0 Introduction 19.1. Strategic Aims 19.2 Local Area Plans 19.3 Land Use Zoning 19.4. Nature of Zonings 19.5 Indicative Land Use Zoning Matrix 19.5.1 ‘Acceptable in Principle’ 19.5.2 ‘Open for Consideration’ 19.5.3 ‘Not Normally Acceptable’ 19.5.4 Uses Not Listed in the Indicative Zoning Matrix 19.5.5 Non-conforming Uses433
- __________________________________________________________________________________ Clare County Development Plan 2023-2029 19 | Land Use and Zonings 19.0 Introduction The Clare County Development Plan 2023–2029 governs the overall land use objectives for County Clare and establishes a policy framework within which the more detailed settlement plans contained in Volume 3 of this plan and local area plans for the Metropolitan and Key Town can be prepared. The Planning and Development Act 2000, as amended, requires that a local area plan shall be consistent with the objectives of the development plan. The Clare County Development Plan 2023-2029 is therefore the main policy document for land use considerations within the functional area of Clare County Council. Local area plans for the Key Town of Ennis and its Environs, and the Metropolitan Town of Shannon will be prepared during the lifetime of this development plan. 19.1. Strategic Aims In accordance with the overall vision, goals and core strategy of the development plan, the following outlines the strategic aims within which the settlement plans and local area plans will be prepared: • To ensure that adequate land is zoned to meet the needs of the population of the county, in compliance with the Core Strategy and population targets; • To ensure that sufficient land is zoned and serviced to provide for sustainable development and settlement growth throughout the county, in order to achieve the specified population targets of the plan; • To ensure that the land use considerations in the settlement plans and local area plans are set within the policy framework of the county development plan; • To ensure that social and physical infrastructure is developed in line with the growth of settlements in the county; • To ensure that proposed developments are, where appropriate, directed to suitably zoned lands within designated settlement areas as provided for in the plan. 19.2 Development Plans The Planning and Development Act 2000, as amended, requires that development plans comprise objectives for the zoning of lands for particular purposes, in the interest of proper planning and sustainable development. This is reflected in the settlement plans that have been prepared and are contained in Volume 3 of this development plan. 19.3 Land Use Zoning Within the functional area of County Clare, lands are zoned for particular purposes within the settlement plans contained in this development plan and in the Shannon Town and Environs Local Area Plan.434
- __________________________________________________________________________________ Clare County Development Plan 2023-2029 19 | Land Use and Zonings In accordance with the overall strategy of this plan, the County’s zoning strategy is based on three important principles: i. Sufficient lands should be provided at appropriate locations throughout the county, in accordance with the population and housing supply targets as set out in the Core Strategy, to facilitate the envisaged land use requirements during the lifetime of this plan; ii. Sustainable development and the use/redevelopment of brownfield sites within established settlements which should accommodate 30% of their allocated growth; iii. Land use zoning objectives should assist individuals in accessing the most appropriate location for new development. Not all needs can be anticipated and therefore some flexibility is required, having regard to all other principles, policies and objectives. Development Plan Objective: Zoning of Lands CDP 19.1 It is an objective of Clare County Council: To ensure that sufficient lands are zoned at appropriate locations in the settlement plans and local area plans of the county, in accordance with the Core Strategy population and housing targets, in order to meet the envisaged land use requirements of the area during the lifetime of this development plan. 19.4. Nature of Zonings At the outset, it should be noted that a development proposal that complies, in principle, with the relevant land use zoning, will not automatically be guaranteed or granted planning permission. Clare County Council shall consider each proposal for development on its individual merits having regard to Section 34 of the Planning and Development Act 2000, as amended. The following describes the individual zonings proposed in each of the settlement plans/local area plans: Agriculture This zone is for the use of land for agricultural purposes and farming-related activities and to preserve the amenity of the town or village setting. Individual dwellings for permanent occupancy of established landowners (i.e. within family ownership for the preceding 10 years) and their immediate family members will be open for consideration subject to normal site suitability considerations. Immediate family members would include:435
- __________________________________________________________________________________ Clare County Development Plan 2023-2029 19 | Land Use and Zonings • Parents • Children • Siblings Airport Land zoned for airport development shall be used for airport-related uses, buildings, infrastructure and services and compatible aviation-related businesses and industries. Buffer Space Buffer spaces are intended to provide a buffer of undeveloped land for the conservation of biodiversity, visual amenity or green space. Buffer spaces may include natural features such as floodplains, riparian zones, turloughs, valuable biodiversity areas including designated sites, amenity areas, woodlands, hedgerows, green spaces and archaeological features. Commercial The use of land zoned for commercial purposes shall be taken to include the use of the lands for commercial and business uses including offices, service industry, warehousing and the facilitation of enterprise/retail/office type uses as appropriate. Retail Warehousing is open for consideration under this zoning, provided that a sequential test is carried out and the lands are demonstrably the optimum location for the nature and quantum of retail development proposed. Neighbourhood Centre It is intended that land zoned for neighbourhood centre will be developed to provide an appropriate range of local services including commercial, retail and community uses, to support the population of the surrounding area. Community The development of lands for community uses shall be taken to include the use of lands for community, civic, health services, public or educational uses including the provision of schools, community halls, healthcare facilities and any other facility that is intended to provide some form of community service. A service may be delivered by either a public, community or private body. Enterprise Lands zoned for enterprise shall be taken to include the use and development of land for high end research and development, business science and technology-based industry, financial services, call centres/telemarketing, software development, data centres, enterprise and incubator units, small/medium manufacturing or corporate office in high quality campus/park type development.436
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.