Clare County Development Plan 2023–2029 (as varied)

1. Page 91

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   __________________________________________________________________________________ Clare County Development Plan 2023-2029 4 | Urban and Rural Settlement Strategy aviation, manufacturing and distribution and occupies a strategic position in the west of Ireland. As a critical driver within the Limerick-Shannon Metropolitan Area, Shannon is a centre of international business, has strong synergies with Limerick City, Ennis and the wider region and is central to delivering the ambition for the Limerick-Shannon Metropolitan Area’s economic, social diversity and tourism development. The RSES identifies that the population of Shannon should increase by more than 30% by 2040, which is significant population growth. The Limerick-Shannon Metropolitan Area Strategic Plan identifies a significant opportunity for Shannon to expand as a globally recognised centre for software engineering/aviation/logistics and supports Shannon as a centre for research and development for autonomous vehicles. Development Plan Objective: Shannon CDP 4.4 It is an objective of Clare County Council: a) To ensure that Shannon, in its critical role as a metropolitan town within the Limerick Shannon Metropolitan Area, is a driver of prosperity for the Metropolitan Area, county and region by harnessing its strategic location on the Atlantic Economic Corridor, its high-quality connectivity, its employment base, its international airport, and other competitive advantages; b) To seek investment to regenerate and rejuvenate Shannon Town and Environs area, through the enhancement of transport services, amenity and design quality, and the delivery of smart technologies, in order to drive public sector-led recovery, and to sustainably influence and support the Metropolitan Area and the wider county/region; c) To seek investment and to support the delivery of holistic infrastructure that will facilitate and accommodate sustainable growth in Shannon, subject to the outcome of the planning process and environmental assessments; d) To have regard to the Shannon Town Centre Masterplan, which provides the basis for a new Urban Regeneration and Development Fund application; e) To support and promote placemaking in Shannon, which would include public realm regeneration and urban renewal initiatives and public private partnership approaches to town centre regeneration; f) To cooperate with the NTA, TII and Limerick City and County Council in the delivery of the LSMATS; g) To support the development of housing and ancillary facilities in Shannon in order to facilitate the growth of Shannon’s population by 30% by 2040; and, h) To monitor the cumulative effect of grants of planning permission on available wastewater capacity, where connection to87

2. Page 92

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   __________________________________________________________________________________ Clare County Development Plan 2023-2029 4 | Urban and Rural Settlement Strategy a public wastewater treatment plant is included as part of a development proposal. Service Towns The designated Service Towns in County Clare are Ennistymon/Lahinch, Kilrush/Cappa and Scarriff/Tuamgraney. They have been designated as service towns due to their role as important service centres in the respective Municipal Districts and due to their role as drivers of growth for their surrounding hinterlands. The detailed strategies for each of these Service Towns are outlined in the individual settlement statements and land use plans contained in Volume 3 of this plan, and these reflect the local characteristics of these settlements. Development Plan Objective: Service Towns CDP 4.5 It is an objective of Clare County Council: a) To ensure that the Service Towns are individual drivers of growth and prosperity for their respective catchments by consolidating their administrative, retail and service bases, protecting and enhancing their distinctive town centre characteristics and natural landscape settings, and maximising their role for sub-regional growth; b) To work with the relevant bodies and to seek investment for the timely and sustainable delivery of holistic infrastructures, to enhance the levels of amenity and design quality, and to regenerate and rejuvenate the Service Towns throughout the County; and, c) To monitor the cumulative effect of grants of planning permission on available wastewater capacity, where connection to a public wastewater treatment plant is included as part of a development proposal. Small Towns The seven designated Small Towns in County Clare are Kilkee, Killaloe, Lisdoonvarna, Miltown Malbay, Sixmilebridge, Newmarket-on-Fergus and Tulla. These towns are of fundamental importance as employment and tourist centres and as centres for the provision of services and facilities for their resident populations and their rural hinterlands. The strategy for these settlements is to ensure that their existing roles are maintained and further strengthened through measures such as the adequate zoning of lands for development, supporting the concept of settlement networks, seeking investment to regenerate and rejuvenate these settlements, supporting and working with the relevant bodies towards the development of the required ancillary infrastructure, and the adoption of a facilitatory approach towards appropriately-scaled and designed urban development.88

3. Page 93

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   __________________________________________________________________________________ Clare County Development Plan 2023-2029 4 | Urban and Rural Settlement Strategy The expansion of these towns should be sympathetic to the surrounding areas with a focus on developing brownfield sites and adopting the sequential centre out approach to development. The benefits of compact growth, brownfield redevelopment and the regeneration of underutilised sites within existing settlements include the facilitation of the shift to more sustainable transport modes and the 10 Minute Town concept, increased footfall, the enhancement of the viability of shops, services and public transport, the improvement of connectivity between housing and complementary land uses (i.e. recreation and employment), the addressing of dereliction, vacancy and public realm issues and increases in housing supply. Every effort should be made to improve the public realm in order to make these towns attractive places to live, work and visit. It is recognised that some of these towns have not been in a position to fulfil their role due to deficiencies in water and wastewater services and the Council will work with Uisce Éireann (Irish Water) with regard to the resolution of these issues. The strategy for the individual small towns is outlined in more detail in their respective settlement statements and land use plans, set out in Volume 3 of this development plan. Development Plan Objective: Small Towns CDP 4.6 It is an objective of Clare County Council: a) To ensure that the Small Towns throughout the county continue to act as important local service centres that maintain sustainable communities, help to ensure a good quality environment, provide public transport to the main centres, and provide a high quality of life for those who live in the vicinity; b) To work with the relevant bodies and to seek investment for the timely and sustainable delivery of holistic infrastructure, to enhance the levels of amenity and design quality and to regenerate and rejuvenate the Small Towns throughout the county; c) To ensure that future growth is incremental and balanced in nature, and is relative and appropriate to the scale, size and character of the Small Towns and to seek to achieve centre out compact growth; d) To seek investment in the sustainable development of a ‘New Homes in Small Towns and Villages’ initiative in the county and the provision of services and serviced sites to create ‘build your own home’ opportunities within the existing footprint of Small Towns; and, e) To monitor the cumulative effect of grants of planning permission on available wastewater capacity, where connection to a public wastewater treatment plant is included as part of a development proposal.89

4. Page 94

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   __________________________________________________________________________________ Clare County Development Plan 2023-2029 4 | Urban and Rural Settlement Strategy Large Villages The designated Large Villages, of which there are eighteen throughout the county, provide a reasonable range of services and facilities to their resident populations and surrounding rural areas. The strategy for Large Villages is to provide for well-designed residential, commercial and community developments, which are incremental and balanced in nature, and are relative and appropriate to the scale, size and character of the villages. A key priority is to retain community and social facilities within these villages and to encourage indigenous enterprises and service provision. The Large Villages in County Clare, with their attractive character and community infrastructure, provide opportunities for ‘sites for independent development’ and low density ‘cluster’ style residential developments to act as viable alternatives to single housing in the countryside. The Council will seek investment in this regard to develop the ‘New Homes in Small Towns and Villages’ initiative which would augment the delivery of actions by the Council communities and other stakeholders in the provision of services and serviced sites to create build your own home opportunities within the existing footprint of rural settlements, in order to provide new homes to meet housing demand. The areas identified as village growth areas allow for the sustainable compact growth of Large Villages, providing opportunities for small scale cluster type housing, as well as for other uses appropriate to the function, size and scale of the settlement. Several of these villages require significant improvements in physical infrastructure (including innovative solutions for wastewater treatment) to facilitate residential and commercial development and assist in their long term viability as settlements and service centres. The strategy for the individual Large Villages is outlined in more detail in their respective settlement statements and land use plans, contained in Volume 3 of this development plan. Development Plan Objective: Large Villages CDP 4.7 It is an objective of Clare County Council: a) To promote the consolidation of the existing Large Villages through brownfield reuse/redevelopment and through compact growth within the appropriate land use zoning and/or the areas identified for village growth; b) To ensure that future growth is incremental and balanced in nature, and is relative and appropriate to the scale, size and character of the villages and to seek to achieve centre-out compact growth; c) To work with the relevant bodies and to seek investment for the timely and sustainable delivery of holistic infrastructure, to enhance the levels of amenity and design quality and to regenerate and rejuvenate the Large Villages throughout the county;90

5. Page 95

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   __________________________________________________________________________________ Clare County Development Plan 2023-2029 4 | Urban and Rural Settlement Strategy d) To seek investment in the sustainable development of a ‘New Homes in Small Towns and Villages’ initiative in the county and the provision of services and serviced sites to create ‘build your own home’ opportunities within the existing footprint of Large Villages; and, e) To ensure that in the case of any development/reuse or redevelopment where connection to an existing wastewater treatment plant is not possible, the provision of a private wastewater treatment system will only be permitted where it can be demonstrated that the proposed system meets standards set out within EU and national legislation and guidance. Small Villages The Small Villages of County Clare have a predominantly rural character, with some public/community services such as a church, school, shop etc. Their attractive character and community infrastructure provide opportunities for sites for independent development and low-density cluster style residential developments to act as viable alternatives to single housing in the countryside. The Council will seek investment to develop the ‘New Homes in Small Towns and Villages’ initiative in this regard. In addition to small-scale, incremental residential growth, appropriate commercial or employment-generating developments that are of a scale and nature that is sympathetic to the existing village will also be encouraged. Both residential and commercial growth in these settlements will be monitored over the plan period. The village boundaries are illustrated on the individual settlement land use plans, which can be found in Volume 3 of this plan, and a long-term timeframe for the development of these villages is considered to be appropriate. The settlement statements and land use plans for the small villages and the associated Village Growth Area (VGA) designations seek to achieve compact growth through brownfield redevelopment and the regeneration of underutilised sites, to address issues such as dereliction and vacancy, to promote the shift to sustainable transport modes and to enhance the connectivity to, and the viability of, local shops and services. The areas identified as village growth areas allow for the sustainable compact growth of small villages, providing opportunities for small scale cluster type housing as well as for other uses appropriate to the function, size and scale of the settlement. Development Plan Objective: Small Villages CDP 4.8 It is an objective of Clare County Council: a) To promote the consolidation of the existing Small Villages through brownfield reuse/redevelopment and through compact growth within the designated village growth areas; b) To ensure that future growth is incremental and small scale in nature, and is relative and appropriate to the scale, size and91

6. Page 96

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   __________________________________________________________________________________ Clare County Development Plan 2023-2029 4 | Urban and Rural Settlement Strategy character of the villages and to seek to achieve centre-out compact growth; c) To work with the relevant bodies and to seek investment for the timely and sustainable delivery of holistic infrastructure, to enhance the levels of amenity and design quality and to regenerate and rejuvenate the Small Villages throughout the county; and, d) To seek investment in the sustainable development of the ‘New Homes in Small Towns and Villages’ initiative in the county and the provision of services and serviced sites to create ‘build your own home’ opportunities within the existing footprint of small villages. Clusters These are the smallest type of settlement in the hierarchy and their character reflects traditional building patterns with a loose collection of rural dwellings, clustered around one or more focal points. Focal points may include existing rural houses around a crossroad or a community or social facility such as a shop, school, church or post office. The strategy for these settlements is to facilitate a small number of additional dwellings and/or small enterprises to consolidate the existing pattern of development around the focal points and utilise existing services in the area. To meet the needs of those wishing to settle in rural areas, the provisions of Objective CDP 4.14 i.e. Social or Economic Housing Need requirement, will not apply to applicants for single houses within the designated cluster boundaries. Development Plan Objective: Clusters CDP 4.9 It is an objective of Clare County Council: To ensure that clusters throughout the county maintain their existing character providing only for very small scale growth of dwellings and/or small enterprises where they can be suitably integrated with respect to the setting and context. The Countryside The Countryside refers to those rural parts of the county outside of designated settlement boundaries. The National Planning Framework, the Regional Spatial and Economic Strategy for the Southern Region and the Sustainable Rural Housing Guidelines recognise and support the long tradition of people living in the countryside and objectives relating to this are included in Section 4.2.6 of this plan. The Countryside, apart from being a place to live, is the source of the majority of our natural assets and therefore plays an important role in terms of employment, tourism and leisure. The strategy for the Countryside is to ensure that it is appropriately managed and that it continues to play its role in a balanced manner having regard to its carrying capacity and environmental constraints.92

7. Page 97

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   __________________________________________________________________________________ Clare County Development Plan 2023-2029 4 | Urban and Rural Settlement Strategy Development Plan Objective: Countryside CDP 4.10 It is an objective of Clare County Council: To ensure that the Countryside continues to play its role as a place to live, work, recreate and visit, having careful regard to the viability of smaller towns and rural settlements, the carrying capacity of the countryside, siting and design issues and environmental sensitivities. 4.2.4 Linked Settlements and Settlement Networks County Clare has a vibrant mix of settlements that contribute to its attractiveness as a place to live, work, visit and invest and which are critical to protecting the vibrancy of local communities and the character of the county. These settlements have been strengthened over the years by active development plan objectives to direct development and services to appropriate locations and to promote economic investment in our towns and villages. However, the designation of individual settlements is not the sole determinant of the achievement of successful renewal and growth. The growth, prosperity and sustainable development of County Clare is significantly enhanced through communities working together to develop mutually beneficial relationships. The building of synergies and relationships between settlements assists in the achievement of economies of scale, builds on existing strengths, creates greater resilience to challenges, and facilitates enhanced capacities to pursue opportunities. Linked Settlements The Council recognises that there are several adjacent ‘linked settlements’ in the county including Ennistymon/Lahinch, Scarriff/Tuamgraney, Kilrush/Cappa and Miltown Malbay/Spanish Point. In the case of Killaloe/Ballina the linked settlement crosses both the County boundary and the River Shannon. While retaining their own identities these linked settlements, due to their proximity to one another and their complementary roles, will be encouraged to work together to share assets and strengths, and to generate the critical mass of population needed to allow them to act as a focus for service provision and economic growth for their surrounding rural areas. Settlement Networks The Council further recognises that the development of inter and/or multi-settlement relationships, beyond those as outlined above, present opportunities for collaborative projects with shared benefits so as to fully harness the potential of opportunities and the management of challenges. Settlement networks comprise of groupings of towns and villages (including cross boundary) which share geographic location, economic assets and other resources and which contribute specialisms, which if combined can provide a strategic opportunity to drive the regional93

8. Page 98

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   __________________________________________________________________________________ Clare County Development Plan 2023-2029 4 | Urban and Rural Settlement Strategy economy. Examples of such settlement networks could include the Galway, Ennis, Shannon and Limerick network (a potential network of Key Towns and Metropolitan Areas sharing assets on the Atlantic Economic Corridor), those located along or in proximity to tourism corridors or assets (Flagmount-Caher-Killanena), those within the metropolitan area, estuary settlements (e.g. Ballynacally-Labasheeda-Kildysert) and settlements with complimentary services and roles. Development Plan Objective: Settlement Networks CDP 4.11 It is an objective of Clare County Council: To support the concept of settlement networks, to assist collaborative projects and the sharing of assets and strengths, and to enhance the viability of County Clare’s towns, villages and rural communities in order to facilitate the maintenance and expansion of existing population levels, services and roles. 4.2.5 Managing the Growth of Settlements In order to achieve the objectives as outlined for the Settlement Strategy, appropriate monitoring and management must take place. The following are the objectives of the Council in this regard. Development Plan Objective: Monitoring and Implementation of Settlement Strategy CDP 4.12 It is an objective of Clare County Council: a) To achieve the delivery of strategic, plan-led, co-ordinated and balanced development of the settlements throughout the county; b) To monitor carefully the scale, rate and location of newly permitted developments and apply appropriate development management measures to ensure compliance with the Settlement Hierarchy and Strategy, including the population and housing targets for the county. Development Plan Objectives: Planned Growth of Settlements CDP 4.13 It is an objective of Clare County Council: a) To ensure compact growth through the regeneration of brownfield sites and that the sequential approach is applied to the assessment of proposals, for development in towns and villages, and to ensure that new developments are of a scale and character that is appropriate to the area in which they are planned; and, b) To restrict single and/or multiple large scale developments which would lead to rapid completion of any settlement within its development boundary, and in excess of its capacity to absorb94

9. Page 99

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   __________________________________________________________________________________ Clare County Development Plan 2023-2029 4 | Urban and Rural Settlement Strategy development in terms of physical infrastructure i.e. water, wastewater, surface water, lighting, footpaths, access and similar, and social infrastructure such as schools, community facilities and similar. 4.2.6 Single Houses in the Countryside County Clare has a long tradition of people living in dispersed settlement patterns in the countryside, where areas such as rural townlands remain as important units of identity. The Council will continue to support this tradition in a positive manner that is consistent with the requirements of the National Planning Framework, the Regional Spatial and Economic Strategy for the Southern Region and the Section 28 Ministerial Guidelines ‘Sustainable Rural Housing - Guidelines for Planning Authorities (DEHLG)’. This section of the development plan sets out how the development of single houses will be accommodated in the rural areas outside of the boundaries of towns, villages and clusters. Rural Area Types The National Planning Framework (NPF), the Regional Spatial and Economic Strategy for the Southern Region (RSES) and the previously referenced Guidelines require the Council to identify the different types of rural areas within the county and to tailor policies that are responsive to: • The varying characteristics of rural areas; and, • The different housing requirements of urban and rural communities. The NPF recognises the importance of sustaining rural areas, specifically through National Policy Objective (NPO) 24 which is set out below: “Support the sustainable development of rural areas by encouraging growth and arresting decline in areas that have experienced low population growth or decline in recent decades and by managing the growth of areas that are under strong urban influence to avoid overdevelopment, while sustaining vibrant rural communities.” The NPF in NPO 28 requires a distinction to be made between rural areas under strong urban influence and elsewhere in providing for the development of rural houses in the countryside. The RSES reinforces this through its requirement for core strategies of development plans to identify areas under strong urban influence in the hinterlands of settlements and to set the appropriate rural housing policy response to avoid ribbon and over-spill development from urban areas, to support revitalised towns and villages, to achieve sustainable compact growth targets and to protect the rural resource for rural communities, including people with an established local connection to the area. The Council will ensure that development of the open countryside takes place in a manner that is compatible with the policy objectives of the NPF and the RSES, whilst ensuring the95

10. Page 100

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    __________________________________________________________________________________ Clare County Development Plan 2023-2029 4 | Urban and Rural Settlement Strategy protection of key economic, environmental, biodiversity and cultural/heritage assets such as the road network, water quality and important landscapes. To achieve this, the Council must distinguish between rural-generated housing (that is for those with a demonstrable economic or social need to reside in a specific rural area) and urban-generated housing (that is for those with no demonstrable economic or social need to reside in a specific rural area). These distinctions are necessary to ensure that the housing requirements of people who require a house for their permanent occupation in rural areas on the grounds of either social or economic need are facilitated. Urban generated pressure for housing, where inappropriately managed, can result in ribbon development and piecemeal/haphazard development in areas such as approach roads to larger settlements. This creates issues as these settlements expand in relation to: 1. The orderly and efficient development of newly developing areas on the edges of towns; 2. Obstructing alignments for future provision of infrastructure; 3. Undermining the viability of urban public transport due to low densities; and, 4. Attendant later problems in terms of demands for higher public expenditure. Such development is therefore more appropriately located in the existing settlements (or well planned extensions to them). 1. Rural Areas Under Strong Urban Influence Rural Areas under Strong Urban Influence display the greatest pressures for development due to: • Proximity to the immediate environs or close commuting catchment of large towns. • Rapidly rising population. • Location in areas of considerable pressure for development of housing due to proximity to urban centres. • Proximity to major transport corridors with ready access to urban areas. The Planning Authority applied an evidence-based approach to the development of the rural housing policy for the county which included the following: • An analysis of commuter catchments for the main employment centres of the town of Ennis and both the Limerick-Shannon and Galway Metropolitan Areas; • The analysis and mapping of data on the number of planning applications for single rural houses submitted over the past 10 years; • An analysis of Census data for 1996, 2006 and 2016 to identify areas experiencing population growth, stagnation and decline; • An analysis of population density;96

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.