Kilkenny City and County Development Plan 2021–2027 — Volume 2

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   Core Strategy Kilkenny City and County Development Plan Volume 2 30 Housing on lands zoned “Agriculture” will be restricted to the following categories of persons: • Immediate members of farmer’s families (sons /daughters) and/or; • Person whose primary employment is in agriculture, horticulture, forestry or bloodstock, or other rural based activity in the area in which they wish to build) Flood Risk: All proposed development within this zone which falls within flood zone A or B shall be subject to a site specific flood risk assessment. No highly vulnerable uses (as set out in the Flood Risk Management Guidelines) other than extensions to existing structures and uses, will be permitted within Flood Zone A or B. Less vulnerable uses will also not be allowed within Flood Zone A other than extensions to existing structures and uses as set out in the Flood Risk Management guidelines. Non- Conforming Uses Throughout the City and Environs there are uses which do not conform to the zoning objectives for the area. Extensions and improvement of premises accommodating these uses may be permitted where the proposed development would not seriously injure the amenities of the area or prejudice the proper planning and development of the area. In some cases, the Planning Authority may encourage relocation of permitted incompatible uses. Transitional Areas While the zoning objectives indicate the different uses permitted in each zone, it is important to avoid abrupt transitions in scale and use at the boundary of adjoining land use zones. In these areas, it is necessary that developments are designed in a manner which would not be detrimental to the amenities of the more environmentally sensitive zone. For instance, in zones abutting residential areas particular attention must be paid to the uses, scale, density and appearance of development proposals and to landscaping and screening proposals in order to protect the amenities of these residential areas. City Zoning Map Objectives Z1: Robertshill Mixed Use Zoning 1. No vehicular connection to be permitted between the Central Access Scheme and Kennyswell Road through the site. 2. Public open space to be provided along the Breagagh River, to form part of the Breagagh Regional Park. 3. Any residential component of the site to be readily accessible from the parklands. 4. An overall Framework Plan of the entire site shall be submitted at planning application stage. 5. Any development on the site must have due regard to the amenities of existing residences. Z2: Bleach Road Woollen Mills The Council will consider development proposals which provide for: • securing a sustainable use of the protected structures, • protection of the River Nore SAC and • securing the objectives for the creation of the River Nore Linear park

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   Core Strategy Kilkenny City and County Development Plan Volume 2 31 Z3: Waterford Road The development of the lands located on the Waterford Road (known as the Murphy machinery lands) to be dependent on an alternative access to the national route. Z4: St. Canice’s Campus (See Section 2.4.1 St. Canice’s) To work with the HSE and other relevant stakeholders in the preparation of a Masterplan for the most appropriate land uses. Such a plan shall take account of all the existing land uses and future demands of the HSE and develop a framework for appropriate land uses and urban design criteria for the lands and shall include for significant elements of open space, recreational uses as appropriate, residential and a recognition of the existing employment uses on site including office. Z5: Waterford Road, Nuncio Road and Bohernatounish Road Having regard to the location of the land at the junction of Waterford Road (Regional Road), and Nuncio Road and notwithstanding the development of a discount retail store and permission of opticians on the lands and having regard to residential zoning on the site, and the extent of commercial development in the area, further development at this location should be predominantly residential with the majority of uses (in square metres) being residential in nature. Z6: MacDonagh Railway Station and MacDonagh Junction To promote a pedestrian/cycling connectivity between the railway station and the mixed-use centre and to promote connectivity between these uses and the city centre along the former railway line and St. Francis bridge. Z7: Granges Road and the future Loughmacask village centre Provide pedestrian and cycle access through the lands around the former Ayrfield House between the Granges Road and the future Loughmacask village centre. The pedestrian and cycle route should be located within an open space area equivalent to a minimum of 10% of the total residential development area. The open space shall be designed in accordance with principles set out in the Urban Design Manual and the Development Plan. Z8: Loughmacask (See Section 2.2.4 Loughmacask) To complete the masterplan for the Loughmacask area which will replace the former Local Area Plan. Z9: Fair Green (See Section 2.4.2 Fair Green) To complete the masterplan for the Fair Green area within the life time of the plan. Z10: Former Mart site (See Section 2.4.3 Former Mart site) Prior to further development of the former Mart site, to prepare a masterplan for the area to deal inter alia with the mix of uses, movement, public realm, design, building heights etc. Z11: St. Kieran’s College To acknowledge the St. Kieran’s College campus as a hub for innovation and creative employment uses. Further expansion of these uses will be considered, whilst ensuring that the primary educational use is maintained and residential amenity in the area is not adversely affected.

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   Core Strategy Kilkenny City and County Development Plan Volume 2 32 Z12: Ormonde Mill Notwithstanding the general open space zoning objective, the Council will be open to consider, during the life of the Plan, proposals for utilisation of Ormonde Mill and associated lands for the development of a tourism destination and attraction for the City that will be aligned with the City & County Tourism strategy. Z13: Bennettsbridge Road To complete a masterplan for the configuration of the existing amenity lands and allow for other appropriate land uses such as limited housing and community uses in order to achieve the release of lands resulting in appropriate land uses and locations. Z14: Springhill/Joinersfolly: For development to take place on this site the partially completed internal road must be completed and connected to the Outrath road. Z15: Springhill/Joinersfolly: The roads objective R2 must be completed before development becomes operational. Z16: Junction of John’s Street and Dublin/Carlow Road Prepare a scheme for the junction of John’s Street Upper with the Dublin/Carlow Road and Castlecomer Road to address connectivity between the Railway station/McDonagh Junction and the City centre via John’s Street. Public Realm Improvements The Council will investigate and make provision for sustainable transport connections to and from the significant employment areas of the city including Smithlands/Danville, Purcells Inch/Leggestrath, St. Luke’s hospital. Objectives C2G To improve the public realm and introduce mobility/smarter travel options and shared spaces along High Street and Rose Inn Street; (A on Figure CS5) C2H To upgrade the streetscape and public realm along Ormonde Street to include provision of a new one-way system; (B on Figure CS5) C2I To upgrade the streetscape along the pedestrianised St Kieran’s Street and the laneways and slips that connect it with High Street; (C on Figure CS5) C2J To upgrade the streetscape and laneways in the St Mary’s Precinct; (D on Figure CS5) C2K To upgrade the public realm in Carnegie Plaza and the streetscape along Barrack Lane, linking to John Street. (E on Figure CS5)

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   Core Strategy Kilkenny City and County Development Plan Volume 2 33 The Council will support the delivery of the infrastructural requirements identified for Kilkenny City including the delivery of the northern extension of the ring road from the N77 Castlecomer Road to the R693 Freshford Road as part of the western by-pass, subject to required feasibility, planning and environmental assessment processes. The implementation of the above movement and mobility objectives will add significantly to the quality of the public realm within the city. Figure CS5: Key Public Spaces of Kilkenny City

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   Economic and Retail Strategy Kilkenny City and County Development Plan Volume 2 34 3 Economic and Retail Strategy 3.1 Economic Strategy The economic strategy for the County is set out in Chapter 5 of Volume 1. Kilkenny City is identified as one of the main economic generators of the county, along with Belview Port in the south. The Regional Spatial and Economic Strategy describes the city as the “fourth largest settlement in the Region. It is centrally located within the South-East region with good road and rail links to Dublin and elsewhere. Kilkenny City has a population of 26,512 and 13,738 jobs. The City is internationally renowned as an historic mediaeval city with major tourist attractions, a popular conference location and an important centre for arts and culture, including high profile annual festivals. Kilkenny has a strong industrial and enterprise tradition”23. Kilkenny City has many strengths as an attractive location for industry, such as: • Status as the administrative centre of the County; • A reasonably sized city with population of 26,500 (in 2016); • The 8th largest employment centre in the State; • The potential to grow by over 30% up to 2040 under the National Planning Framework; • Designated as a Strategic Key Town under the Regional Spatial and Economic Strategy; • Rail and Motorway connections to Dublin, Waterford and Belview Port situated on the Dublin – Carlow-Kilkenny Waterford M9 Road/Rail Axis, with links to the Eastern Corridor; • Containing excellent infrastructure in terms of roads, rail, airports and seaports – only 120 km from Dublin airport and 45 km from the port facilities at Belview in South Kilkenny and the South East Regional Airport at Waterford; • Excellent social and leisure amenities with good quality urban and natural environment; • Proximity to existing third-level colleges in the south-east and developing third level connections with Waterford and Carlow Institutes of Technology; • A committed location for third level education through the new to be established Technical University for the South East (TUSE) or other third level activity. The Economic Strategy for the City is embedded within that for the County being grounded in: • Financial Services • Technology • Tourism & Hospitality • Manufacturing • Creative Industries • Agriculture & Food • Third Level Education 23 Southern Assembly Regional Spatial and Economic Strategy p48

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   Economic and Retail Strategy Kilkenny City and County Development Plan Volume 2 35 Financial Services Kilkenny has attracted significant investment from leading financial services companies such as State Street International, Carne Group, VHI and BOI 365. A proven location for financial services, Kilkenny has a cluster of other high profile companies in the sector including personal & corporate tax solutions provider Taxback.com and Taxback International along with international payments company TransferMate. Technology Kilkenny is home to global tech organisations and start-ups including global cyber security specialists, CipherTechs and SRA Security Risk Advisors and agri-tech AB Agri. Applied research centres in the region are leading the agenda in the Internet of Things and next generation ICT. Research group Telecommunications Software & Systems Group (TSSG) have a base at Burrells Hall, St Kieran’s College, Kilkenny along with the innovation centre – PACE (Precision Agriculture Centre of Excellence). The Centre for Design (C4D) is funded under the Enterprise Ireland Regional Enterprise Development Fund (REDF), C4D is a design innovation hub that helps companies to conceptualise, innovate, build and test new products and services through critical problem-solving methodologies and design thinking concepts. This office has recently commenced operations in Kilkenny. Manufacturing The manufacturing sector employed circa 20% of the workforce within the County according to the CSO’s Business and Demographic survey. Agricultural Food While there is very limited direct agricultural activity in the City, the entire city economy is intertwined with the agriculture and food enterprise of the county. These range from employment which are directly dependent on agricultural production such as the numerous Glanbia enterprises and offices within the City to the many other support activities and services for the agricultural food sector that offer employment within the city. Objective C3A To ensure an adequate amount of employment and enterprise land is available within the City at the appropriate strategic locations.

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   Economic and Retail Strategy Kilkenny City and County Development Plan Volume 2 36 3.2 Tourism Tourism, along with the Creative Industries and Services industry, has long since been recognised as an important economic driver for the economy of Kilkenny. (See Volume 1, Section 5.2 Economic Strategy.) Kilkenny City is a thriving tourist base, attracting over 613,000 visitors (of which 315,00 are overseas) and contributing €94m to the local economy (in 2017)24. The City is a flagship destination under the “Ireland’s Ancient East” brand. Kilkenny Castle (with almost 800,000 visitors in 2019 – the most visited fee-paying OPW site in the country) and the Medieval Mile are key attractors for international tourists. St Canice’s Cathedral is becoming an increasingly popular attraction at the other end of the Medieval Mile, attracting over 60,000 visitors in 2018. Kilkenny City has a reputation as a lively compact city, which makes it very appealing to domestic visitors, particularly at weekends. The Kilkenny City Orientation Study25 identified that most visitors to the City stay for a few hours only on their way to other destinations. Overseas tour buses tend to be mainly day-trippers, often out of Dublin, owing to the City’s close proximity to the capital. There were 42 Fáilte Ireland registered accommodation providers in Kilkenny City (in 2019) including 14 Hotels and 20 guesthouses and B&Bs providing over 3,100 bedrooms. The Council recognises that to expand tourism’s potential, additional accommodation across all segments including hotels will be required into the future26. Recent achievements in expanding the tourism product in Kilkenny City include the following: • Renovation and extension of St. Mary’s Church and conversion into the Medieval Mile Museum • Opening of the Smethwick’s Experience at the former St Francis Abbey Brewery by Diageo • Renovation and extension of Evan’s Home and conversion into the Butler Gallery • Investment in public realm and pavement works along High Street/Parliament Street in support of the Medieval Mile project • the development of a new Riverside Linear Park in the Abbey Quarter (currently under construction.) One of the mainstays of Kilkenny City’s tourism strategy is the development of the Medieval Mile package which brings together public realm improvements linking Kilkenny Castle to St Canice’s Cathedral and other significant attractions in between, such as the Medieval Mile Museum, the new Butler Gallery, the Smithwick’s Experience and Rothe House. The proposal for the redevelopment of the Tholsel for Tourism and exhibition space, while maintaining its civic role with the Mayor’s Office and the Council Chamber, with limited visitor access to the roof is progressing. Kilkenny City also has an all-year round calendar of well-established festivals which enhance the tourism offering, including the Cat Laughs Comedy Festival; Kilkenomics festival, which brings together some of the world’s leading economists and financial commentators with comedians; Kilkenny Arts 24 Fáilte Ireland: Analysis of Visitor Accommodation in Cork, Galway and Kilkenny 2018-22 25 Kilkenny Orientation Study, 2019 26 Fáilte Ireland: Analysis of Visitor Accommodation in Cork, Galway and Kilkenny 2018-22

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   Economic and Retail Strategy Kilkenny City and County Development Plan Volume 2 37 Festival, which features the best of visual art, street performance and classical music; the Savour Kilkenny food festival which showcases the produce of local food producers, and Yulefest Christmas Festival. Newer festivals on the calendar such as Subtitle Film Festival and Kilkenny Animate further enhance Kilkenny’s reputation as a leading event location. 3.3 Spatial Distribution As set out in the Core Strategy (Vol. 2 Chapter 2), as part of the 10-minute City Concept, this Plan provides for residential zoning linked to the provision of services, and industrial and local business parks and city centre rejuvenation. The strategic locations for employment are set out below. It is the Council’s aim to strengthen the role of Kilkenny City as a self-sustaining regional economic driver with a significant zone of influence and strategic Key Town on The Dublin -Carlow-Kilkenny - Waterford M9 Road/Rail Axis with links to the Eastern Corridor. Abbey Quarter The Abbey Quarter is a strategic brownfield site adjacent to the heart of the City Centre. The Abbey Quarter requires significant investment in enabling infrastructure in order to secure long-term place based change, providing for improved liveability and quality of life, as well as jobs, amenities, services and residential units. Over the period of the 2014 to 2020 Development Plan the Council developed a Masterplan27 and an Urban Design Code28 for the Abbey Quarter. Over the course of this Plan, the Abbey Quarter will continue to be a significant regeneration site in the City and a key location for employment and business use in particular. The mixed-use development envisaged in the Abbey 27 Kilkenny County Council, Urban Design Framework Masterplan for Abbey Creative Quarter, Kilkenny, 2015 28 Kilkenny County Council, Abbey Quarter Urban Design Code, 2018 City Tourism Objectives C3B Develop an urban street through the Abbey Quarter linking Bateman Quay and St. Francis Bridge and an urban park and public plaza around St Francis’ Abbey (linking to the Riverside Linear Park) in accordance with the Abbey Quarter Masterplan. C3C Improve Trails, Greenways and Walkways, (see Vol. 1 Chapter 8 Open Space), including the construction of a Boardwalk at Greensbridge to link the River Nore Riverside Walk with the new Riverside Linear Park in the Abbey Quarter and onwards to the Canal Walk, and New urban park in Abbey Quarter. C3D Implement the Kilkenny City Orientation Study1 to rebalance the perceived centre of gravity of the City, attracting more visitors from the Castle into the City Centre, thereby increasing visitor dwell time. C3E Provide for enhanced pedestrian facilities at the junction of The Parade, Rose Inn St, High Street and Patrick Street.

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   Economic and Retail Strategy Kilkenny City and County Development Plan Volume 2 38 Quarter will complement and reinforce the 10-minute city concept, reducing travel distances and commute times. One of the main objectives of economic development in the Abbey Quarter is to provide a strategic location for inward investment, in particular Foreign Direct Investment (FDI). St. Kieran’s College The St. Kieran’s College campus is acknowledged as a hub for innovation and creative employment uses. Further expansion of these uses shall be considered over the period of the Plan, and a site specific objective has been included, see Section 2.9.17 City Zoning Map Objectives. Former Mart Site The former mart site is a substantial area of which approximately 3.4 hectares remains undeveloped. A portion of the site has been developed as a 10 screen cinema which opened in 2018. It is a significant site on the edge of the existing city centre which has a General Business zoning. Due to its size and location within the existing urban centre it is considered that a masterplanning exercise is required in order to secure the maximum benefits for the City in terms of suitable land uses, layout, building type and height. (See Zoning Objective Z10, and Section 2.4.3 Former Mart site.) Business Parks The major greenfield expansion employment areas are shown on the Core strategy map Figure CS2. These are located south of the N10 Ring Road at Smithsland, Joinersfolly, Loughboy and Danville, the Hebron Road, Purcellsinch and a Business Park zoning at Leggestrath. These land banks are strategically located close to existing transportation corridors such as the N9/N10, the Ring Road extension and the N10 motorway link. They contain significant levels of employment already and have capacity to expand as the need arises. A total of 146ha of greenfield lands is available at these locations during the Plan period. Objective C3F To provide high quality office accommodation in the Abbey Quarter appropriate to the needs of Kilkenny. Objective C3G To ensure that an adequate quantity and range of land is available for enterprise development and that the appropriate infrastructure is provided.

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    Economic and Retail Strategy Kilkenny City and County Development Plan Volume 2 39 3.4 Retail Strategy The purpose of a Retail Strategy is to set out clear evidence-based policies and objectives in relation to retailing, in order to support competitiveness and choice whilst promoting the vitality and viability of town centres. Having reviewed the performance of the retail strategy within the City & County Development Plans since it was introduced in 2002, it is considered that, given the scale of activity in County Kilkenny, the requirement for a broad assessment of the quantity of additional retail floorspace needed in counties over the lifetime of their strategy is not necessary to determine spatial allocation of future retail activity. For this reason, the retail strategy carried out for the County (See Appendix A) does not contain a broad quantitative assessment of any potential requirement of retail space. Trends in retailing, and the impact of Covid-19 pandemic, are assessed in Volume 1, Chapter 5. Retail Hierarchy The county’s retail hierarchy is set out in Table 3.1 below. As expected, Kilkenny City sits at the top of the hierarchy as a major town centre/key/ county town. Ferrybank is included at the second tier as a district centre, the tier above the remaining District Towns of Callan, Castlecomer, Graiguenamanagh and Thomastown. Tiers 4 and 5 are comprised of neighbourhood centres (defined) and small town/village centre/rural areas29. Table 3.1 Retail Hierarchy Level/Retail Function Centre Level 1 Kilkenny City Level 2 District Centre Ferrybank District Centre Level 3 District/sub county town Callan Castlecomer Graiguenamanagh Thomastown Level 4 Neighbourhood Centre As designated for Kilkenny City & Environs (Newpark, Loughboy, Loughmacask, Western Environs) and Ferrybank/Belview area in the Environs of Waterford City (Ross Abbey) Level 5 Small Town/village centre/Rural Area Smaller towns and villages and nodes within the county. 29 A detailed evaluation was carried out as part of the County’s Retail Strategy Review, see Appendix A

Source Kilkenny County Council: Kilkenny City and County Development Plan 2021–2027 — Volume 2 (2021–2027) · 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.