Development plan · Limerick City and County Council
Limerick Development Plan 2022–2028 (as varied)
The council's development plan written statement: its strategy, policies, objectives and development standards.
Limerick City and County Council · 2022–2028 · 414 pages
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- 10Sustainable Communities and Social Infrastructure
- LIMERICK DEVELOPMENT PLAN 2022-2028290 10.1 Introduction This chapter focuses on social infrastructure and how it fits into the overall land use planning framework for Limerick to foster healthy, sustainable, inclusive and attractive communities in a manner that both enhances people’s quality of life and connection to place, while minimising their carbon footprint. Social infrastructure ranges across the spheres of health, security, education, community assembly and governance, worship, sports, recreation, play, arts and culture. Planning policies for all types of social infrastructure should be integrated with a corporate policy framework and informed by certain cross-cutting goals or values including: •• Social inclusiveness and community empowerment through supporting communities to become resilient, cohesive, vibrant and inclusive; •• Compact growth and walkable neighbourhoods; •• Healthy place-making; and •• Creativity. Policy SCSI P1 Sustainable Communities It is a policy of the Council to seek to improve the provision of community infrastructure and recreational opportunities for the wider community, in co-operation with relevant bodies, in a sustainable manner in accordance with the settlement strategy of the Plan. This is conducive to ethical principles of healthy communities, inclusivity and accessibility to facilities for all abilities and sustainability to ensure that Limerick is a greener, cleaner, more welcoming place to live, work and attract investment. Policy SCSI P2 Location of Community Facilities It is a policy of the Council to ensure that adequate provision is made in land use zoning, in the layout of developments and residential densities to ensure optimum accessibility to local community facilities and amenities, particularly by sustainable modes of transport. Barriers to pedestrian access to such social infrastructure should be removed. Policy SCSI P3 Social Infrastructure It is a policy of the Council to promote and support targeted policies and measures where these are warranted to assist in renewal, regeneration and retrospective interventions and ensure that local needs for social infrastructure are properly considered and that suitable measures to facilitate or provide social infrastructure are identified and incorporated within those interventions.
- Chapter 10: Sustainable Communities and Social Infrastructure291 10.2 National, Regional and Local Policy Context The National Planning Framework (NPF) and the Regional Spatial Economic Strategy (RSES) both focus on healthy place-making and the creation of attractive, ‘inclusive communities and places’, ‘healthy communities’ and accessible neighbourhoods that have good access to appropriate ‘enabling’ social infrastructure. A core principle of the NPF is to ‘ensure a high standard quality of life to future residents as well as environmentally and socially sustainable housing and placemaking through integrated planning and consistently excellent design’. The position of the RSES for the Southern Region concerning social infrastructure and sustainable communities includes a focus on improving regional quality of life through infrastructure-led planning. The RSES also includes an objective on the ‘10-minute’ city and town concepts, to attain sustainable compact settlements whereby, a range of community facilities and services are accessible in short walking and cycle timeframes from homes, or accessible by high quality public transport services connecting people to larger scaled settlements delivering these services. Furthermore, the RSES ‘supports the role of Local Community Development Committees (LCDCs), the Public Participation Networks (PPNs) and other community partnerships to ensure regional responses are meaningful and flexible to cater for the needs of local communities’. The above is further reinforced in the Limerick Shannon Metropolitan Area Strategic Plan (MASP). Limerick- Shannon MASP supports a number of key infrastructure and transformative projects within Limerick City of relevance to this chapter. These include the following: •• Public realm improvements in the City Centre including the development of a City-wide interconnected set of public parks, urban renewal within the Georgian Neighbourhood; •• Additional child friendly amenities within the City Centre including playgrounds that will help drive footfall; •• The further development and promotion of cultural, heritage and sporting offerings (such as EVA International/ The Red Mile) to further develop the desirability of the City Centre; •• The growth and development of health care facilities as proposed by the University Hospital Limerick in their Strategic Plan; •• The continued expansion of the City’s third level institutions and integration with the wider City and region, including the provision of specific facilities to address educational and social deprivation; •• The RSES also lists key infrastructural projects for the key town of Newcastle West. These include a proposed Regional Athletics Hub and the Limerick Greenway. The Local Economic and Community Plan 2016-2021 provides a strategy for the promotion of local economic and community development. The Local Government Reform Act 2014, required every Local Authority to make a ‘Local Economic and Community Plan’ for the promotion of economic and community development in its functional area. In Limerick, the current LECP is the Limerick Local Economic and Community Plan 2016- 2021. The LECP and the Development Plans for Limerick play a complementary role to each other.
- LIMERICK DEVELOPMENT PLAN 2022-2028292 10.3 Community Facilities and Amenities The provision of good quality community facilities in existing and developing areas is a key element in the development of sustainable, healthy communities across Limerick. Facilities such as community centres or halls, churches and places of worship, national schools, parish centres, sports centres, libraries and playgrounds, can serve in their different ways as focal points for communities living around them. The Council recognises the need to provide for an all-purpose facility to support the various Suicide Prevention groups and Emergency Services in the City and County. The Council is committed to both protection of existing community infrastructure and provision for new and upgraded community infrastructure. Provision for new social infrastructure entails ensuring adequate land is set aside, either as part of new development proposals where appropriate, or in zoned lands for this purpose as part of this Plan or Local Area Plans. Also, as part of the Council’s commitment to sustainability and to ensure the provision of social infrastructure in tandem with developments, a Sustainability Statement and Social Infrastructure Assessment will be required for any residential developments of 10 or more dwelling units (refer to Chapter: 11 Development Management Standards). The location of new community facilities should generally meet the following criteria: •• In line with the ’10-minute town and city concept’ they should be generally located, 800 m. walking distance of the community it serves; •• Located centrally with respect to the community it serves, taking into account limitations of topography and the road and footpath network; •• By transport infrastructure nodes and on roads or points either serviced or serviceable by public transport; •• Clustered with complementary community facilities, local retail services etc. and integrated with housing; and •• Located in an area in which a substantial proportion of members of the community reside, in particular older members of the community. Exceptions might be made where the site has attributes that render it suitable for a specific local community use, for instance for a park or playing fields and to which a community use could be attached. In designing new facilities, it is essential to ensure that they are adaptable over time to meet the changing needs of the population and to provide potential for maximising their dual usage, during evenings/ weekends/school holidays. Where new social and community facilities are being retrofitted into established neighbourhoods, the issue of potential adverse impacts on residential amenity and increased pressures on limited on-street car parking spaces will be considered. Objective SCSI O1 Community Facilities It is an objective of the Council to ensure new residential developments incorporate appropriate provision for community and recreational facilities, for the benefit of local residents, or are located within easy access to such facilities. Objective SCSI O2 Accessibility for All It is an objective of the Council to: a) Seek the provision of appropriate, inclusive and accessible, safe amenity, recreational open space and community facilities that are available for all sections of the community, both urban and rural at a convenient distance from their homes and places of work. b) Ensure that community facilities, recreation, play and leisure facilities are fully accessible to all users and are compliant with current legislative requirements.
- Chapter 10: Sustainable Communities and Social Infrastructure293 Objective SCSI O3 Community Hubs It is an objective of the Council to promote community hubs i.e. community facilities of a general nature that can benefit from shared services and be adopted for a wide variety of purposes, including local enterprise, health and education services. Objective SCSI O4 Ten - Minute Neighbourhood It is an objective of the Council to implement a strategy based on the sustainable compact settlements concept ‘ 10-minute city and town’, 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. Objective SCSI O5 Multi-Use of Facilities It is an objective of the Council to develop, in partnership with other agencies, opportunities for multi and co-use active and passive recreational amenities including sports and recreational facilities, playgrounds and outdoor gym equipment within existing areas of open space. The Council will expect proposals to facilitate multipurpose uses through their design and layout and to be accessible by multiple users. 10.3.1 Community Facilities Audit In 2020, Limerick City and County Council carried out an audit of community facilities across Limerick with cooperation from Local Development Companies such as Paul Partnership, West Limerick Resources and Ballyhoura Development. The purpose of the audit was to inform a proposed Strategy on Community Facilities for Limerick, identifying current gaps, demand, capacity and identify areas where use could be broadened and where investment is required. The audit findings reported a wide distribution of facilities and some geographic ‘gaps’ within Limerick. Additional findings included the need for some major and minor improvements across the City and County, opportunities for funding, staffing/volunteer shortages, the impact of Covid-19 and the opportunities for multipurpose usage. Objective SCSI O6 Strategy on Community Facilities It is an objective of the Council to develop a strategy based on the community facilities audit and identify where new and/or improved community infrastructure should be provided throughout Limerick.
- LIMERICK DEVELOPMENT PLAN 2022-2028294 10.3.2 Rural Communities The recently published Department of Rural and Community Development’s Our Rural Future: Rural Development Policy 2021-2025 sets out the Government’s blueprint for a post Covid-19 recovery and development of rural Ireland over the next four years. Its ambition includes ensuring that people living in rural areas have access to good quality public services that enable them to continue to live sustainably in rural communities and help them to maintain a good quality of life. Policy includes investments in improvements in public transport services, health care within communities, housing provision, early learning and childcare facilities and community safety. Limerick City and County Council will support the Government’s commitment to rural and community development in improving health and wellbeing and access to services. Policy SCSI P4 Rural Community Development It is a policy of the Council to support the objectives contained in Our Rural Future: Rural Development Policy 2021-2025 in enhancing public services for rural communities. 10.3.2.1 Smart Towns and Villages Smart Towns and Villages is a concept included in the Department of Rural and Community Development’s Our Rural Future: Rural Development Policy 2021- 2025. It is a concept based on people in rural areas building on and enhancing, their existing strengths and assets, to find practical solutions to deal with both the challenges and opportunities facing their communities. It involves taking stock of all local assets and exploring how local services, such as health, education, social services, retail, renewable energy and transport can be enhanced and sustained through community-led actions and projects. It can also be used to develop responses to creating disability friendly communities and environments. Objective SCSI O7 Smart Towns and Villages It is an objective of the Council to support the development of Smart Towns and Villages which use innovative solutions to improve resilience, build on local strengths and maximise opportunities to create desirable places for people to live and work.
- Chapter 10: Sustainable Communities and Social Infrastructure295 10.4 Healthy Place-Making and Communities The concept of healthy place-making links the way in which spaces become places and how quality places themselves are so important for quality of life, through their facilitation of healthy lifestyles and through generating a sense of belonging and wellbeing. Place-making is a cross cutting theme of the Plan, for example Chapter 3: Spatial Strategy deals with place-making through consideration of urban design principles, universal design and public realm, while Chapter 6: Environment, Heritage, Landscape and Green Infrastructure promotes a quality environment, including clean water and air. Chapter 6 also recognises the importance of blue and green infrastructure and our heritage as social and cultural assets and thus providing a contribution to healthy place-making. This section is divided into consideration of the policy framework in respect of healthy environments firstly and then the principles of place-making secondly. Limerick is part of the Healthy Cities and Counties Network and is actively implementing the Healthy Ireland Strategy. The Healthy Limerick initiative, which is jointly-funded by Limerick City and County Council and the HSE and accredited to the National Healthy Cities and Counties Network, supports and links actions in the Local Economic and Community Plan (LECP). The objective is to improve health, positive wellbeing and quality of life by ensuring that all sectors are aware of and collaborate to achieve a Healthy Limerick, working with the social determinants approach to health. A number of policy documents have been issued to further the aims of the Healthy Ireland national policy framework, including Get Ireland Active: National Physical Activity Plan for Ireland published in 2018. This document includes recommendations that are specific with reference to the contribution the physical environment can make towards active lifestyles. These include the following four actions under Action Area 4 ‘The Environment’: 1. Ensure that the planning, development and design of towns and cities promotes the development of local and regional parks and recreational spaces that encourage physical activity; 2. Prioritise the planning and development of walking and cycling and general recreational/physical activity infrastructure; 3. Ensure that the planning, development and design of towns, cities and schools promotes cycling and walking with the aim of creating a network of cycle routes and footpaths; and 4. Explore opportunities to maximise physical activity and recreational amenities in the natural environment. Objective SCSI O8 Place-making for the Community It is an objective of the Council to: a) Develop and protect an open space network and hierarchy of quality public and community spaces, to extend close to where people live and which can accommodate a variety of recreational amenities and facilities for the community at large. b) Incorporate specific facilities and amenities that would promote exercise and movement as well as rest and relaxation in a natural way and in a variety of settings. c) Protect areas which are considered to be quiet or which offer a sense of tranquillity, through a process of identification and validation followed by formal designation of ‘Quiet Areas’. Objective SCSI O9 Health Place Audits It is an objective of the Council to support the creation of attractive, enterprise development, friendly, liveable, welldesigned, high-quality places that are home to a diverse enterprise base mix and integrated communities by using tools such as Health Place Audits to audit locations in meeting necessary conditions.
- LIMERICK DEVELOPMENT PLAN 2022-2028296 10.5 Education Facilities The Council recognises the need for education facilities for all ages, that are accessible to the communities they serve, designed to appropriate standards and insofar as possible have capacity for expansion in situ and capacity to accommodate a variety of extra-curricular activities of benefit to the public. The DoEHLG and the Department of Education and Science’s Code of Practice on the Provision of Schools and the Planning System (2008) provides guidelines for the forecasting of future planning for schools nationally. It is essential that Planning Authorities protect existing schools and college facilities and ensure sufficient provision is made for future schools and expansion of existing schools and colleges, commensurate with existing and anticipated need and in line with national guidelines. These facilities should be an integral part of the evolution of compact sustainable development, where the opportunities to walk or cycle to school/ college are maximised. Developments within the City Centre will result in an increase in educational demand in the City Centre. Provision should be made to ensure that there are sufficient educational places to meet this demand. Currently there are 172 primary and post primary schools in Limerick, see Table 10.1 below. Since the adoption of the 2010 Limerick City Development Plan and Limerick County Development Plan, there have been a number of significant developments in respect of educational provision: •• 7 large scale projects for post primary schools and 13 projects for primary schools have been completed. These include the building of three new community colleges at post primary level, one each in Doon, Dromcolliher and Abbeyfeale; •• The Gaelcholaiste in Limerick, an Irish language post primary school, which is currently located in the City at Sir Harrys Mall, has planning permission for a new school building nearby in the former Dawn Dairies site on Clare Street; •• A community college has been established in temporary premises in Mungret in Limerick, pending full approval for a permanent building in the area. A site has been earmarked as part of the Mungret Masterplan; •• Planning permission is in place for a new post primary school in the Castletroy area. In terms of third level education, Limerick has three third level institutes - University of Limerick, Mary Immaculate College and Technological University of the Shannon (TUS). In addition to these, Limerick and Clare Education and Training Board, which is the state education and training authority for the Limerick and Clare region, deliver further education and training to over 25,000 learners. Table 10.1 - Primary and post primary schools in Limerick and enrolment for 2019 - 2020 Primary Primary special Post primary* Totals Number of schools 134 9 28 171 Enrolment 22,859 574 15,917 23,433 Source: Department of Education and Skills Statistics on Individual Schools. * This list is only of schools aided by the Department of Education and Skills and therefore omits Glenstal boarding school, which is a fee-paying boarding school for boys and has 228 pupils.
- Chapter 10: Sustainable Communities and Social Infrastructure297 Objective SCSI O10 Educational Facilities It is an objective of the Council to: a) Ensure that existing and new school sites are protected for educational use and that lands adjacent to existing schools are protected for future educational use in order to allow for expansion of these schools, if required, subject to site suitability. b) Ensure that there are sufficient educational places to meet the needs generated by proposed residential developments, by requiring the completion of a Sustainability Statement and Social Infrastructure Assessment for residential development of 5 or more dwellings. c) In order to ensure availability of educational provision to meet projected increased requirements arising from the consolidation and densification of development within the City Centre, all existing City Centre schools (and land buffers around them, if available) should be protected so that they can be purposed to meet future educational requirements. d) Commence work in conjunction with the Department of Education and Skills, to identify potential school sites in the City and Suburbs (in Limerick), Mungret and Annacotty that will address the future educational needs of the projected population. Objective SCSI O11 Location of Schools It is an objective of the Council to facilitate the educational authorities in expanding schools in tandem with residential development. Educational facilities shall be located where possible, in close proximity to other community services, at accessible locations which maximise opportunities for walking, cycling and use of public transport and have regard to the principles of social integration. Objective SCSI O12 Multi-Use of School Facilities It is an objective of the Council to encourage multi-use of school facilities, for other community programmes and initiatives other than mainstream education, in order to maximise resources and support sustainable communities. Objective SCSI O13 Further and Higher Education Facilities It is an objective of the Council to support: a) The continued expansion of the City’s third level institutions and integration with the wider City. b) The development of the University of Limerick’s City Centre campus in the heart of the City. c) The development of third level outreach, vocational and lifelong learning and digital capacity for lifelong learning, including fourth level education, lifelong learning and up skilling generally.
- LIMERICK DEVELOPMENT PLAN 2022-2028298 10.6 Childcare Facilities Childcare facilities are a valuable service in meeting the overall development needs of children, whilst supporting parents/ guardians. High-quality childcare keeps children safe and healthy and children develop skills they will need for success in school and in their lives outside of school. There continues to be a growth in demand for childcare services and the provision of good quality services close to local communities is important. A supply of childcare places is necessary in order to promote participation in the labour force, and increase and sustain economic productivity. The availability of childcare is a significant determinant in enabling citizens to access training and self-development opportunities. The primary policy basis for the provision of childcare facilities is the Childcare Facilities Guidelines for Planning Authorities (2001). In the interest of promoting sustainability the suitable locations for childcare facilities are as follows: •• Town and local/neighbourhood centres; •• Areas of concentrated employment; •• Large scale retail developments; •• In or within close proximity of schools and educational facilities including catchment areas of rural schools; •• In or adjacent to community centres; and •• Adjacent to public transport nodes. Detailed requirements and standards in respect to childcare provision associated with development projects are set out in the Development Management Standards Chapter of the Plan (see Section 11.5.1 Childcare Facilities). Objective SCSI O14 Childcare Facilities It is an objective of the Council to: a) Encourage the provision of appropriate childcare facilities as an integral part of proposals for new residential developments and to improve/expand existing childcare facilities. b) Encourage the provision of childcare facilities in a sustainable manner to encourage local economic development and to assist in addressing disadvantage.
Source Limerick City and County Council: Limerick Development Plan 2022–2028 (as varied) (2022–2028) · Licence the publisher's termsText read from the publisher’s PDF; tables, maps and drawings do not survive as text, and page numbers are the PDF’s (its first page is 1). Check the original before relying on a passage.