Development plan · Roscommon County Council
Roscommon County Development Plan 2022–2028
The council's development plan written statement: its strategy, policies, objectives and development standards.
Roscommon County Council · 2022–2028 · 238 pages
Ask this document
Answers come only from the text of Roscommon County Development Plan 2022–2028, each claim linked to its page. They are not advice; check the page itself.
Free, with a daily limit.
- 1.4 Profile of County Roscommon Roscommon is an inland county containing the geographic centre of Ireland, and with an area of 2,548 square kilometres, it accounts for 3.9% of the landmass. 9 N4 from Dublin to Sligo, and the N5 from Dublin to Westport. 10 Enterprises employing 10 or fewer. Although a landlocked county, Roscommon is notable in terms of its rivers and lakelands, with the eastern boundary demarcated by the River Shannon and Lough Ree, while Lough Key in the north is one of the county’s most notable natural assets. County Roscommon is bounded by counties Galway, Leitrim, Longford, Mayo, Offaly, Sligo and Westmeath. In a regional context, County Roscommon is part of the Northern and Western Regional Assembly area. However, there are also close alliances with the Eastern and Midlands Region, particularly given the fact that Athlone, which is designated as a Regional Growth Centre in the NPF includes the Athlone West area of County Roscommon. In terms of infrastructure and connectivity, the county is served by the M6 Dublin to Galway motorway in the south, with the N4 and N5 national primary routes to the north.9 The county is also served by the N60, N61 and N63 national secondary roads. The N61 is of particular note in a regional context, running through the county on a north south axis and being an important connection between the two designated Regional Growth Centres of Sligo and Athlone. Rail lines through the county provide east west connectivity via the Dublin to Westport line and the Dublin to Sligo line, with Roscommon, Boyle, Castlerea and Cortober (Carrick-on-Shannon), all having operational train stations and benefitting from daily rail services. Census 2016 recorded a population of 64,544 in the county, which represented a population increase of just 0.7% in the period from 2011-2016. 73% of the population live in a rural area i.e. outside of aggregate towns. The population density, at 25.33 persons per square kilometre, is substantially lower than the stage average of 70 persons per square kilometre. In terms of economic development, a significant proportion of employment is in micro enterprise.10 Almost 70% of employment is in the services sector. County Roscommon has considerable selfsuff iciency and is recognised as having considerable benefit in respect of quality of life that can be enjoyed in the county. Figure 1.6: Road Map of Roscommon Ballyfarnon Arigna Keadue Knockvicar Cootehall Croghan Rooskey Elphin Tarmonbarry BallyleagueBallintubber Castleplunket Tulsk Rathcroghan Ballinagare Frenchpark Carrick-on-Shannon Loughglynn Ballaghaderreen Ballinlough Cloonfad Castlecoote Castlestrange Fuerty Knockroghery Athlone Lecarrow Athleague Mount Talbot Ballyforan Curraghboy Brideswell Monksland Drum Ballinasloe Shannonbridge Lanesborough N63 N63 N61 N61 M6 N60 N60 N61 N4 N4 N4 N5 N5 N5 N5 N83 R361 R370 R370 R284 R368 R368 R366 R366 R362 R362 R363 R357 R357 R446 R446 R357 R371 R371 R369 R361 R361 R293 R293 R325 R327 Lough Arrow Lough Gara Lough O’Flynn Lough Errit Lough Key Lough Allen Drumharlow Lough Lough Boderg Kilglass Lakes Galey Bay Hodson Bay Lough ReeLough Funshinagh R i ve r S h a n n o n R i v e r S u c k R i v e r S h a n n o n B o y l e R i v e r L u n g R i v e r BOYLE CASTLEREA STROKESTOWN ROSCOMMON SLIGO 35km CAVAN TOWN 62km DUBLIN CITY 125km LONGFORD 10km GALWAY CITY 55km IRELAND WEST AIRPORT 18km CASTLEBAR 45km 1111Roscommon County Development Plan 2022-2028 – Volume I Chapter 1: Introduction and Vision
- 1.5 Strategic Vision Roscommon County Council is committed to working for the common good of the people of County Roscommon, and through this County Development Plan will set out a positive and sustainable approach to developing the county economically, socially and culturally for the benefit of current and future generations. The path to future development will recognise, protect and enhance the distinct urban and rural environments of the county, but will also recognise the interdependent nature of those environments. There will be a strong focus on the regeneration and renewal of the towns and villages of the county, in order to return them to a position of being the major drivers in the county, to once again become vibrant and attractive places, capable of attracting new residents, inward investment and increased employment. The Council will also recognise the rural attributes of County Roscommon and policies will ensure that this Plan enhances the lives of people who live in, work and visit the county, whilst protecting the natural and built environment. The future envisioned in this six year Plan reflects at the local level the strategic vision set out in the Regional Spatial and Economic Strategy for the Northern and Western Region - to make this “a vibrant, connected, natural, inclusive and smart place to work and live.” Roscommon County Council intends that that this ambitious vision for will be achieved for County Roscommon through a collaborative approach between the Council, community, and wider stakeholders. 12Roscommon County Development Plan 2022-2028 – Volume I12 Chapter 1: Introduction and Vision
- 1.6 Strategic Aims The table below identifies the Strategic Aims for the future development of County Roscommon, which are further expanded upon and given policy expression in subsequent chapters of this Plan. Table 1.1 Strategic Aims for the Future Development of County Roscommon No. Strategic Aim 1 Achieve a transition to a competitive, greener, low carbon, climate resilient and environmentally sustainable county, facilitated through reducing the need to travel, by integrating land use and sustainable modes of transport, by reducing the use of non- renewable resources and by promoting and facilitating renewal energy initiatives on a domestic and commercial scale. 2 Plan for a population uplift of 6,387 persons / 2,353 housing units during the Plan period. In doing so, ensure increased alignment between the location of population growth and employment growth. 3 Direct a significant proportion of the county’s assigned population growth to the Athlone West area of Athlone (in recognition of the NPF designation of Athlone as a Regional Growth Centre) and to Roscommon town (as a designated Key Town in the RSES for the Northern and Western Region), thereby enabling the creation of a critical mass in those areas for the provision of increased services, facilities, and employment opportunities. 4 Promote the highest quality living environment possible, in both urban and rural areas, for all inhabitants of County Roscommon to enjoy. 5 Promote the regeneration and renewal of towns and villages throughout County Roscommon, and create healthy place-making by improving the attractiveness, quality, design, viability and vibrancy of towns and villages. This will be achieved in part through a focus on the redevelopment / development of /infill / brownfield lands within the existing built settlement footprints, in accordance with the principle of compact growth as set out in the NPF. 6 Promote the development of the towns and villages throughout County Roscommon to their full economic and social potential in order to support and enhance both the resident/hinterland community and economic and employment base and to enable towns and villages become selfsustaining, sustainable and balanced. 7 Encourage and facilitate the provision of high quality housing, at density levels appropriate to its setting, located in optimum locations and aligned with adequate infrastructure, services and amenities. An appropriate mix of housing types and tenure will be encouraged in order to ensure that communities are enabled to grow and develop in an inclusive manner. 8 Develop and promote the towns and villages of the county as attractive residential alternatives to single dwellings in the open countryside. 9 Continue to recognise that County Roscommon is a predominantly rural county and plan to facilitate a balance between facilitating residential development in the open countryside and reinvigorating the towns and villages. 10 Sustain rural communities by supporting agriculture, rural based economic activity, promoting balanced development of rural settlements and maintaining a stable population base. 11 Protect and enhance the natural assets of County Roscommon, including clean water, biodiversity, landscape, green infrastructure, heritage and agricultural land. 12 Foster the creation of an attractive and competitive business environment by supporting economic development, job creation, tourism and prosperity for all. 13 Ensure that the county is served by adequate community facilities and amenities, which add to the quality of life of residents of the county. 14 To protect, conserve and enhance the built and natural heritage and the landscape of County Roscommon for future generations; and reinforce the distinctive character of the county through ensuring that recognised sites and species of environmental importance are conserved and managed appropriately. 1313Roscommon County Development Plan 2022-2028 – Volume I Chapter 1: Introduction and Vision
- 1.7 Implementation and Monitoring The purpose of monitoring and evaluation of the policies and objectives of the County Development Plan is to ensure, insofar as feasible and possible, their effectiveness is measured and evaluated. The requirement to undertake such an exercise is set out in the Planning and Development Act 2000 (as amended), under Section 15(2) which requires: “the Chief Executive of a planning authority shall, not more than 2 years after the making of a development plan, give a report to the members of the authority on the progress achieved in securing the objectives (of the plan)” The 14 Strategic Aims identified in Section 1.6 set out the strategic direction for the county over the Plan period, with a consistent emphasis on the principles of sustainability. Roscommon County Council is fully committed to securing and monitoring the implementation of the Strategic Aims and the associated policy objectives set out in this Plan. The Council will continue to occupy a leading role to progress the policy objectives to achieve the sustainable development of the county. The successful implementation of a significant number of the policy objectives of this Development Plan will depend on the economic climate, political support, Council funding and the availability of funding from other sources. Whilst Roscommon County Council’s Planning Department is primarily responsible for monitoring and implementing the Plan, through its Forward Planning and Development Management functions, the successful achievement of the Strategic Aims is also highly dependent on the work of other key departments within the Council, including Community and Enterprise (which includes the Local Enterprise Off ice (LEO) and the Regeneration Unit), the Roads Department, Environment Department and Water Services. Additionally, external stakeholders such as Irish Water, National Parks and Wildlife Service, Transport Infrastructure Ireland, and the Environmental Protection Agency are also critical to the achievement of many policy objectives. In addition to those interdependencies, the achievement of policy objectives is also influenced by factors that are outside the control of the Council, including international and national economic circumstances, government funding and private sector investment confidence in the economy. The policy objectives detailed in this County Development Plan have been developed to be insightful, specific, achievable, realistic and measurable as possible. The development management process will be central to the implementation of the Plan and decisions on planning applications will be a key source of data for monitoring purposes. Much of the data required for effective monitoring and evaluation will be readily available within Roscommon County Council, including established linkages between planning application databases and GIS. Utilisation of established mechanisms of this nature will facilitate on-going data capture and a spatial expression of results. This will be used in the preparation of a monitoring and evaluation report on the implementation of the Plan. The Council shall, in conjunction with the Regional Assembly and other sources as relevant, implement the monitoring programme as set out in the SEA Environmental Report and Statement. This will include the preparation of stand-alone SEA Monitoring Reports: 1. To accompany the report required of the manager under section 15(2) of the Act, including information in relation to progress on, and the results of, monitoring the significant environmental effects of implementation of the development plan; 2. On the significant environmental effects of implementing the Plan, in advance of the beginning of the review of the next Plan. A number of sources of funding have been identified in this Plan which will assist in achieving the delivery of objectives within the Plan. Mechanisms include: g Urban Regeneration and Development Fund g Rural Regeneration and Development Fund g Public Private Partnerships g Development Contributions g Climate Action Fund g Disruptive Technologies Fund 14Roscommon County Development Plan 2022-2028 – Volume I14 Chapter 1: Introduction and Vision
- 1.8 Key Oversight Bodies Under Section 22A of the Planning and Development Act 2000, as amended, the Roscommon County Council is required every 2 years, to prepare and submit a report to the Northern and Western Regional Assembly (NWRA) setting out progress made in supporting objectives, relevant to the RSES. This monitoring report will also be submitted to the National Oversight and Audit Commission (NOAC) for consideration and the NOAC may make recommendations to the Minister in relation to relevant measures to further support the implementation of the Strategy, which Roscommon Council will also take on board. The Planning and Development (Amendment) Act 2018 established the legal basis for the Office of the Planning Regulator and outlines its role and functions, which include the assessment of all local authority forward planning programmes. It operates an independent monitoring role, advising Government on implementation of local authority statutory planning processes. 1515Roscommon County Development Plan 2022-2028 – Volume I Chapter 1: Introduction and Vision
- 1616Roscommon County Development Plan 2022-2028 – Volume I Chapter 1: Introduction and Vision
- CHAPTERCore Strategy and Settlement Policy 2 17
- 2 Core Strategy and Settlement Policy 2.1 Introduction The purpose of the Core Strategy is to set out an evidence based strategy for the future development of the county. The Core Strategy is required to demonstrate that the Plan is in accordance with National and Regional planning policy outlined in the National Planning Framework (NPF) and the Regional Spatial and Economic Strategy (RSES) for the Northern and Western Region. The strategy includes details of the settlement hierarchy and where future growth is to be distributed in the county, together with details of population and household projections and the amount of lands to be zoned for residential. The Core Strategy identifies an overall vision for the proper planning and sustainable development in the County. 2.2 Statutory Context The parameters under which the Core Strategy must be prepared have been set out in Chapter 1 (Introduction and Vision) of the Plan. Essentially, the Core Strategy must: g Demonstrate that the Development Plan and its objectives are consistent with national and regional development objectives set out in the National Planning Framework and the Regional Spatial and Economic Strategy for the Northern and Western Region; g Take account of Ministerial Guidelines, including Housing Supply Target Methodology for Development Planning Guidelines for Planning Authorities (issued December 2020); and g Provide a qualitative, evidence based strategy for the spatial development of the area. The Core Strategy also provides the policy framework for other development strategies and plans within the organisation including the Local Economic and Community Plan (LECP), and Local Area Plans. The Core Strategy is required to address the following three areas: g Population Targets g Future Household targets and land requirements g Settlement hierarchy/population and household distribution The key objective is to secure a strategic and phased approach to zoning, which will facilitate efficient and coordinated infrastructure provision. 18Roscommon County Development Plan 2022-2028 – Volume I18
- The Core Strategy of the Roscommon County Development Plan 2022-2028 contains: g A Core Strategy outlining the broad aims of the strategy, including in particular the population targets / allocations and housing demand projections for the Plan period; g A Core Strategy Map, showing how the Planning Authority anticipates its area will develop over the Plan period and in line with the availability of infrastructure, services and amenities; and g A Core Strategy Table, summarising the key statistics in the Core Strategy as regards the distribution of future population and housing and its alignment with Regional Planning Guidelines. 2.3 Strategic Aims The strategic aims of the Core Strategy are: g To demonstrate how the Roscommon County Development Plan 2022-2028 is consistent with national and regional planning strategies, guidelines and policies including national and regional population targets and housing demand projections; g To strengthen the role of the Development Plan as the fundamental link between national, regional, county and local policies; g To provide the policy framework for Settlement Plans and Local Area Plans, particularly in relation to land-use zoning, and to ensure a strategic approach to zoning that allows an appropriate level of development throughout the Plan area; g To set the context for the key infrastructure of the county and its role; g To provide a framework within which the provision of sustainable infrastructure, amenities, economic investment and development can take place to maximise the use of resources in the county, for current and future generations; g To facilitate the population growth of Roscommon up to a projected population of 71,500 in the plan period and to ensure that the distribution of this population is particularly targeted towards the growth centres identified in the NPF and RSES; g To comply with the requirements of the Planning and Development Act, 2000 (as amended). 1919Roscommon County Development Plan 2022-2028 – Volume I Chapter 2: Core Strategy and Settlement Policy
- 2.4 National and Regional Policy THE NATIONAL PLANNING FRAMEWORK As set out in Chapter 1, the National Planning Framework (NPF) is a framework that will shape growth and development in Ireland to the year 2040. Stemming from the ten National Strategic Outcomes (NSO’s) (refer to Figure 1.1) which underpin the overarching vision for the country, built around the overarching themes of wellbeing, equality and opportunity, the NPF also contains a range of National Policy Objectives providing a wider context for targeting future growth across the country. The NPF acknowledges that the Northern and Western Region has a lower level of urbanisation than the other regions and recognises the need for strategic development in this region. It envisages that by 2040 there will be an additional 180,000 people living in this region. This increase in population will bring various challenges such as building up of urban structures, diversifying and strengthening rural areas, and developing economic activities that will sustain local communities while improving accessibility in the region. Athlone, which is located partially in County Roscommon (in the Northern and Western Region) and County Westmeath (in the Eastern and Midlands Region), has been designated as a ‘Regional Centre’ and has been identified as a focal point within the region and neighbouring regions in terms of the economy and employment, transport, education and public service delivery and retailing. Given the importance of regional interdependencies, the NPF directs that it will be necessary to prepare a co-ordinated strategy for Athlone at both regional and town level, to ensure that the town and environs has the capacity to grow sustainably and to secure investment as the key regional centre. IMPLEMENTATION ROADMAP FOR THE NPF Project Ireland 2040 – Implementation Roadmap for the National Planning Framework provides transitional population projections at a county scale in order to inform Development Plans for the period 2026 and 2031. The transitional population projections for County Roscommon are listed in Table 2.1. Table 2.1 Transitional Population Projections to 2031 County 2016 2026 2031 Roscommon 64,500 70,500- 71,500 73,000- 74,500 2020Roscommon County Development Plan 2022-2028 – Volume I Chapter 2: Core Strategy and Settlement Policy
Source Roscommon County Council: Roscommon County Development Plan 2022–2028 (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.