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
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- Towns and Villages4 4.1 Introduction The towns and villages throughout County Roscommon represent the social and economic engines which help to both sustain and develop a strong community base. 14 County Roscommon has benefitted from capital support received through the Urban Regeneration and Development Fund (URDF) and Rural Regeneration and Development Fund (RRDF). Implementation of projects is subject to oversight by the National Regeneration and Development Agency, which ensures projects are delivered in line with the vision of the NPF, to strengthen towns and villages. 15 RSES Regional Policy Objective (RPO) 3.4. 16 RSES RPO 3.5. 17 RSES RPO 3.9. 18 RSES RPO 3.12. Over the past number of years Roscommon County Council has placed significant emphasis on regenerating the towns and villages throughout the county,14 in an effort to revitalise economic activity and create a renewed emphasis on town/ village centre living. The approach is in line with national and regional policies and objectives, with the NPF and RSES for the Northern and Western Region both placing signif icant emphasis on revitalising and developing existing settlements, both large and small. The delivery of ‘compact growth’ in cities, towns and villages is one of the key principles promoted in the NPF. Collectively, urban regeneration and rejuvenation and the growth of areas in a compact form are all identified as priorities in aiming to address issues including climate change, social exclusion and housing shortfalls and can contribute towards improving the overall quality of life. Healthy ‘placemaking’ and the appropriate spatial planning of the towns and villages in County Roscommon are central to delivering the national and regional vision at a local level. This Plan closely reflects the policy position outlined in the RSES for the Northern and Western Region, with both placing strong emphasis on: g Supporting the regeneration and renewal of small towns and villages in rural areas;15 g Identifying and developing quality green infrastructure, within and adjacent to Regional Growth Centres and Key Towns;16 g Identifying suitable development opportunities for regeneration and development;17 and g Supporting the role of smaller and mediumsized towns which demonstrate an important role in terms of service provision and employment for their catchments.18 THIS CHAPTER SHOULD BE READ IN CONJUNCTION WITH VOLUME II OF THE ROSCOMMON COUNTY DEVELOPMENT PLAN WHICH CONTAINS SETTLEMENT PLANS, VILLAGE PLANS AND AREA PLANS. 52Roscommon County Development Plan 2022-2028 – Volume I52
- 4.2 Placemaking A commonly used term in relation to developing urban centres is ‘placemaking’. It essentially addresses the interrelationship and connection between people and the spaces they use, including how people move within the public realm and how they interact with the buildings, open spaces and overall urban landscape. The overarching principles of placemaking are: g Connectivity – Rural, regional, national and international connections, enabling the mobility of people and goods and making use of smart technologies to deliver enhanced productivity, competitiveness and quality of life; g Concentration of developments - Building places of scale and internationally competitive locations and connections with wider hinterlands through technologies, community and infrastructures; and g Celebrating difference - Developing distinctive propositions for each region and realising the full potential for enterprise development, job creation and higher standards of living. The promotion of placemaking can help to reimagine towns and villages in a way that restores them to being centres that are at the heart of community life and can also showcase them as attractive and progressive locations for investment and enterprise. Some of the key principles of placemaking include the creation of neighbourhoods where people can fulfil their daily needs and feel safe. The most successful neighbourhoods are well-connected and multi-functional, tending to have a wide variety of things to do in them. They have attractive streets and spaces that are safe, secure and easy to navigate. These principles assist in creating a sense of community and identity and make places more attractive to live, due to the vibrancy and quality of life associated with such places and neighbourhoods. 5353Roscommon County Development Plan 2022-2028 – Volume I Chapter 4: Towns and Villages
- TOWNS AND VILLAGES POLICY OBJECTIVES It is a policy objective of Roscommon County Council to: TV 4.1 Promote and facilitate the sustainable development of a high quality built environment in order to create a distinctive sense of place, with attractive streets, spaces, and neighbourhoods that are accessible and provide safe places for the community to meet and socialise. TV 4.2 Develop sustainable and successful neighbourhoods through the consolidation and redevelopment of built-up areas. Promote new compact mixed-use forms of development in urban settlements and rural villages, served by public transport and green infrastructure. TV 4.3 Enhance and develop the fabric of existing urban and rural settlements in accordance with the principles of good urban design, including the promotion of high quality, welldesigned, visually attractive main entries into towns and villages. TV 4.4 Require a design led approach to be taken to sustainable residential development in accordance with the 12 urban design principles set out in the ‘Urban Design Manual – A Best Practice Guide’ (DEHLG, 2009) to ensure the creation of high quality, attractive, and well connected residential areas and neighbourhoods. TV 4.5 Encourage building design and layout that maximises daylight and natural ventilation and incorporates energy efficiency and conservation measures that will improve the environmental performance of buildings, in line with best practice. TV 4.6 Support the growth and development of rural communities in the county by strengthening the role of rural towns and villages and facilitating development that will rejuvenate these settlements and make them an attractive location in which to live. TV 4.7 Promote enhanced and increased public realm opportunities including the shared use of spaces, for outdoor experiences, with a priority on pedestrian usage and designed to accommodate people with disabilities. 54Roscommon County Development Plan 2022-2028 – Volume I54 Chapter 4: Towns and Villages
- 4.3 Town and Village Vision The vision for the towns and villages throughout Roscommon is to develop them to their full economic and social potential in order to support both the resident/ hinterland community and enhance sustainable economic development, employment base and the development of inclusive communities. In order to achieve this vision for the towns and villages of County Roscommon, the following policy objectives apply: TOWNS AND VILLAGES POLICY OBJECTIVES It is a policy objective of Roscommon County Council to: TV 4.8 Support the growth and development of rural communities in the county by strengthening the role of rural towns and villages and facilitating development that will regenerate these settlements and make them attractive locations in which to live. TV 4.9 Encourage the redevelopment of centrally located vacant and/or underutilised areas within towns and villages. TV 4.10 Identify priority intervention projects within towns and villages which will help to provide a ‘sense of place’ and enhance their existing built environment. TV 4.11 Encourage funding initiatives which support and deliver economic, social and physical regeneration of the county’s towns and villages. TV 4.12 Support initiatives by local community groups and stakeholders seeking to enhance their towns and villages. TV 4.13 Promote County Roscommon as a destination for enterprise and encourage new economic development to locate in appropriate town and village locations. 5555Roscommon County Development Plan 2022-2028 – Volume I Chapter 4: Towns and Villages
- 4.4 Town and Village Growth Strategy Settlement Plans have been prepared for the towns of Ballaghaderreen, Castlerea, Elphin and Strokestown and are contained in Volume II of the Plan. As already set out in Chapter 2, separate Plans (in the form of Local Area Plans and Joint Urban Area Plans) will be prepared for Athlone (which encompasses the Athlone West area of County Roscommon), Roscommon Town, Cortober (in the context of it forming part of the larger settlement of Carrick on Shannon) and Boyle. The Settlement Plans and Village Plans in Volume II set out the strategic objectives for these settlements over the lifetime of the County Development Plan. A suite of general policy objectives, applicable to all of the Settlement and Village Plans, are set out in the introductory section of Volume II. This ensures consistency in the approach of Roscommon County Council, which aims to deliver growth throughout the main urban settlements within the county, in line with the overarching policy objectives prescribed by the NPF and RSES. In addition, each Settlement Plan and Village Plan contains a number of policy objectives which are specific to those settlements. The regeneration of our towns and villages involves economic and physical aspects, both of which are inextricably linked. An attractive physical environment with high levels of vibrancy and quality amenities provides a more attractive location for prospective investors and new developments. Employment generating developments can range from large scale industry to retail, or indeed home based employment. Irrespective of the scale, all such proposals provide a significant contribution to stabilising and enhancing the economic wellbeing of a community. 5656Roscommon County Development Plan 2022-2028 – Volume I Chapter 4: Towns and Villages
- 4.5 Town and Village Vibrancy Vibrant towns offer a good variety of service and functions for the community. These can include commercial, economic, community (including social and recreational facilities) and residential uses. Due to a range of economic circumstances, there has been an increasingly rapid shift in consumer patterns, away from traditional footfall retail and towards on-line shopping. This significant behavioural change is a prime factor in the decline of once vibrant town centres, with commercial vacancy becoming more evident and contributing to a visible reduction in the quality of the urban streetscapes. If left unchecked, this will lead to an irreversible ‘hollowing out’ of urban centres. The towns and villages throughout County Roscommon have different levels of needs in terms of addressing dereliction and depopulation, and as such specifically tailored responses to address each settlements’ individual needs are required. 5757Roscommon County Development Plan 2022-2028 – Volume I Chapter 4: Towns and Villages
- 4.6 Addressing Depopulation and Vacancy Many towns and villages throughout County Roscommon have experienced depopulation. The Council is actively working to reinvigorate towns and villages and leveraging funding through various national investment programmes, including the Urban Regeneration and Development Fund (URDF) and Rural Regeneration and Development Fund (RRDF). A central ambition of these strategic investment programmes is to repopulate the existing settlements in order to both sustain and develop communities which are both economically and socially resilient. Whilst the causes of vacancy can be numerous and complex, the primary objective should remain focused on securing the re-occupation of vacant properties. Roscommon County Council’s Vacant Homes Office, established in 2018, continues to actively work to identify vacant properties and to engage with owners or other stakeholders, with a view to promoting the re-occupation of vacant units. In addition, other mechanisms such as the Development Contribution Scheme (which currently provides for reductions / exemptions in respect of redevelopment projects involving changes of use) will continue to be utilised as part of a proactive approach to tackling vacancy in the towns and villages of the county. 4.7 Urban Regeneration and the Vacant Site Levy The Urban Regeneration and Housing Act 2015 introduced the vacant site levy. The Council maintains a Vacant Site Register, with each site on the register being liable for a levy on an annual basis. This site activation measure aims to stimulate the regeneration of vacant urban sites and encourage the release of zoned lands in order to deliver housing at appropriate locations. The Vacant Site Levy may be applied to lands within an urban settlement which are identified as being in need of renewal and/or regeneration or are residentially zoned. 58Roscommon County Development Plan 2022-2028 – Volume I58 Chapter 4: Towns and Villages
- 4.8 Derelict Sites A derelict site is defined as any land which detracts, or is likely to detract, to a material degree from the amenity, character or appearance of land in a neighbourhood. Roscommon County Council’s Derelict Sites Register is a record of derelict sites throughout the county. Similar to the Vacant Site Levy, sites on the Derelict Sites Register are liable for a levy on an annual basis. Under the Derelict Sites Act 1990 the Local Authority may also serve legal notice requiring works to be carried out to address the state of dereliction. The Council recognises the adverse impacts created by derelict sites, including from visual and environmental perspectives. Improvements to such sites have a tangible and immediate uplifting impact on the surrounding area and can serve to stem a tendency towards the spread of further dereliction. TOWNS AND VILLAGES POLICY OBJECTIVES It is a policy objective of Roscommon County Council to: TV 4.14 Introduce incentives to encourage the regeneration of vacant and underutilised town/village centre sites which detract from the amenity value of the area and undermine ambitions for consolidated, multifunctional settlements. TV 4.15 Continue to engage with owners of sites and properties which are vacant and or in a derelict/ruinous condition to seek to redress this. Where necessary, apply the available statutory mechanisms (Derelict Sites Act 1990) to address the impact of a derelict site/ structure upon the amenity of an area. 5959Roscommon County Development Plan 2022-2028 – Volume I Chapter 4: Towns and Villages
- 4.9 Town Centre Living The promotion of town centre living is one of the key strands of activity in the overall effort to regenerate the town and villages of the county. There is a need to return the centre of those areas to being at the heart of community life. To achieve this, a resident population is required, in conjunction with the operation of retail and service activities. Successful and reinvigorated town centre can be achieved through: g Imaginative re-purposing, which ensures the conservation of older buildings and streets; g A variety of house types and sizes to ensure mixed communities; g Provision of ‘green and blue’ Infrastructure and pedestrian access to open space and the natural environment; g Appropriate densities, with consolidation taking priority over expansion; g Enclosure of the public realm, with priority given to public space; g Permeable urban street networks; g Residential street formation; and g An appropriate mix of housing alongside other compatible uses. Consistent with the principles set out in the NPF, efforts will focus on consolidating urban areas through the promotion of compact growth patterns. Emphasis will also be placed on the quality and location of the residential units provided, as well as on the number of units. Densities should generally reflect the setting and character in which developments are proposed. Common to many rural counties, while ground floor commercial units are occupied in many of the towns and villages, the spaces above the street, originally laid out as residences, lie vacant. Refurbished properties may be suitable for those requiring smaller residential units, including new entrants to the housing market, or smaller family units of couples or those who live alone. Others may be suitable for amalgamation and redevelopment into larger residential units, capable of attracting families to return to town centre living, as an attractive alternative to suburban housing. The Night-Time Economy is a signif icant contributor to the economic performance of town centres, however, its full potential to the vitality and viability of town centres has, traditionally, been underutilised owing to rigid trading hours and singularity of uses operating during the day. The Council recognises the need to encourage a range of vibrant uses to promote the evening economy, whilst also taking into consideration the recreational and amenity needs of local residents. 60Roscommon County Development Plan 2022-2028 – Volume I60 Chapter 4: Towns and Villages
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.