Development plan · Westmeath County Council
Westmeath County Development Plan 2021–2027
The council's development plan written statement: its strategy, policies, objectives and development standards.
Westmeath County Council · 2021–2027 · 634 pages
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- TOURISM 6 Westmeath County Development Plan 2021-2027 143 Table of Contents 6.1 Aim…… .................................................................................................................................... 144 6.2 Background ............................................................................................................................ 144 6.3 Policy Context......................................................................................................................... 147 6.4 Policy Objectives .................................................................................................................... 151 6.5 Tourism Infrastructure and Visitor Services........................................................................... 156 6.6 History, Heritage and Ancient Sites ....................................................................................... 158 6.7 Lakes and Waterways ............................................................................................................ 160 6.8 Greenways, Cycling and Walking ........................................................................................... 162 6.9 Arts, Culture and Festivals ..................................................................................................... 164
- TOURISM 6 Westmeath County Development Plan 2021-2027 144 6.1 Aim To provide for the continued expansion of the tourism sector, with a focus on creating strong visitor destination towns and sufficient high-quality visitor services and the continued development and enhancement of visitor attractions and activities to provide memorable, immersive visitor experiences, capitalising on our natural and cultural heritage assets, whilst safeguarding these resources for future generations. 6.2 Background 6.2.1 Tourism in Ireland The tourism sector in Ireland has experienced strong growth in the past decade and is now one of our largest national indigenous industries, supporting an estimated 270,000 jobs. 2018 continued the upwards trend in Irish tourism, with a rise in overseas visitor numbers by 6.9% and over €5 billion in revenue generated to the national economy. Tourism is now considered to be one of the country’s most important economic sectors, particularly in rural areas where other employment sources are limited and it has been credited with playing a significant role in the economic recovery in recent years. National tourism policy falls within the remit of the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport and national agencies, Fáilte Ireland and Tourism Ireland. Fáilte Ireland is the National Tourism Development Authority. Its role is to support the tourism industry and work to sustain Ireland as a high-quality and competitive tourism destination. It provides a range of practical business supports to help tourism businesses better manage and market their products and services. It also works with other state agencies and representative bodies, at local and national levels, to implement and champion positive and practical strategies that will benefit Irish tourism and the Irish economy. Tourism Ireland is responsible for marketing the island of Ireland overseas as a leading holiday destination.
- TOURISM 6 Westmeath County Development Plan 2021-2027 145 Figure 6.1 Source: www.failteireland.ie ‘Brand Architecture’ 2018 6.2.2 Tourism in Westmeath Westmeath is a county with considerable heritage and cultural assets, along with a scenic and rich natural environment. Coupled with our vibrant towns and villages and easily accessible location, it is evidently a county of high potential for tourism. Historical Fáilte Ireland and CSO visitor research has included County Westmeath as part of the Midlands region, which has not experienced a growth in visitor numbers commensurate to our coastal counterparts. The county itself however has been outperforming some of our neighbouring counties, due to a number of strong visitor attractions and a critical mass of visitor services concentrated in the towns of Athlone and Mullingar. Fáilte Ireland’s figures indicate that in 2018, Westmeath welcomed 1% of the 9,609 million overseas tourists who came to Ireland, spending 1% of the €5,217bn overseas tourism expenditure in Ireland. Irish residents took 238,000 trips to Westmeath (2% of the 10,918 million domestic trips in 2018) spending €27m (1% of domestic tourist spend). Ireland’s Ancient East, launched in 2015, is the third regional experience brand from Fáilte Ireland and includes the majority of County Westmeath, from Moate eastwards. In line with this brand, Westmeath offers a rich heritage, with local storytellers who provide unforgettable tours of our
- TOURISM 6 Westmeath County Development Plan 2021-2027 146 ancient sites. Attractions include Dun na Si Heritage and Amenity Park, the Hill of Uisneach, Belvedere House, Gardens & Park, Kilbeggan Distillery, Tullynally Castle Gardens and Fore Abbey. The lakes and waterways of Westmeath are also connected with a rich heritage, including the famous legend of the Children of Lir associated with Lough Derravarragh. The Royal Canal traverses the county, with many preserved original bridges and locks visible to those who travel this route by boat, bike or foot and the Old Rail Trail Greenway brings visitors along the historic Great Western Railway line through the scenic Midlands landscape. Westmeath is also part of Ireland’s newest and fourth regional tourism brand, “Ireland’s Hidden Heartlands”, launched in 2018, which includes Athlone and the area surrounding the River Shannon and Lough Ree. It promises visitors a slow-paced experience, immersed in the natural environment and culture of the region. Activities such as walking, cycling, boat tours on the iconic River Shannon, bird-watching, fishing, and watersports are central to this theme, along with the chance for visitors to engage with local communities, their culture, crafts and local food. Source: Visit Westmeath Map Guide, www.visitwestmeath.ie 2018
- TOURISM 6 Westmeath County Development Plan 2021-2027 147 High levels of investment in tourism development have taken place in recent years, with capital works undertaken to develop and enhance attractions such as Athlone Castle, the Luan Gallery, the Hill of Uisneach Visitor Centre and Belvedere House, Gardens and Park. The recreational tourism offering has also received significant investment, with greenways developed along the Royal Canal and historical Old Rail Trail “Midlands Great Western Greenway” from Mullingar to Athlone. These greenways will form part of the first coast-to-coast greenway from Dublin to Galway, to be completed in the coming years. Private sector investment has also been significant in recent years, including a range of visitor accommodation and other services. Communities have also contributed greatly, leading projects to enhance public areas along with the development of community tourism attractions such as Dún na Sí Amenity and Heritage Park, Moate. 6.3 Policy Context 6.3.1 People, Place and Policy: Growing Tourism to 2025, Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport, 2015 This National Strategy aims “to facilitate a vibrant, attractive tourism sector that makes a significant contribution to employment across the country; is economically, socially and environmentally sustainable; helps promote a positive image of Ireland overseas, and is a sector in which people want to work”. Implementation of this strategy is being realised through a series of Three-Year Action Plans. 6.3.2 Tourism Action Plan 2019-2021, Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport, 2018 The current National Tourism Action Plan 2019-2021 places an emphasis on regional growth and season extension and on helping to build the attractiveness of some of our less well-known attractions and regions internationally, thereby creating a more even spread of tourism growth across the country and supporting less-developed tourism areas. 6.3.3 Tourism Development & Innovation, A Strategy for Investment 2016-2022, Fáilte Ireland, 2016 This Strategy includes a strong focus on building memorable visitor experiences, developing a worldclass industry, and creating visitor-friendly infrastructure and communities throughout the country. Much of the capital investment nationally is focused on the four regional experience brands, with an emphasis on increased revenue generation from tourism and alignment with the brands.
- TOURISM 6 Westmeath County Development Plan 2021-2027 148 6.3.4 National Planning Framework 2040 Tourism is part of National Strategic Outcome 7, ‘Enhanced Amenities and Heritage’ which requires investment in well-designed public realm, recreational infrastructure and rural amenities including activity-based tourism and trails such as greenways, blueways and peatways, with the development of a strategic national network of these trails highlighted as a priority. Our built, cultural and natural heritage is identified for its intrinsic value in defining the character of urban and rural areas and adding to their attractiveness and sense of place. 6.3.5 Regional Spatial and Economic Strategy, Eastern & Midland Regional Assembly, 2019 This Strategy specifically highlights the region as a “key destination for tourism, leisure and recreation activities”, with a policy to support the development of an integrated network of greenways, blueways and peatways, while ensuring that high value assets and amenities are protected and enhanced. Athlone is emphasised as a visitor destination town with particular potential as a base to explore the Hidden Heartlands, while Mullingar is described as a potential ‘tourism hub’. 6.3.6 Strategy for the Future Development of National and Regional Greenways, Department of Tourism, Transport and Sport, 2018 This strategy recognises the high potential of Greenways as economic contributors to rural communities through increased tourism. In order to ensure the maximum benefit in this regard, future greenways funded under this strategy will be required to be strategic, scenic, sustainable, offer lots to see and do and substantially segregated from vehicular traffic and offering shared use between pedestrians and cyclists.
- TOURISM 6 Westmeath County Development Plan 2021-2027 149 Source: Strategy for the Future Development of National and Regional Greenways, DTTAS, 2018 6.3.7. Action Plan for Rural Development, Realising our Rural Potential This plan highlights the potential of activity tourism to contribute to economic growth in rural areas. 6.3.8 Westmeath County Tourism Strategy 2016-2020 This Strategy focuses on three distinct propositions, through which to concentrate action. These are the development and promotion of the visitor destination towns of Athlone and Mullingar and developments which will realise the tourism potential of the county’s Greenways and Blueways. 6.3.9 Fáilte Ireland Destination Development & Commercial Development Plans Ireland’s Ancient East has developed a suite of five year Destination Development Plans. These are designed to be a roadmap for enhancing the existing Ireland’s Ancient East visitor proposition to achieve the objectives of addressing seasonality, increasing visitor numbers, improving dwell time and visitor dispersion across the destination. The Tales of Two Worlds Plan sets out to enhance the experiences at the stunning Houses and Gardens products as well as the attractions that tell the story of emigration and endeavour.
- TOURISM 6 Westmeath County Development Plan 2021-2027 150 6.3.10 Fáilte Ireland’s Guidance on Sustainable Tourism Fáilte Ireland promotes the incorporation of the principles of sustainability in the tourism policy section of the County Development Plan. Fáilte Ireland has developed five key principles that ensure developments achieve a balance between appropriate tourism development and economic, environmental and social sustainability. Developments will be assessed having regard to compliance with these and the associated policies. Principle 1: Tourism, when it is well managed and properly located, should be recognised as a positive activity which has potential to benefit the host community, the place itself and the visitor alike. Sustainable tourism planning requires a balance to be struck between the needs of the visitor, the place and the host community. Principle 2: Our landscapes, our cultural heritage, our environment and our linguistic heritage all have an intrinsic value which outweighs their value simply as a tourism asset. However, sustainable tourism planning makes sure that they can continue to be enjoyed and cherished by future generations and not prejudiced simply by short term considerations. Principle 3: Built development and other activities associated with tourism should in all respects be appropriate to the character of the place in which they are situated. This applies to the scale, design and nature of the place as well as to the particular land use, economic and social requirements of the place and the surroundings. Principle 4: Strategic tourism assets – including special landscapes, important views, the setting of historic buildings and monuments, areas of cultural significance and access points to the open countryside, should be safeguarded from encroachment by inappropriate development. Principle 5: Visitor accommodation, interpretation centres and commercial / retail facilities serving the tourism sector should generally be located within established settlements thereby fostering strong links to a whole range of other economic and commercial sectors and sustaining the host communities. Sustainable tourism facilities, when properly located and managed can, especially if accessible by a range of transport modes, encourage longer visitor stays, help to extend the tourism season and add to the vitality of settlements throughout the year. Underlying these principles for Sustainable Tourism, the definitions of economic, environmental and social sustainability against which any tourism project assessed are defined as follows: Economic sustainability must be considered to ensure that the tourism sector is managed. The key strengths of the County include landscape, heritage, natural environment, lifestyle and amenity pursuits. The sector is highly affected by seasonality and there are extremes in visitor numbers at key attractions contrasted with smaller attractions which struggle to maintain visitor numbers. These ‘peaks and troughs’ should be carefully managed to ensure the protection of natural resources. Tourism innovation should also be encouraged – particularly where it brings about environmental benefits. Finally, for projects to be economically sustainable they should meet the needs of the permanent and also visitor population alike, so the preparation of robust business plans for all such developments will ensure proposals are viable and sustainable.
- TOURISM 6 Westmeath County Development Plan 2021-2027 151 Environmental sustainability will be central to the development and protection of a viable tourism sector and this is a key consideration in a County where tourism attractions are located in environmentally sensitive areas and close to historic areas where the quality of the built heritage and environment must be protected from inappropriate development – whether tourism related or not. The ‘mainstreaming’ of policy guidance tools such as the Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) will undoubtedly address any deficits in relation to many of these key policy areas. Social Sustainability is arguably more difficult to assess. Many of the potentially negative impacts of tourism development can however be addressed through careful consideration of the social and cultural nature of the receiving environment. The impacts that large-scale developments can have on existing local communities’ policies can be assessed having regard to the impact of visitor numbers on local quality of life, culture and heritage – with a particular emphasis placed on unique areas such as culturally sensitive areas where small impacts over time may have a significant cumulative effect. 6.4 Policy Objectives 6.4.1 General Tourism Development Having regard to national and regional tourism policy, the Council is committed to supporting the growth of tourism in the county, taking full advantage of national and regional initiatives and funding schemes and maximising the potential of our unique natural, heritage, cultural, and amenity assets. In reaching this potential, it is essential that a co-ordinated and collaborative approach is taken with relevant agencies, tourism businesses and communities throughout the county. The Council will continue to collaborate with relevant agencies and stakeholders through the County Tourism Steering Group and other established working groups and will continue to support collective development and marketing initiatives underway, including Destination Athlone. A strong emphasis will be placed on securing sustainable tourism growth, whereby the quality of our landscapes, natural environment and cultural heritage is protected and safeguarded for the long-term enjoyment of these assets. Council policy is to support tourism while also facilitating the protection of the County’s environmental assets that tourism is dependent upon including lakes, green infrastructure and places of cultural heritage which are further outlined in Chapters 10, 12, 13 and 14 of this plan. The potential environmental effects of a likely increase in tourists/tourism-related traffic volumes shall be considered and mitigated as appropriate. Such a consideration should include potential impacts on existing infrastructure (including drinking water, wastewater, waste and transport) resulting from tourism proposals. Consideration shall also be given to TII publication “Policy on the Provision of Tourism and Leisure Signage on National Roads” (2011), which outlines policy on the provision of tourist and leisure information signs on national primary and national secondary roads in Ireland. The key to unlocking the growth potential of an area is the development of experiences that will motivate potential tourists to firstly visit there and secondly to dwell in the area. These new
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