Westmeath County Development Plan 2021–2027

1. Page 171

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   TOURISM 6 Westmeath County Development Plan 2021-2027 162 CPO 6.54 Seek to acquire and maintain Blue Flag status for water amenity areas throughout the county as an accolade for use in promoting the quality of these facilities. CPO 6.55 Prepare Habitat Management Plans for Westmeath’s lakes and Visitor Management Plans for particular areas most used by visitors and where particular sensitivities occur, to support the protection and conservation of our natural resources into the long term. 6.8 Greenways, Cycling and Walking Within County Westmeath, a total of 89km of greenways have been developed for the enjoyment of walkers and cyclists. The Royal Canal Greenway traverses the county via Mullingar and Old Rail Trail Greenway links Mullingar and Athlone. Both greenways interconnect in Mullingar and will form part of the Galway to Dublin, Coast to Coast Greenway and Eurovelo 2, an international-scale tourism offering, when complete in the coming years. The Council will ensure that any future Corridor and Route Selection Process complies with the relevant greenway and blueway projects as outlined in Chapter 10 of this Plan. Westmeath County Council, working with strategic partners at a national, regional and local level, are strongly committed to greenway development, recognising their strong potential, particularly for generating tourism activity and the resulting economic impacts. In particular, Westmeath County Council have taken a strong role in the development of the Galway to Dublin Greenway and have invested significant levels of resources in this regard. Further resources are being committed on an ongoing basis to further develop and enhance the greenways and associated infrastructure, in order to maximize the tourism potential in this regard. At a regional level, Westmeath County Council works closely with neighbouring local authorities and strategic agencies relevant to greenway development. A joint project with Offaly County Council, the ‘Royal Canal to Grand Canal’ greenway link from Kilbeggan to the Offaly County boundary to Ballycommon Co. Offaly has been recently completed with funding provided by the Department of Rural and Community Development. Off-road looped walking trails are located at various locations in the county, including Mullaghmeen Forest, Portlick Millennium Forest, the Shannon Banks Walk, Belvedere House, Gardens and Park and St. Feichin’s Way in Fore. One long-distance National Waymarked Way exists from Mullingar to Kilbeggan called the Westmeath Way, however this is fragmented and requires some work to re-route and upgrade. Excellent high-quality parklands offering smaller trails for walking and cycling include Burgess Park in Athlone, Mullingar Town Park and Dún na Sí Amenity and Heritage Park.

2. Page 172

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   TOURISM 6 Westmeath County Development Plan 2021-2027 163 Greenways, Cycling and Walking Policy Objectives It is a policy objective of Westmeath County Council to: CPO 6.56 Continue to augment the visitor experience on the county’s greenways, through the provision of ancillary infrastructure as required, having regard to the DTTAS ‘Greenways and Cycle Routes Ancillary Infrastructure Guidelines’, along with high quality signage and links to nearby visitor attractions and places of interest. CPO 6.57 Support the provision of visitor services within existing towns and villages, such as cafes, accommodation etc, by providing linkages with greenways, trails etc where appropriate. CPO 6.58 Continue to support the development of the Galway to Dublin Cycleway, completing the connection to the west of the River Shannon in Athlone and working with neighbouring counties and national bodies to complete and promote the entire route. The development of the cycleway shall comply with the provisions of the Habitats Directive and the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport’s “Dublin to Galway Greenway Plan 2017” and associated measures relating to environmental management and sustainable development. CPO 6.59 Support increased opportunities for off-road walking, including looped walks and longer distance trails, taking account of ‘positive control points’ in trail design, such as areas of natural beauty, lakeshores or rivers, bogs, built heritage and archaeological features and with links to towns and villages where services may be provided for walkers and hikers. In designing walking trails, the Sport Ireland Guide to Planning and Developing Recreational Trails will be consulted. CPO 6.60 Continue to maintain and further enhance the County’s walking and cycling trails, striving to achieve National Trails accreditation and other standards as set by Sport Ireland, in partnership with local communities and land owners. CPO 6.61 Support the re-routing and upgrade of the Westmeath Way walking trail, bringing it off-road and link to scenic areas where possible, ensuring its status as an accredited National Waymarked way in the long term and exploring options such as the Walks Scheme for future maintenance. CPO 6.62 Support the provision of visitor interpretation along walking and cycling trails, including storyboards, artworks and other media, to create a greater sense of place, connecting and immersing visitors in our local heritage and stories. CPO 6.63 Support the provision of services for visitors using walking and cycling trails which are appropriate to the location and activity, including bike service points, picnic benches at scenic locations, public toilets in remote areas etc.

3. Page 173

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   TOURISM 6 Westmeath County Development Plan 2021-2027 164 CPO 6.64 Support the provision of a greenway link from Mullingar to the Lough Ennell shoreline and to Belvedere House, Gardens and Park, subject the protection of environmentally sensitive areas and the requirements of the Habitats Directive. CPO 6.65 Seek to improve and upgrade signage and trail infrastructure at Portlick Millennium Forest and Mullaghmeen Forest and promote these scenic looped walks. CPO 6.66 Support the delivery of a River Shannon walking and / or trail, from Athlone to Clonmacnoise in collaboration with local communities and Offaly County Council and from Athlone to the Royal Canal at Ballymahon in collaboration with Longford County Council. CPO 6.67 Promote the principles of ‘Leave no Trace’ in all trail information panels, promotional materials and events and use all statutory procedures to deter negative environmental impact resulting from use of our trails and outdoor recreation amenities. 6.9 Arts, Culture and Festivals Westmeath is a county rich in culture and the artist expression. Facilities such as the Luan Gallery on the River Shannon banks, Mullingar Arts Centre, Ballinahown Craft Village and various theatres such as the Dean Crowe in Athlone offer the chance for visitors to enjoy displays from local talented visual artists and craft workers. Smaller galleries and craft shops are also located throughout the county, including the Genesis Gift Gallery in Mullingar. Musical talent is also on display with many music venues featuring home-grown talent concentrated in Mullingar in particular. The tradition of Irish music is celebrated county-wide, through Ceoltas Ceoltoiri hEireann centres and traditional pubs. Fáilte Ireland has identified festivals as a key driver for tourism growth, particularly during off- season times. They are an important component of the Irish tourism product offering. They provide opportunities to showcase culture, food, people and places, thereby greatly improving the tourist experience. Investment in and business development support for festivals is helping to drive growth and entice both domestic and overseas visitors to different parts of the country in the off- peak season. A number of vibrant festivals enable local communities to celebrate a valuable cultural heritage and spotlight local talent and unique local attributes. The International Drama Festival is hosted in Athlone annually, spotlighting Athlone as an important venue for the performing arts, while the Bealtaine Fire Celebration at Uisneach highlights the traditions and rituals associated with this ancient heritage site. While some festivals remain small in scale year after year, reaching only a local audience, others have the ambition to grow into larger events, capable of attracting larger numbers of visitors, resulting in a greater impact to the local economy and highlighting the festival location as one worth visiting to a wider audience. The Council will seek to support these festivals where possible, to support their growth potential, subject to event licensing and quality standards. The Council provides support for the county’s arts and cultural facilities along with assistance to groups organising festivals through its annual grants scheme and other support through its arts, tourism and heritage sections.

4. Page 174

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   TOURISM 6 Westmeath County Development Plan 2021-2027 165 Arts, Culture and Festivals Policy Objectives It is a policy objective of Westmeath County Council to: CPO 6.68 Support the continued expression of local culture, visual and performing arts and craft through the various arts, music and cultural centres, galleries and craft shops. CPO 6.69 Continue to support activities, events and evolving visitor experiences such as the Luan Gallery as important tourist offerings. CPO 6.70 Continue to support events and festivals in the county, with a particular focus on events which have the potential to attract a wider audience and spotlight the county as a visitor destination. CPO 6.71 Continue to provide supports to indigenous enterprises and organisations which create locally made products and offering visitors a chance to sample our local produce and talent, through visitor centres, food and craft fairs and cultural events. CPO 6.72 Support the ‘Green your Festival’ initiative and encourage and support festival and event organisers to incorporate green principles in their event planning and management.

5. Page 175

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   CHAPTER 7 CHAPTER 7 Urban Centres & Place-making

6. Page 176

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   URBAN CENTRES & PLACEMAKING 7 Westmeath County Development Plan 2021-2027 166 Table of Contents Aim . .......................................................................................................................................... 167 Introduction .............................................................................................................................. 167 Policy Context ........................................................................................................................... 167 What is Placemaking? ............................................................................................................... 168 Role of the Town Centre ........................................................................................................... 175 Urban Regeneration and Sustainable Development in Urban Areas ....................................... 177 Rural Regeneration ................................................................................................................... 183 Urban – Rural interface ............................................................................................................ 184 Site specific place making ......................................................................................................... 184

7. Page 177

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   URBAN CENTRES & PLACEMAKING 7 Westmeath County Development Plan 2021-2027 167 Aim To protect and enhance the unique identity and character of Westmeath’s towns and villages and improve quality of life and well-being through the application of Healthy Placemaking, underpinned by good urban design, with the creation of attractive public spaces that are vibrant, distinctive, safe and accessible and which promote and facilitate positive social interaction. Introduction Town centres are important hubs of activity. Successful town centres are the chosen destinations that attract a variety of people offering retail, business, hospitality and a range of amenities and services thus playing an important and influential role in supporting and promoting local economic growth. County Westmeath has a unique urban structure with two influential designated towns, namely Athlone, a regional growth centre and Mullingar, a Key Town. Both towns are strategically located and served by national rail and road networks – the M6 and M4. Westmeath is further supported by a plethora of smaller towns and villages that are evenly distributed across the County. This Development Plan supports the hierarchy of high quality, vibrant, consolidated and attractive urban settlements and aims to improve the quality of Westmeath’s towns and villages by applying the principles of placemaking. Placemaking is multidimensional and represents the connection between people and place; it is an essential link between spatial planning and facilitating improvements to people’s quality of life and influences where people choose to live, visit and invest. Placemaking represents the umbrella of positive best practice planning that serves to create and support sustainable communities by providing accessible, safe and distinct built environments reflective of the character, heritage and identity of each individual settlement supported by the creation of qualitative safe and attractive public spaces. Policy Context National Planning Framework (NPF) 2018 and the Eastern and Midland Regional Assembly Spatial Economic Strategy (RSES) The National Planning Framework (NPF) and the Regional Spatial and Economic Strategy (RSES) place a new policy emphasis on renewing and developing existing urban settlements. Regeneration and rejuvenation are central components identified to achieve the NPF strategic objectives with compact growth identified as a positive alternative to urban sprawl. Westmeath County Council is committed to ensuring a plan-led and delivery focused approach to securing compact sustainable growth centred on the principles of regeneration and the achievement of successful and sustainable communities in line with the shared vision of the National Planning Framework (NPF) and the Eastern and Midlands Regional Spatial and Economic Strategy (RSES) and to accelerate a transition to a greener, low carbon and climate resilient county.

8. Page 178

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   URBAN CENTRES & PLACEMAKING 7 Westmeath County Development Plan 2021-2027 168 The Regional Spatial and Economic Strategy (RSES) for the Eastern and Midland Regional Assembly (EMRA) emphasises the concept of Placemaking as a tool to enable sustained economic growth and employment including the integration of better urban design, public realm, amenities and heritage to create attractive and liveable places that support active lifestyles and human health. What is Placemaking? Placemaking relates to the interrelationship and connection between people and the space they use. Placemaking as a concept goes beyond the physical fabric of place, by strengthening the connection between people and space, merging the social and physical fabric of our living environments and helping to define character and identity of place. Healthy placemaking seeks to protect and enhance the unique identity and character of places and to facilitate improvements to human well-being and the quality of life that comes from the interaction of people and their environment. Placemaking is underpinned by good urban design, which seeks to create public spaces that are vibrant, distinctive, safe and accessible and which promote and facilitate social interaction. Figure 7.1 below sets out the principle considerations in contributing to attractive places. Figure 7.1 – Key Design Principles of Quality Placemaking

9. Page 179

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   URBAN CENTRES & PLACEMAKING 7 Westmeath County Development Plan 2021-2027 169 Achieving Good Placemaking Placemaking in the planning process relates to the positive interventions that help to shape, develop and foster activity in our shared public spaces. Successful public spaces are multi-dimensional - they appeal to people of all abilities, young and old, for a variety of reasons and for a variety of purposes with a central focus on improving the quality of life for the communities they serve. It is an objective of this Development Plan to improve the quality of Westmeath’s urban and rural environments by promoting a high standard of design for all new developments. Adhering to the principles of placemaking will achieve accessible, safe and sustainable built and natural environments, which reflect the special character and heritage of the County and its varied townscapes and landscapes. Figure 7.2. – The ‘Place’ Diagram

10. Page 180

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    URBAN CENTRES & PLACEMAKING 7 Westmeath County Development Plan 2021-2027 170 Public Realm and Placemaking Public realm comprises of the public outdoor spaces accessible to everyone, from squares, parks and open spaces to the footpaths and the streets that link them. High-quality public realm facilitates a positive environment in which to live, work and visit and provides for an improved quality of life for everyone. Positive interventions to improve the public realm of Westmeath's towns and villages can begin with simple measures such as landscaping, paving, street lighting and furniture. However, a vibrant public realm is not simply the result of high-quality design interventions - the built environment affects how people feel and respond, both physically and psychologically. Proposals for development should contribute to the creation of a distinct sense of place and identity that not only facilitates but encourages and creates opportunities for activity and interaction, from simple day to day activity to social, seasonal and planned events. It is increasingly recognised that public realm plays a vital role in presenting the identity, character, image and 'atmosphere' of our towns and villages and that while social activity in the public realm is heavily dependent on the quality of the built environment, it is essential when designing and developing our public spaces that proposals respond to, and contributes to the local context, character and civic identity rather than seeking a purely aesthetic result. Similarly, poorly considered infrastructure such as overhead wiring, excessive or garish signage and advertising and an array of street furniture styles can be detrimental to the visual amenity of public spaces. It is essential that a consistent approach is maintained in the selection of street furniture, materials and installations rather than an ad-hoc mix of styles. A simple, uncluttered and consistent design approach is considered as the key to success. For example, in historic quarters, traditional signage, lighting columns and benches may be more appropriate whereas a more contemporary modern approach would be suited for new innovative developments. Effective public realm interventions can dramatically improve human well-being and are also a key factor in enhancing the attractiveness of places for talent and business investment as well as for residents, workers and visitors. Public Realm and Place making Policy Objectives It is a policy objective of Westmeath County Council to: CPO 7.1 Provide for a high-quality public realm and public spaces by promoting quality urban design that accommodates creative patterns of use having regard to the physical, cultural, and social identities of individual settlements. CPO 7.2 Apply the following key attributes when considering public realm, public space enhancements and public seating: Accessible - connected and linked permeable spaces to ensure ease of movement. Functional - safe, adaptable and social environments to attract and foster activity.

Source Westmeath County Council: Westmeath County Development Plan 2021–2027 (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.