Development plan · Wicklow County Council
Wicklow County Development Plan 2022–2028 – Volume 1 Written Statement
The council's development plan written statement: its strategy, policies, objectives and development standards.
Wicklow County Council · 2022–2028 · 465 pages
Ask this document
Answers come only from the text of Wicklow County Development Plan 2022–2028 – Volume 1 Written Statement, each claim linked to its page. They are not advice; check the page itself.
Free, with a daily limit.
- 85 55 84 72 7177 81 76 St Mary's 10kv w Church (Cath) NK 92 EagleEagle ValleyValley 80 ES 10kv Upper Sewage Pipe Cookstown 32 Pond 26 22 23 20 1311 22Okv Church Parochial House Lodge Enniskerry 8 10 1 ENNISKERRY 2 Mill FieldMill Field Glenbrook Pond Fn Well GS Car Park Tennis Courts Forge RoadForge Road LB 53 KNOCKSINK 7 Hall 64 EnniskerryEnniskerry BridgeBridge Kilgarron Cottages 2 5 1 4 9 10 1 10kv T School 42 KILGARRAN 58 EagleEagle ValleyValley 66 Rathdrum Mill RathdrumRathdrum BridgeBridge RATHDRUM Avonbrae The Woods 1 10Kv 18 9 10 19 Avondale Community College 37 38 27 28 46 51 1 45 6 64 Avon Park 50 Tk Tk FB 10Kv Gd Stn 4 1 8 1 0 School Rathdrum 1 32 15 1 3 Park Grave Yard St. Saviour's Church 3 4 2726 B ACK LA NEB ACK LA NE BR EWERY LANE 5 7 BR EWERY LANE 1 4 Gilberts RowGilberts Row 1 10Kv School 1 6 3 1 30 11 7 15 1 8 7 5 23 47 39 4 6 19 71 74 Parnell ParkParnell Park 7 9 69 66 14 5 3 School 10 1 38 1 GroveGrove WoodbineWoodbine 7 ENNISKERRY RATHDRUM Wicklow County Council Planning Department Scale 1:7,500 @A4 LegendBuilt Heritage Map No. 08.03A Architectural Conservation Areas Scale 1:5,000 @A4 WICKLOW COUNTY DEVELOPMENT PLAN 2022-2028 © Ordnance Survey Ireland. All rights reserved Licence number 2022/35/CCMA/Wicklow County Council193
- Church (Cath} DUNLAVIN UPPER Friars HillFriars Hill Sparrow RoadSparrow Road School Fair Green Ball Alley Kilcullen StreetKilcullen Street Court House (Site of) Church Grave Yd G.S. Main StreetMain Street P.O. Stephen StreetStephen Street Chapel ViewChapel View Market SquareMarket Square Tennis Court 10Kv Grave Yard Church (C of I) Church TerraceChurch Terrace DUNLAVIN School 10Kv Well Town View BALLINACOR FB 14 Mill CourtMill Court Fair Green Market Square Courthouse Centre Bank Main StreetMain Street Pound LanePound Lane PO Mill Pond (Meth) Church Manse Tinahely 1 4 1 23 4 30 1 School Hall DUNLAVIN TINAHELY © Ordnance Survey Ireland. All rights reserved Licence number 2022/35/CCMA/Wicklow County Council Wicklow County Council Planning Department Legend Scale 1:6,000 @A4 Scale 1:5,000 @A4 Built Heritage Map No. 08.03B Architectural Conservation Areas WICKLOW COUNTY DEVELOPMENT PLAN 2022-2028194
- 38kv 38kv River FieldRiver Field Thorndale 33 313438 Area under c onstruc tion 2322 Convent Court 1817 Area under c onstruc tion Con ven t RoadCon ven t Road 9 - 16 Chap el RoadChap el Road Area under c onstruc tion Kindlestown Castle (in ruins) 10k v 1 0kv 38kv Glencarrig 38kv 38kv St Mary's Churc h (RC) ES Carmelite Monastery 13 17 10k v 21 Kindelstown HillKindelstown Hill 7 5 Kendals town RiseKendals town Rise (5 - 21)(5 - 21) Richview 18 3 KINDLESTOWN UPPER Eas tonEas ton 8 10k v 121 0 8 3 9 House Club Burnaby Woods 18 16 2 1 Sew age Work s (Private) Woodlan ds Court 1 - 1 9 20 33 3 5 KILLINCARRIG 10k v Greys tones Mast 10kv Sports Ground 4 0 42 Sports ground Car Park 4 5 11 19 8 9 1 Woodlands 12 13 14 26 25 28 Struan H ill Struan H ill 43 4239 Convent Court 52 49 17 14 53 HUNT ERS BROOKHUNT ERS BROOK 20 12 Christ Church Area under c onstruc tion Priory Gate 58 Delgany 7 1 - 8 6 Wyndham 8 1 5 3 1 62 7-1 0 2 1 Delgany Court 2,41,3 1-5 6Bellevue Law nBellevue Law n Car park 12 7 Area under c onstruc tion 8 Car Park 13 Style Bawn Hous e 2 0 19 14 House Blac kberry 11 1 2 VALL EY VIEWVALL EY VIEW 1Bellevue CourtBellevue Court 18 19 17 10 1 6 1 5 1-56 57-122 Seabourne View 172 173 CharleslandCharlesland WoodWood 159 CharleslandCharlesland WoodWood Car Park Sports Ground Sports Ground Sports Ground 1 Burnaby Law nBurnaby Law n 24 26 2 14 13 30 29 Mill Burnaby 239 269 277 14 13 71 30 55 29 34 54 70 CharleslandCharlesland CourtCourt 45 46 111 103 110 218 253 252 268 16 15 30 37 31 38 35 36 6 30 10 12 BURNA BY COURT 27 29 8 28 7 BURNA BY COURT 137 168 CharleslandCharlesland CourtCourt 122 121 102 96 197 196 213 1 5 21 1 BURNABY AV NUEBURNABY AV NUE Nazarene Church 1 6 1 5 Tennis Club 31 27 Area under c onstruc tion BurnabyBurnaby ParkPark Golf Club 231 212 MI LLB ROO KMI LLB ROO K 10 9 Three TroutsThree Trouts BridgeBridge 1413 15 14 17 18 1 0 9 Mill Grov eMill Grov e 4 R OADR OAD Mill BankMill Bank 9A 87 ,7A 13 Villas CarrigCarrig Villas MILL 1211 MILL 18 17 21 22 New R oadNew R oad 23 5 A 4A 1 2 3A 79 2A 3 4 1A 1 6 20A Carrig Meadow 84 3 0 5 2 3 13 2 21 8 9 2 1 35A 34A Delgany Park House F arrank elly Delgany Hills 555251 Wendon Brook 46 Avonmore 6 1 1 7 ThornburyThornbury Wendon D riveWendon D rive 12 Area under c onstruc tion 1 Wendon ParkWendon Park 9 6 10 9 Delgany Wood Ennismore 24 20 Area under c onstruc tion Area under c onstruc tion Glenair Glenair Manor DELGANY 18 13 Dru mmin RiseDru mmin Rise 12 5 1,2 21 1 School 1 5 10 8 Elsinore Tanks Was te Water (Wicklow Co Co) Treatment Works 10kv GREYSTON ES KINDLESTOWN LOWER ST. GEORGE'S GREYSTONES - DELGANY Wicklow County Council Planning Department Scale 1:15,000 @A4 LegendBuilt Heritage Map No. 08.03C Architectural Conservation Areas WICKLOW COUNTY DEVELOPMENT PLAN 2022-2028 © Ordnance Survey Ireland. All rights reserved Licence number 2022/35/CCMA/Wicklow County Council195
- LB Mhs LS LS LS H Mh LS Mh LS LS Mhs LS Mh LS HILLHILL s MP MP HARBOUR MP MP Navigation Light MP Pier MP C ASTLE VIEWC ASTLE VIEW STREET STRANDSTRAND STREET 14 LEITRIM PLACELEITRIM PLACE 12 UPPER ST RAND STR EETUPPER ST RAND STR EET 2 5 Car Park 3 41 HW M Urban VillasUrban Villas HWM Sa nd & Shingle Mud Mud CORPORAT ION LANDS Mud (1st Div) Grave Yard Churc h (C of I) HILLHILL Gov ernment Offices CORPORATION LAND (1st Division) H WM RIV ER LE ITRIM PART OF GLEBE (ED Wicklow Urban) CHURCHCHURCH School GR OVEGR OVE W EN TWOR THW EN TWOR TH S TRE ETS TRE ET W en tworth VillasW en tworth Villas A BBE YA BBE Y Tennis Ground Hotel 2 1 1 1 2 3 4 2 Sports Ground ROADROAD St LAURENCE'S RO ADSt LAURENCE'S RO AD St PATRICKSPATRICKSSt Ramp FB ROADROAD 3 AbbeyfieldsAbbeyfields Q UARANQ UARAN 5 6 1 2 MARKET ST REETMARKET ST REETCOLLEY STREETCOLLEY STREET 26 2528 BAL L ALLEYBAL L ALLEY 23 18 29 31 Mooring Posts Q UAY LANEQ UAY LANE 17 20 15 13 CrinionCrinionCrinion ParkParkPark 12 95 Town Hall MARKETMARKET SQUARESQUARE Ball Alley G AOL R OADG AOL R OAD 21 The CourtyardThe CourtyardThe Courtyard 4 1 4 1 2 WB Sand & Shingle NORT H Q UAYNORT H Q UAY Slipway HARBOUR Mooring Posts Moorin g Posts Court House Wicklow Historic Gaol Library 1 KILM ANTIN HILLKILM ANTIN HILL 6 5 5 3 1 2 1 Bank 9 10 HOSPITAL LANEHOSPITAL LANE SOUTH Q UAYSOUTH Q UAY S ALT HOUSE LANES ALT HOUSE LANE T HE MALL 21 6 20 T HE MALL HARBOUR MAIN STREETMAIN STREET Sand & Shingle 1 0 10 11A 11 9 12 8A 76A 3A 7B 8 4B 4A 3 4 BO ND ST REETBO ND ST REET 2 2 1 1 Mud 2 1 4 1 B ATH S TRE ETB ATH S TRE ET CASTLE VIEWCASTLE VIEW 6B 5B 5A6A STRAND STREETSTRAND STREET Mud 2 8 9 3 19 18 3 1 HIGH STREET 9 10 HIGH STREET 1 1 COATES LANECOATES LANE PO 2 Car Park 5 14 13 C ONVENT ROADC ONVENT ROAD FAIR GREENFAIR GREEN School Convent CONV ENT RO ADCONV ENT RO AD NEW STREETNEW STREET Church DISPENSARY LANEDISPENSARY LANE 1 2 2 BAY VIEW ROADBAY VIEW ROAD 1 6 4 1 7 HILLSID E ROADHILLSID E ROAD M OR TON S LANEM OR TON S LANE SOU TH QUAYSOU TH QUAY Bank Monument BRIDGE S TRE ETBRIDGE S TRE ET LEITRIM PLAC ELEITRIM PLAC E RIVER GS Sta Mud LEITRIM Parnell BridgeParnell Bridge Mud Mud Mud BAC HELOR'S WALKBAC HELOR'S WALK CHUR CH STREETCHUR CH STREET FITZW IL LIA M SQU ARE Car Park FITZW IL LIA M SQU ARE CH URCH HILLCH URCH HILL Car Park Car Park Abbey FB 1 2 6 Bank ABBEY STREETABBEY STREET ABBEY STR EETABBEY STR EET MARLTO N ROADMARLTO N ROAD WENTWORTH PLA CE Abbey (in Ruins ) WICKLOW WENTWORTH PLA CE PART OF WICKLOW WENTWORTH RI SEWENTWORTH RI SE WEN TWO RTHWEN TWO RTH GROVEGROVE WIC KLOW (Urban Dis trict) DrumkayDrumkayDrumkay CourtCourtCourt 1 2 4 3 Hillside 14 HillsideHillside GroveGroveGrove 1 2 15 1 5 6 25 1 2 St MANTAN'S CLOSESt MANTAN'S CLOSE 11 26 St M ANTAN'S ROADSt M ANTAN'S ROAD 1 2 7 8 6 5 4 29 2526 FITZWILLI AM ROADFITZWILLI AM ROAD 3 12 Pres bytery Court St Mantan'sSt Mantan'sSt Mantan's CourtCourt Well St PATR ICK'S R OADSt PATR ICK'S R OAD Churc h School Ground Sports WICKLOW Wicklow County Council Planning Department Scale 1:5,000 @A4 LegendBuilt Heritage Map No. 08.03D Architectural Conservation Areas WICKLOW COUNTY DEVELOPMENT PLAN 2022-2028 © Ordnance Survey Ireland. All rights reserved Licence number 2022/35/CCMA/Wicklow County Council196
- 1513 2018 17 15 42 24 1 1 Beechdale WayBeechdale Way 24 23 11 1351 3 Beechdale Close 6 Beechdale Close 3 22 Beechdale Green 1 6 10 BeechdaleBeechdale Beechdale Green 32 33 27 15 The GroveThe Grove 1 18 2 1 The AvenueThe Avenue 8 1 19 13 12 6 5 1 1 1 2 11 6 Beechdale ViewBeechdale View 2 Beechdale 4 1 Beechdale LawnLawn 19 20 38 21 The Gate Lodge 14 15 The Gate Lodge 1 9 The CloseThe Close The WalkThe Walk GlenviewGlenview The DaleThe Dale shireshire 23 29 19 2517 Rectory 13 85 9 1 TramwayTramway BLESSINGTON PO Church (Cath) School Ros -lainn 1-10 18 17ES 1 ES 6 St. Joseph's RoadSt. Joseph's Road 7 16 Centre Health 6 Grave Yard 54 1 2 21 Car Park Lakeside DownsLakeside Downs Millbank 12 St. Mary's Church (C. of I.) Bank Monument Tourist Credit Union Office Car Park Blessington 10 11 Bank MastMast G.S Downshire Lodge Hall 26 20 1 10kv 30 25 S Donard House DONARD DEMESNE EAST Donard Health Centre Grave Yard Church (R.C.) Church PO Lodge Ogham Stone DONARD DEMESNE WEST School R.C.Church Holy Trinity Grave Yard Ball Motte Church (in ruins)Caravan Park Browns Bec School 10kv Tk DonardDonard BridgeBridge Garda Station Sports Grounds BLESSINGTON DONARD Scale 1:6,000 @A4 Scale 1:5,000 @A4 Wicklow County Council Planning Department Built Heritage Map No. 08.03E Legend Architectural Conservation Areas WICKLOW COUNTY DEVELOPMENT PLAN 2022-2028 © Ordnance Survey Ireland. All rights reserved Licence number 2022/35/CCMA/Wicklow County Council197
- Schedule 08.03 Wicklow Town ACA Wicklow Town Town Centre ACA This description replaces the description in the Wicklow Town – Rathnew Development Plan 2013 – 2019. For all other ACAs descriptions refer to each individual plan. Location This ACA extends along the main street of Wicklow Town from the AIB / dental surgery on Abbey Street to ‘Heels’ on Fitzwilliam Square, the Bridge Tavern on Bridge Street and to ‘Tá Sé’s’ / Courthouse on Market Square. This is the town centre of Wicklow and is also the main thoroughfare through the town. The tight clustering of buildings within the town lends a distinct and strong town character. Fitzwilliam Square and Market Square are the two significant public open spaces in the ACA. Character The character of Wicklow Town is of historical interest containing many historical buildings and features. The town is also of considerable social and cultural interest within the County of Wicklow as a distinctive and attractive place. The main street of Wicklow sits on the slopes down to the Leitrim River with the eastern side of the main street obviously built on different levels with the presence of ‘The Mall’ retaining wall in the centre of the road and the southern row of buildings built at a significant height to the northern side of the road. The memorials commemorating two noted Wicklow men, Billy Byrne, hero of the 1798 Rebellion, and Captain Robert Halpin (1836-1894), responsible for laying an estimated 41,800 km of underwater telegraph cable, are of artistic and historical interest and are representative of local civic pride. The Town Centre ACA has been designated based upon its architectural, historical and cultural importance. It has been designated based upon the following characteristics: - Uniform building line - Building height range of between two, three and four storeys - Buildings constructed in the period 1750 to 1900 - Its role as the historic commercial and civic core of the town - Plot widths dating from the medieval period in the range 5 to 7.5 metres - Existence of design features that contribute to a harmonious visual environment including: traditional shopfronts; timber sash windows; smooth render building finishes; vertical emphasis fenestration; wood/timber doors - Fitzwilliam Square and Market Square public open spaces with associated memorials. The preservation of the character of the Town Centre ACA is essential to safeguarding the identity of the town and maintaining continuity with its development history. The collection of buildings and spaces within the ACA represent a unique aspect of Wicklow Town’s built heritage and contribute to its attractiveness.198
- Wicklow County Development Plan 2022-2028 Chapter 9 | Economic Development CHAPTER 9 ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT 9.0 Introduction This chapter will set out the objectives of the County Development Plan for the sustainable development of Wicklow’s economy that are relevant to and implementable through a land-use plan. Economic opportunity is identified as one of the over-arching and cross cutting themes that informs the County Development Plan. Economic development and employment is one of the key elements in delivering sustainable communities. In accordance with the National Planning Framework (NPF), the Eastern and Midland Region will accommodate around 320,000 additional people in employment by 2040. It is important that the objectives in the County Development Plan are sufficiently agile to accommodate new employment opportunities in the County thereby improving resilience and reducing the number of people undertaking daily long distance commutes. The land-use objectives of this plan aim to support the strategies of the Wicklow Local Economic and Community Plan and the Wicklow Local Enterprise Office, all of which have a wider remit than the County Development Plan in the area of economic development. Sustainable economic development requires balance in terms of location and diversity of economic activity, as well as the protection of the environment and people’s quality of life. In this regard, it is intended that this chapter will clearly articulate where the Council will promote and support proposals for new or expanded employment generating development, what type of development will be facilitated in various locations and what criteria will be used to evaluate such proposals. The Council’s requirements with respect to the design, layout, servicing etc of new or expanded developments are set out in the Development & Design Standards in the Appendix. 9.1 Strategic Context 9.1.1 National & Regional Policy Policy drivers with respect to economic development from the National Planning Framework (NPF) and the Regional Spatial and Economic Strategy (RSES) are set out in detail in Chapter 2 of this plan. The national and regional strategies highlight the importance of aligning population growth with employment development to ensure the delivery of sustainable self-sustaining communities and to reduce reliance on unsustainable commuting. The legacy of rapid growth in commuter settlements needs to be addressed by facilitating jobs growth. In accordance with NPO 5 of the NPF it is important that we develop our key towns and self-sustaining growth towns that are of sufficient scale and quality to compete internationally and to be drivers of national and regional growth, investment and prosperity. The RSES sets out guiding principles for investment prioritisation. Among these is the need to consider the capacity of places having regard to implications of commuting on quality of life. The preferred Economic Strategy set out in the RSES promotes smart specialisation strategies based on identified strengths and competitive advantages, combined with cluster policies that promote economies of scale and network effects in certain locations. The Strategy should also support diversification of local economies and development of innovation and entrepreneurial ecosystems for sustained national growth that can withstand external shocks.199
- Wicklow County Development Plan 2022-2028 Chapter 9 | Economic Development The RSES identifies economic growth as a growth enabler for the region. This entails harnessing opportunities for economic growth by supporting synergies between talent and place, building on identified assets to strengthen enterprise ecosystems and provide quality jobs. It will involve re-intensifying employment within existing urban areas, complemented by strategic employment growth in the right locations and diversification of local and rural economies to better withstand economic shocks and sustain national growth. The NPF notes that placemaking is critical to economic prosperity. The RSES identifies placemaking as one of the 5 key principles for economic opportunity. The other principles include smart specialisation, clustering, orderly growth and future proof & risk management. Table 9.1 Key Principles for Economic Opportunity Key Principles for Economic Opportunity Smart Specialisation: Smart specialisation is part of the EU’s cohesion policy and the Europe 2020 Strategy that focuses on each region’s strengths and the activities that support these strengths. As a place-based approach, it is characterised by the identification of strategic areas for intervention based both on the analysis of the strengths and potential of the economy and on an Entrepreneurial Discovery Process (EDP) with wide stakeholder involvement. The Industrial Development Agency (IDA), Enterprise Ireland (EI), Local Enterprise Offices (LEOs), Science Foundation Ireland (SFI) and other enterprise agencies, as well as Regional Enterprise Plans (REPs) and Local Economic and Community Plans (LECPs), ensure industry, education institutions and communities play a key role in this entrepreneurial discovery process. Smart specialisation focuses on boosting productivity, regaining lost competitiveness, increasing export intensity and diversity of markets, taking measures to improve our attractiveness as a location for investment either national or foreign, and to increase our entrepreneurial activity. Smart specialisation also recognises that supporting strong and dynamic enterprises and investing in Science, Technology and Innovation will accelerate the economic and societal return on investment. Strengthening enterprise engagement with academic research and driving more commercialisation of publicly performed research is an essential component of supporting an innovative and enterprising economy. Clustering These are initiatives that create, maintain, or upgrade an economic stronghold, by strengthening linkages or facilitating collective action to improve the cluster-specific business environment. Modern cluster policies aim to put in place a favourable business ecosystem for innovation and entrepreneurship in which new players can emerge and thus support the development of new industrial value chains and emerging industries. Clusters are more a reflection of cross-industry linkages and ‘related diversification’ than of narrow specialisation. Clusters in the vast majority of cases are not ‘created’, rather they emerge, because different locations provide different types of opportunities for specific companies to invest, succeed and grow. Clusters are the result of a cumulative process, take a long time to develop and are inherently unpredictable. Nevertheless, the State can play a facilitative and supportive role. There is potential to further strengthen collaboration and clustering activities between foreign and Irish owned enterprises, and between enterprises, Higher Education Institutions (HEIs), and the research base. Orderly Growth Through the identification of locations for strategic employment development in line with the RSES Growth and Settlement Strategy, compact growth will be achieved. This involves managing and facilitating the growth of Dublin and to increase the scale of the Regional Growth Centres to be able to provide the range of functions to their hinterlands. This needs to be facilitated by appropriate, effective and sustainable infrastructure development in these centres, and at the same time avoid sprawl. This encompasses connectedness aimed at facilitating a network of skills and talent living in our settlements. It requires a support network of infrastructure - including broadband - in order to make the Region more connected and competitive. This will help to deliver high quality jobs that are well-paid and sustainable. Placemaking From an enterprise development perspective, investment in the creation of place is key to realising regional potential. Business leaders and entrepreneurs make the decision about where to establish, invest or expand. Internationally, and in Ireland, the trend is increasingly toward urban areas of scale and concentrations of economic activity. The global environment has become increasingly competitive – not only in terms of attracting Foreign Direct Investment (FDI), but also in terms of200
- Wicklow County Development Plan 2022-2028 Chapter 9 | Economic Development the challenges facing our Irish owned enterprises as they aim to gain a foot-hold in, or diversify their export markets. Entrepreneurs and Irish owned enterprises are increasingly mobile and they are making location choices in a global context. Indeed, many now face international competition on their doorstep, reinforcing the imperative to innovate and to invest in areas of the business that improve competitiveness. In addition and in line with RSO 2 of Compact Growth and Urban Regeneration, there is a need to reduce consistent poverty rates and deprivation indices in the Region and to avoid depopulation of the smaller towns and rural areas. Similarly, region-wide unemployment blackspots require attention by identifying and addressing their causes. In general, companies are attracted to invest in locations where they can access human capital (skills and talent), higher education institutes and lifelong learning prone environments, where people will want to live and work and where the surrounding infrastructures are supportive of business. It is a combination of factors, such as innovation capacity in the location, continuous flow of infrastructure investments to ensure connectivity, competitive services and amenities, property solutions, housing, quality of life and access to trade and markets, that delivers efficiencies, economies of scale and wider societal benefits. The Smart City concept (see section 6.6) plays to our strengths in ICT and our small international scale, and in this respect constitutes an opportunity to develop a differentiated offering, to attract mobile talent, entrepreneurship, FDI, and to stimulate innovation across all enterprise. Future Proof and Risk Management With emerging global development and challenges, such as Brexit, tax developments, trade wars, it is important to constantly foresee and scan the horizon to identify unforeseen challenges and be ready to act upon them accordingly. Source: EMRA RSES The RSES identifies Bray and Wicklow – Rathnew as ‘key towns’ in the region. In accordance with RPO 4.27, ‘Key Towns shall act as economic drivers and provide for strategic employment locations to improve their economic base by increasing the ratio of jobs to workers’. The RSES recognises that the ‘Core Region’ contains a strong network of county and market towns that have a good level of local employment, services and amenities, which serve not just their resident populations but a wider catchment area, including towns such as Arklow. It is recognised that these towns have capacity for continued commensurate growth to become more self-sustaining and to attract high quality knowledge based employment at strategic accessible locations. The regional ports are recognised in the RSES as important centres of economic activity, and the RSES seeks to protect and support the role of regional ports, including Wicklow and Arklow, as economic drivers for the Region. Key Town: Bray The RSES recognises that Bray has a highly concentrated and diversified employment base and provides employment for its residents and surrounding towns as far as Wicklow, Arklow and Gorey. Due to Ardmore Studios, the town has been at the centre of the Irish Film Industry for 60 years. The town aims to attract major employment generating investment in the retail, services and industrial sectors with a particular focus on promoting Bray as a destination for high value investment in peoplebased industries, at locations accessible by public transport. There is also scope for employment growth at Fassaroe to improve the local employment base in Bray.201
- Wicklow County Development Plan 2022-2028 Chapter 9 | Economic Development Key Town: Wicklow – Rathnew The RSES recognises that Wicklow-Rathnew is a major employment hub, with a strong employment base attracting inflows of workers from around the County. The largest sectors in the settlement are commerce, manufacturing and education/ health/ public administration. There are a number of active business and industrial parks, with potential for expansion, as well as a supply of undeveloped zoned employment land available for growth. Wicklow Town plays a significant role in the provision of administrative services, delivering the functions of local government from Wicklow County Council, the provision of tertiary educational facilities at the Wicklow County Campus at Rathnew (in conjunction with Carlow IT) and higher order health facilities at Knockrobin Primary Health Centre. There is potential for the town centre to strengthen and promote economic development associated with retail and commerce, the expansion of port and harbour activities and the nearby Ashford Studios. Wicklow Port is home to commercial businesses and fishing as well as providing an important leisure amenity with tourism potential. Wicklow Port is well positioned to become a hub for the service of the off-shore wind energy sector in particular. Wicklow has a long maritime tradition with leisure events such as the Wicklow Regatta and the Round Ireland Yacht race which starts and ends in Wicklow Port. There is potential to develop Wicklow-Rathnew as a recreation and tourism hub due to its attractive coastal location and its proximity to key destinations such as the Wicklow Mountains, Glendalough and Brittas Bay and the key attractions within the town including the Wicklow Gaol, the Murrough, coastal walks, beaches, architectural heritage, sports facilities and as a terminus of the planned Greystones – Wicklow Coastal Route. Source: Section 4.6 RSES The Metropolitan Area Strategic Plan (MASP) that forms part of the RSES identifies a number of large-scale employment and mixed-use development areas within the metropolitan area, which should be developed in coordination with the sequential delivery of infrastructure and services. In Wicklow, the identified strategic locations are: Strategic Corridor Strategic Employment Locations Employment Potential North-South corridor (DART) Bray, extension to Fassaroe Greystones Re-intensification of commercial town centre functions and new mixed-use district. Redevelopment of IDA strategic sites at Greystones to strengthen employment base for North Wicklow Source: Table 5.1 RSES Realising our Rural Potential: The Action Plan for Rural Development 2017 aims to unlock the potential of rural Ireland through a framework of supports at national and local level which will ensure that people who live in rural areas have increased opportunities for employment locally, and access to public services and social networks that support a high quality of life. The Plan contains 276 actions across five key pillars. The five pillars are: i) Supporting Sustainable Communities, ii) Supporting Enterprise and Employment, iii) Maximising our Rural Tourism and Recreation Potential, iv) Fostering Culture and Creativity in Rural Communities, and v) Improving Rural Infrastructure and Connectivity.202
Source Wicklow County Council: Wicklow County Development Plan 2022–2028 – Volume 1 Written Statement (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.