Status of Development Plan

1. The Kilrush Development Plan 2008 (the Plan) is made in accordance with the Planning and Development Act 2000 (as Amended 2002) to set out an overall strategy for the proper planning and sustainable development of the Kilrush Town Council area. The Plan is a legal document that replaces the Kilrush Development Plan 2002, 1998 and the Draft Development Plan 1993. The duration of the Plan is 6 years from the date of its adoption. The provisions of the Development Plan are considerations in the determination of applications for planning permission within the meaning of Section 34(2)(a)(i) of the Act. Kilrush Town Development Plan is a separate legal planning document from that of the Clare County Development Plan. The areas adjoining the town boundary are governed by the policies of the Clare County Development Plan 2005; whilst the Kilrush Development Plan governs any development within the town's administrative boundary.

Plan Area

2. The Plan area applies to the administrative area of Kilrush Town Council which includes the town of Kilrush and Cappagh. The population of the area is 2,657 (Census 2006).

Period of the Plan

3. The Plan covers the period from 2008 to 2014 and will be valid for a period of 6 years from the date of adoption by Kilrush Town Council subject to any reviews, variations and alterations made in the future. The progress of the Plan will be reviewed two years after the date of its adoption and a progress report considered by the Planning Authority.

Purpose of the Plan

4. The functions of the Plan are to:
   • Develop policies and proposals for the proper planning and development of the area;
   • Provide a detailed and consistent framework for determining planning applications;
   • Provide a basis for co-ordinating public and private development throughout the area;
   • Bring planning issues before the public for consideration and debate; and
   • Inform residents, property/land owners and developers how their interests will be affected during the life of the Plan.

Consultation

5. The Planning and Development Act 2000 requires a statutory notification of the Planning Authority's intention to prepare a Development Plan. In addition to this requirement, the Council undertook a comprehensive programme of public consultation and sought to engage all sectors of the population in the plan review process at an early stage.
6. A consultation approach involved a public consultation information event with workshop, held in the Community School, Kilrush. The involvement of schools was encouraged through the preparation of projects set to stimulate input from the younger sectors of the community, the extensive outputs of which were presented as part of the display material.
7. A series of workshops were also held with community groups, the business community and service providers. An Issues paper was produced and circulated which included a consultation response form. The responses to the consultation process have been considered by the Planning Authority in adopting the draft Plan.
8. The Managers Report on the Public Consultation Process was considered by the Council and the Managers Recommendations with Directions issued by the Members

Monitoring and Review

9. The Council will monitor the effectiveness of the policy objectives in controlling development and delivering proper planning and sustainable development.

Plan Format

10. The plan comprises four parts. Policies are distinguished from the rest of the text by use of bold type and an explanation and justification for its inclusion follow each policy objective. Policies that relate to geographic areas or sites will appear on the proposals map.
11. Part A of the Plan provides an introduction to the Plan and provides policy background and context.
12. Part B of the Plan comprises a written statement presenting the preferred development and locational strategy for the future development of the Plan area.
13. Part C of the Plan comprises the Land-use Zoning Maps that provide a visual realisation of the disposition of the policies throughout the urban area. The proposals map is on an Ordinance Survey digital data-base and reproduced at a scale of 1:5000.
14. Part D of the Plan sets out the objectives and policies which through their implementation will realise the overall development strategy.
15. Part E of the Plan comprises development guidelines that contain the standards that will ensure consistency and quality in all forms of development
16. Part F of the Plan comprises appendices providing details to support the policies in the written statement.
17. Part G of the Plan comprises Land-Use Zoning Maps for the plan area.

Policy Background

1. There is overarching policy at EU, Government, Regional and County levels that sets the strategic context, into which the Kilrush Development Plan fits. Detail of these documents sets up the policy context, which becomes the backdrop to the Kilrush Development Plan. The Kilrush Development Plan is the local document, but must be in-line with the objectives set out at each of the higher policy tiers.
2. The Planning and Development Act 2000 requires that a planning authority, when making and adopting a development plan, shall so far as is practicable have regard to and be consistent with national plans, policies or strategies, regional planning guidelines and the development plans of adjoining authorities. Relevant objectives and policies within such documents are referred to in the written statement where appropriate. Implementation of the plan will be assisted by the preparation of new and a review of existing supplementary planning guidance in the form of site-specific concept statements and development guidelines addressing development types and general issues.

European Framework

3. There are a number of Policies and Directives, at a European level that influence the making of a Development Plan. These, aim to promote economic growth, social cohesion and the protection of the environment, thus setting the overall sustainability element in terms of planning. In doing so, it focuses on areas such as, environmental protection, economic development, reduction of social imbalances, improvement of social integration, recent immigration, quality of life and health.

Table 1: Hierarchy of Plans in relation to the Kilrush Development Plan

National Framework

Regional Framework

8. Kilrush is located in the County of Clare within the Mid Western Region of Ireland; therefore the Mid West Strategy and Regional Planning Guidelines (May 2004) cater for the area. The Clare County Development Plan 2005 is the development plan for the non-urban areas of County Clare. The Mid West Regional Strategy and Regional Planning Guidelines state that the Mid West Region is located amid the 'Atlantic Arc', which stretches the western seaboard that consists of a range of important centres. It is considered that the Region has a strong central core, in terms of Limerick, Shannon and Ennis. This area is important in terms of the Shannon international airport link, important ports and educational facilities. In relation to Kilrush, there is reference to remote locations with poor links and declining population. However, in the scheme of things, Kilrush is relatively near to Shannon Airport and with new infrastructure soon to be completed, travel times to Limerick will decrease, thus bring them closer together. Kilrush will become more important in terms of tourism, a topic highlighted in the Regional Guidelines. With Marina Developments on-stream, this will provide the town with a platform to launch the tourism sector on the right note. Broadband, also highlighted, is a huge bonus in an area such as Kilrush, one that will really counter-balance its more peripheral location, as e-business and IT opportunities provide people with alternatives / more variety in where they can set-up business opportunities or re-locate to.
   

Local Framework

West Clare Local Area Plan 2003

10. This plan applies to the Kilrush electoral area and the D.E.D of Killone. It extends from area of the Crosses of Annagh in the north, to the Lissycasey area in the east, to the natural boundaries of the Shannon Estuary in the south and the Atlantic to the west, including Loop Head. Kilrush Town is not included in this Plan, as it has it's own development Plan. However, it is important to take into consideration the Plans of the surrounding area and to be consistent with such Plans.

Clare County Council Draft Housing Strategy 2007-2012

11. This document aims to provide for the existing and future needs of the areas covered by the development Plans. All policies and strategies arising from the adoption of the Clare County Council Draft Housing Strategy 2007-2012 have to be incorporated into this (Kilrush) development Plan. There have been a number of Housing Strategy Policies identified, namely HS1 - HS31 (pages 60 - 73). These are based on the principle objective that there is a sufficient and suitable supply of land zoned in Plans, to meet the strategy requirements and to prevent a scarcity of such land during the strategy period 2007-2012.

Retail Strategy for County Clare 2003-2011

12. This sets out the overall strategic context for retail planning and development in the county. The Retail Hierarchy is outlined and principles for the broad distribution for additional retail development throughout the county. The retail hierarchy sets the future trends for retail development in the county; Kilrush is named as a large town, on a par with Ennis and Shannon, with Small towns next such as Newmarket-on-Fergus and Sixmilebridge, Villages next such as Quin and O'Briensbridge and so on. In terms of the Retail Planning Guidelines, Kilrush is a Tier 3(i) Commercial Centre in the hierarchy. It is located in the southwest, has 7,174 m² of retail floor space, is named as a CDB Growth Centre, but does not appear in the current Limerick PLUTS Settlement Strategy.

County Clare Rural House Design Guide- 2^nd Ed.2005

13. This guide has divided the county into four simplified regions. Kilrush falls inside 'The Shannon Estuary and Fergus Floodplains' region and borders on the Coastal and Moorland Region, which lies further to the west. This region is characterised by a sheltered and tree-covered environment, large estates and planned urban centres. Only a small area of the Kilrush Town Development Plan area is in the open countryside, however it is important to take guidance from the rural design guide in terms of building tradition, design, materials and siting in the landscape.

Sustainable Development

14. The Planning and Development Act 2000 has sustainable development at the heart of its provisions. It follows from the national guidelines for sustainable development published in 1995. The guidelines recognised the role of development plans in delivering sustainable development. Planning authorities are advised to ensure that planning and development policies are fully consistent with environmental sustainability objectives. Objectives within the Plan will seek to ensure that development within the Plan area is sustainable.

Planning Guidelines

15. Planning Authorities are obliged to perform under the Local Government Act, 1991 and the Planning and Development Act 2000 (Amended 2002). The Planning Authority must have regard to any such guidelines, policies or objectives of the Government.
16. There are planning guidelines on a range of areas from residential density, sustainable urban and rural housing, childcare provisions, retail planning, architectural heritage, development contributions, landscape assessment, quarries, affordable housing, telecommunications, wind energy, taking in charge of estates, Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) to the making of development plans.

1. Development Plans Guidelines for Planning Authorities (June 2007) provides details on the framework in which development plans achieve high standards in relation to the setting out of aims and objectives, their production, presentation, implementation and monitoring. They highlight the need for a strategic, positive driven Plan, based on future needs, meeting the community needs, protecting the environment and heritage, as well as being consistent with other Plans.
2. Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) is an assessment of the likely significant effects of the Plan on the environment. SEA came into effect in July 2004 in Ireland, following the SEA Directive (2001/ 42/ EC). The DoEHLG has published guidelines in relation to SEA, Implementation of SEA Directive (2001/ 42/ EC): Assessment of the Effects of Certain Plans and Programmes on the Environment, Guidelines for Regional Authorities and Planning Authorities.

Other Relevant Documents

Atlantic Gateways Initiative

17. The main concept of this new publication is based around regional growth and the role that the Irish hinterland - outside of Dublin plays, in terms of sustaining competitiveness and contributing to the current dynamic Irish economy. The Atlantic Gateways are named as Waterford, Cork, Limerick-Shannon and Galway. The Initiative is based on the building of critical mass, competitiveness and quality if life. In this regard, the larger urban centres, serving surrounding rural locations (such as Kilrush) become a more attractive place, thus improving the occasional trips to the higher level of the urban hierarchy (mainly Limerick-Shannon or Galway).

Mid-West Tourism and Economic Development Plan

18. This aims to build on the sustainability of Shannon Airport in the Mid-West Region, through a number of recommendations in relation to infrastructure, tourism, enterprise and providing a conference centre and an implementation group for the 'Open Skies' Agreement.

Population Projections

19. In order to accurately assess future population trends for the Plan area and therefore derive the broad level of future housing requirement and employment needs, future population has been forecast to 2014. The population forecast projection is based on:
    • Previous population trends in the periods
    • Residential dwelling completions in the past five years
    • The Clare County Housing Strategy 2007 - 2012
20. Analysis of population trends for the Kilrush plan area shows a fluctuating but overall population decline between 1991 and 2006. However, it is estimated that the plan area will see a population increase from 2,657 in 2006 to 2,993 in 2014 and to 3,245 in 2020.

Table 2: Population Projections 2006 - 2014

	1991	1996	2002	2006	2011	2014	2020
Kilrush Town Council Area Population	2,740	2,594	2,699	2,657	2,867	2,993	3,245

 

Kilrush Permanent Residential Housing Unit Need

	2006 Permanent Housing Units	2006 - 2014 Additional Housing Need	2014 - 2020 Additional Housing Need	2006 - 2020 Total
Kilrush Urban E.D.	941	153	121	274
Kilrush Rural E.D.	201	34	22	56
Kilrush Total	1,142	187	143	330

21. The population projections translate into a housing requirement of 153 permanent residential units in the period 2006-2014. A further 121 permanent residential units will need to be constructed in the period 2014-2020. These projections are based on a further declining household size estimated at 2.43 persons per household by 2020. Such a reduction in size is attributable to such factors as fragmentation of existing households and smaller family sizes. In considering the growth scenario for Kilrush, it is necessary to analise the population trends for the Kilrush rural area as these have a direct bearing on the plan area in a number of ways. The Kilrush rural area, which is the area directly surrounding the Plan area has, in contrast to the urban area, experienced an overall increase in population from 543 in 1991 to 621 in 2006 which reflects a population increase of 78 which in turn has contributed in part to a rise in one-off housing in the open countryside.
22. Factors influencing this trend include returning immigrants to retire or relocate to the area; the attraction of the western seaboard for people to relocate and live in the area, benefiting from the services offered by the town of Kilrush; and from good road links to Ennis allowing for easy commuting to places of employment like Ennis, Shannon and beyond. The projected population growth of 157 in the Kilrush rural area translates into an additional housing requirement of 56 permanent housing units, based on the projected household size for the rural area of 3 per household and that the percentage of the population living in permanent private households opposed to those living in communal accommodation is 99%. Therefore taking account of the projected housing requirements for both the Kilrush and rural areas the overall projected housing requirement is for 330 permanent residential units between 2006 and 2020, which the Development Plan must provide for. It is the function of the Development Plan to promote proper planning and sustainable development through the formulation of planning policy for housing and to identify sufficient and suitable land for new housing and by doing so to reduce the pressure for the unsustainable development of one-off houses in the open countryside. Thus although the Kilrush rural area lies outside the plan area it has to be considered in the overall assessment of housing need in order to ensure that it can be provided for within settlements the nearby settlements, in this case within Kilrush.
23. In considering future housing requirement, it should be noted that within the Kilrush urban area that of the 1247 permanent private households, 23% (288 units) of these are unoccupied (2006 CSO) which is above the county average of 21.5%. A proportion of these will be holiday/second homes but there will also be a portion of the existing housing stock that are habitable but lie vacant.

Population Structure

24. In relation to the structure of the population, there has been a noticeable change in the structure of the population during the period between 2002 and 2006. The table below shows the change in the school going population

Tables 3a: School-Going Population Structure 2002 - 2006 : Kilrush Urban

Kilrush Urban	2002	2006	Change
Creche & Pre School (0-4)	187	138	-49
Primary School (5-12)	304	274	-30
Secondary School (13-18)	221	214	-7

 

Tables 3b: School-Going Population Structure 2002 - 2006 : Kilrush Rural

Kilrush Rural	2002	2006	Change
Creche & Pre School (0-4)	42	44	2
Primary School (5-12)	83	85	2
Secondary School (13-18)	50	66	16

Tables 3c: School-Going Population Structure 2002 - 2006 : Kilrush Total

Kilrush Total	2002	2006	Change
Creche & Pre School (0-4)	229	182	-47
Primary School (5-12)	387	359	-28
Secondary School (13-18)	271	280	9

25. In the Kilrush Urban area the figures show that between 2002 and 2006 there was a noticeable decrease in all age groups between 0 and 18 years old, especially children in the crèche and pre-school age groups. However a slightly different trend for the Kilrush Rural area with a marginal increase in the crèche and pre-school age groups and a moderately small increase in the older age cohorts. However, cumulatively, there is an overall decline in the population of all the age cohorts with the exception of those of secondary school going age. The most significant decline is seen in the 0 - 4 age cohort with a decline of 47.

Number of Kilrush People in the Different Age Cohorts

Kilrush T.C.	2002	2006	Change
0-4	187	138	-49
5-9	188	175	-13
10-14	192	177	-15
Total 0 – 14	567	490	-77
15-19	177	163	-14
20-24	155	140	-15
25-29	156	161	5
30-34	151	159	8
35-39	178	149	-29
40-44	184	184	0
45-49	173	184	11
50-54	197	183	-14
55-59	151	206	55
60-64	129	141	12
Total 15 - 64	1,651	1670	19
65-69	130	125	-5
70-74	102	118	16
75-79	93	90	-3
80-84	73	76	3
85+	83	88	5
Total 65+	481	497	16
Total	2699	2,657	-42
Age Dependency Ratio	63%	59%	-4%

26. The table above shows the number of Kilrush people in the different age cohorts. At the bottom of the table the age dependency ratio is shown. This ratio shows the combined child population (0-14 years) and the aged population (65 years and over) - persons in the "dependent" ages - to every 100 people of the intermediate age population (15-65 years) who are the "economically active" ages. Where more detailed data are lacking, the age-dependency ratio is often used, as an indicator of the economic burden the productive portion of a population must carry. The age dependency ratio has improved for Kilrush in the last census period but it is below the county average of 50%.

27. The implication from population structure figures against the projected growth in population for the plan period is that growth that does occur will largely be a result of fragmentation of existing households and in-migration, rather than natural population growth within the plan area.

Employment

28. The 2006 employment figures for the Kilrush area show that 45.6% of the population are in employment, which is below the state (57.2%) and county (58.2%) averages. Of those who are out of employment 19.1% are retired which is significantly higher than the state (11.2%) and County (12.1%) figures. The percentage unemployed is slightly higher than the state and county figures by 1.5 to 1.9 %. There are also a noticeably higher proportion of people who are unable to work with 8.4% of the local population compared to the state of 4.1% and the county 12.1%.
29. Of the people unemployed in the Kilrush area, the highest proportion is in the 45 - 54 age cohort whereas the State and County figures show the greatest employment within the 25-34-age cohort. The number of people employed in manufacturing in Kilrush, compared to the state and county figures which show more people are employed in clerical, management and government jobs, being almost half the amount for the County. There are higher numbers employed in Kilrush in manual and semi skilled jobs than throughout the state generally and significantly lower numbers employed in the non-manual, employers, managers and higher professional positions.