Introduction

1. This section of the Plan presents the development background of the Kilrush Plan area and to present the future development strategy. The purpose of the development strategy is to set out clearly and concisely the main aims and objectives of the Plan, to indicate broadly how and where any new development is to be accommodated and to make clear the Council's priorities from the outset.

Aim

2. The overall aim of the Plan is to provide a planning framework which encourages and facilitates the social and economic development of Kilrush in an effort to restrict any future population decline and to facilitate future population growth, whilst protecting and, where appropriate, enhancing the built and natural environment and ensuring development is sustainable and of high quality.

Sustainable Development

3. Sustainable development is at the heart of the provisions of the Planning and Development Act 2000. Sustainable development is defined by the Bruntland Commission (1987) as development which meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. Planning authorities have a duty conferred upon them to ensure that planning and development policies are fully consistent with environmental sustainability. The policies and objectives of the Local Area Plan are not only consistent with this policy, but also set out methods to achieve sustainable development within the plan area.
4. The development strategy is underpinned by the following main guiding principles of sustainable development:

• To conserve natural resources and natural and cultural heritage;
• To pursue social and economic inclusion through partnership, participation and equality of access to services, transport, housing and employment;
• To shape new development patterns in ways which reduce private car dependency and increase the attractiveness of the plan area for economic growth and in particular for tourism
• To optimise the use of already developed areas while making them more attractive places to work and live.

5. Kilrush in recent years has experienced a falling population, although there are signs of the population stabilising. Economic decline in traditional employment; limited opportunities in new emerging employment sectors; and an increase in employment opportunities in urban areas such as Ennis and Shannon, Galway and Dublin has contributed to the fall in the local population that has been experienced.
6. The Plan seeks to build on the Plan area's strengths, by conserving its distinctive and attractive built and natural environment, which in many ways is the main economic future of the town, whilst seeking to redress the problems of population loss and to reinforce and further strengthen the town's role as the main administrative and service centre for the West Clare area.
7. In line with this, the Council will accommodate development in the town where potential development needs over the plan period can be accommodated in two ways, by developing existing derelict sites see Appendix 5 and by identifying additional areas of undeveloped land.
8. Kilrush has seen a significant amount of redevelopment of derelict buildings within the town, facilitated by the Town Renewal Scheme, which has made a major contribution to the overall improvement of the built environment. There are some areas of dereliction which remain and can contribute to the land requirements for future development. The benefits of utilising such sites are two fold. Firstly it will assist in conserving the natural resource of open land within the town, whilst secondly the re-use of existing buildings and previously developed sites should also contribute to making the town a more attractive place to live.
9. In order for the Council to be able to respond to all the potential development needs over the plan period, there is a need to:

1. Identify as yet undeveloped land within the town; and
2. Allow for flexibility to respond to opportunities for social inclusion;
3. Maintain and enhance the environmental quality of the settlement.

10. The Council will therefore seek to meet the needs for development by accommodating it in a way that is sympathetic to existing development patterns and to the concept of sustainable development, whilst seeking to redress population decline and providing economic growth, particularly in respect of the tourism product.

Objectives

11. Within the context of the aim of the Plan, the objectives are summarised as follows:

1. Maintain and enhance the role of the Plan area as the commercial, administrative and service centre of West Clare.
2. To make provision for the diverse residential needs of the population of Kilrush and provision for permanent residential resettlement into the town.
3. To facilitate the growth of an innovative and integrated tourism product which respects and compliments the unique environment, traditions and diverse resources of Kilrush.
4. To conserve and enhance the local distinctiveness reflected in the local built environment, the unique natural landscape and the cultural heritage of the plan area by encouraging sympathetic design of buildings and to allow for appropriate re-use of derelict buildings in the plan area.
5. Conserve and enhance the diverse environmental resources of Kilrush including Kilrush harbour and distinctive estuarine location and their habitats and protection of the water quality, seeking environmental protection where necessary in order to safeguard and improve the environment in its broadest sense for present and future generations.
6. Make provision for the needs of all sectors of the resident population and visitors to the area in terms of accessing a range of indoor and outdoor leisure, recreation and community facilities.
7. Provide for the satisfactory provision of services (eg health and social care, child-care, education and emergency services) and service infrastructure (eg electricity, water, drainage, sewerage and telecommunications) to meet the needs of the plan area.
8. To promote significant reduction in energy emissions through adoption of energy conservation and renewable energy practices in the areas such as building construction, sustainable transport and renewable heating and power systems.
9. To ensure that all residents have convenient access to a reasonable range and choice of retail and community services in a manner consistent with the concept of sustainable development.
10. To reduce dependency on the private motorised transport through effective traffic management and to encourage and integrate alternative means of travel to private motorised transport.
11. To identify land for employment uses and to support an extension of existing employment generating activities, such as marine-based activities and to provide for an increase in diversification of employment opportunities, including marine-based tourism and renewable energy resources.

Introduction

1. The overall objective of the locational strategy is to maintain and enhance the role of the Plan area as the commercial, administrative and service centre of West Clare.
2. The Council seek to achieve this through orderly, phased and rational development that relates to the overall development strategy for the plan area.
3. Within the Clare County Development Plan Settlement hierarchy, Kilrush is identified as a settlement with a strategy for expansion based on its role as the key service centre for West Clare, presenting opportunity for growth within recognised limitations such as scale, heritage, services and infrastructure. Settlements that fall within this category include those which have either full public infrastructure provision or limited infrastructure, with improvement, enhancement or infrastructure development planned for completion within the life of the Plan.
4. The overall settlement strategy for such settlements is "to allow the expansion of the town into its immediate environs and to encourage walkable communities, to bring together critical mass of people and services with a commitment to growth and capacity building, with an extensive and modernised infrastructure" (Clare County Development Plan 2005).

Core Strategic Policies

5. To realise the settlement strategy the core policies of the plan present the foundation on which the detailed policies are based as presented in later sections of the Plan.

Sustainable Development

6. Achieving good sustainable urban design in new development where people can live, shop, go to school, avail of community facilities and ideally work within close proximity of home is a key objective of National Government and of the Council. The core strategy for the Kilrush Development Plan is therefore based on the need to ensure the sustainable planning and development of the town as a balanced community providing a quality environment in which to live and work. This can be achieved by seeking high standards in the provision of housing, employment, social and community facilities, recreation and amenities, transport and the natural, built and cultural environment.

7. In order to achieve sustainable development, new development must be concentrated within the settlement boundary and must be of high quality design to ensure the town develops in a comprehensive phased approach which contributes to the overall proper planning and sustainable development of the town. This strategic objective is defined through the range of policies and land-use designations that seek to control, guide and encourage forms and types of development at appropriate locations within the town.

Development Uses

8. The land-use proposals map provides for a number of land uses which seek to promote the concept of a balanced permanent residential community with the necessary and appropriate services and facilities, whilst also ensuring the town retains its distinctive character and retains its key functions of being the main administrative, commercial and administrative centre for the West Clare area. Monitoring of land availability will be undertaken to ensure that development requirements are being met.

9. The land-use zoning matrix provides an indication of the permissible uses under each land-use zoning and the types of development that may be considered acceptable.

Development Guidelines

10. In order to encourage high quality development, any development proposals will be required at the very least, to comply with the minimum standards in development in order to continue to conserve and enhance the quality of life in the Plan area. It is important to adhere to guidelines which will be consistently applied.

11. The guidelines shall be seen as supplementary to policy and where there is conflict between policy and guidelines the policy will be followed. Guidelines will be updated as new standards for development are brought forward and adopted as best practice.