LEITRIM COUNTY DEVELOPMENT PLAN 2003 – 2009 The Planning Department Leitrim County Council County Buildings Carrick-on-Shannon Co. Leitrim 078-20005 [email protected] With technical assistance from Brady Shipman Martin Section 1 Introductions and Goals 1.01 Legal Preamble 2 1.01.01 Legal Status of Plan 2 1.01.02 Purpose of Plan 2 1.01.03 Scope 2 1.01.04 Period of Plan 2 1.01.05 Context 2 1.02 Introduction 4 1.02.01 National and Regional Context 4 1.02.02 Topography and Soils 5 1.02.03 Analysis of Survey 6 1.03 A Vision for the Future of County Leitrim 9 1.04 Strategic Goals 11 1.04.01 Resources 11 1.04.02 Environment and Heritage 11 1.04.03 Economy 12 1.04.04 Transport and Communications 12 1.04.05 Social 13 1.05 Strategic Development Framework 14 Section 2 Policies & Objectives 2.01 Urban and Rural Settlement Policies 17 2.01.01 Reinforcement of Existing Towns and Villages 17 2.01.02 Renewal of Rural Areas 18 2.02 Area Specific Land Use Policies 20 2.02.01 Land Use Zoning 20 2.02.02 Landscape Character Areas 20 2.02.03 The Coastal Area 20 2.03 Community Services 21 2.03.01 Childcare Facilities 21 2.03.02 Education 21 2.03.03 Cultural Facilities and Libraries 22 2.03.04 Health and Community Facilities 22 2.03.05 Burial Grounds 23 2.03.06 Fire and Emergency Services 23 2.04 Housing 24 2.04.01 General 24 2.04.02 Social and Affordable Housing 24 2.04.03 Accommodation of the Traveller Community 26 2.04.04 Accommodation of the Homeless 26 2.04.05 Accommodation of Persons with Physical and/or Mental Disabilities 26 2.04.06 Accommodation of the Elderly 27 2.05 Transportation 28 2.05.01 Sustainable Transportation 28 2.05.02 Minimisation of Demand 28 2.05.03 Walking and Cycling 28 2.05.04 Public Transport 28 2.05.05 Rural Transport Initiative 29 2.05.06 Roads 29 2.06 Employment and Industry 33 2.06.01 General 33 2.06.02 Agriculture 33 2.06.03 Forestry 34 2.06.04 Industry and Commerce 38 2.06.05 Retailing 38 2.06.06 Tourism 39 2.06.07 Quarrying & Mining 41 2.07 Protection of the Natural Environment 42 2.07.01 General 42 2.07.02 European and National Sites 42 2.07.03 Peatlands 45 2.07.04 Bird Sanctuaries 45 2.07.05 Landscape Character Assessment 47 2.07.06 Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty and High Visual Amenity 48 2.07.07 Landscapes Conservation Area 51 2.07.08 Protected Views and Prospects 51 2.07.09 Trees, Hedgerows and Woodlands 54 2.07.10 Protection of Water Courses 55 2.08 Protection of the Built Environment 56 2.08.01 General 56 2.08.02 Protected Structures 56 2.08.03 Streetscapes and Areas of Good Urban Design 57 2.08.04 Archaeology 59 2.08.05 Industrial Archaeology & Canals 60 2.08.06 Burial Grounds 60 2.09 Recreation 61 2.09.01 Passive Recreation 61 2.09.02 Active Recreation 62 2.09.03 Angling 62 2.09.04 Sport & Recreation 62 2.10 Utility Services 64 2.10.01 Water Supply 64 2.10.02 Waste Water Treatment 64 2.10.03 Solid Waste Recovery and Disposal 65 2.10.04 Electricity Generation and Transmission 66 2.10.05 Gas 70 2.10.06 Telecommunications 70 2.11 The Control of Establishments likely to fall under the Major Accidents Directive 72 2.11.01 General 72 Section 3 Development Control Standards 3.01 General 74 3.01.01 Introduction 74 3.01.02 Development Control Requirements 74 3.01.03 Location of Development 75 3.01.04 Town and Village Boundaries 76 3.01.05 Rural Areas 76 3.01.06 Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty 77 3.01.07 Areas of High Visual Amenity 77 3.01.08 General Development Area 77 3.01.09 Coastal Area 77 3.02 Residential Development Control Standards 78 3.02.01 Residential Development in Rural Areas 78 3.02.02 Ribbon Development 78 3.02.03 Restoration & Conversion of Derelict Structures 78 3.02.04 Individual Houses 78 3.02.05 Site Boundaries 79 3.02.06 Road Access 80 3.02.07 Waste Water Treatment 80 3.02.08 Residential Development in Towns & Villages 80 3.02.09 Infill & Backland Development 81 3.02.10 Urban Regeneration & Renewal 81 3.02.11 Density 82 3.02.12 Naming of Residential Estates 82 3.02.13 Open Space Provision in Housing Schemes 82 3.02.14 Services 83 3.02.15 Taking in Charge of Estates 84 3.02.16 Apartments 84 3.02.17 Residential Care Homes 84 3.02.18 House Extensions 85 3.02.19 Multiple Holiday Home Development 85 3.02.20 Sustainability Criteria 85 3.03 Industrial and Commercial Development Control Standards 86 3.03.01 Industrial/Commercial Development 86 3.03.02 Commerce 88 3.03.03 Retail Services 88 3.03.04 Safeguarding Retailing Uses in Rural Villages 88 3.03.05 Petrol Stations 88 3.03.06 Advertising 89 3.03.07 Shop Front Design Standards 89 3.03.08 Quarries, Extractive Industries, Mining, Oil & Gas 90 3.03.09 Forestry 91 3.03.10 Wind Farms 92 3.03.11 Telecommunications 93 3.03.12 Marinas 94 3.03.13 Other Tourism Facilities 94 3.03.14 Formal and Informal recreational Facilities 94 3.03.15 Agricultural Development 95 3.04 Roads & Parking Development Control Standards 96 3.04.01 General Roads and Parking Standards 96 3.04.02 Parking for the Disabled 97 3.04.03 Bicycle Parking 97 3.04.04 Access to Public Roads 97 3.04.05 Sight Lines & Development Along Controlled Roads 98 3.04.06 Surface Water Drainage 98 3.04.07 Roadside boundaries 98 3.04.08 Protection of Road Routes 98 3.04.09 Public Rights of Way 99 3.05 Other Development Control Standards 100 3.05.01 Environmental Impact Statements 100 3.05.02 Development Contributions 100 3.05.03 Cash Deposits and bonds 100 3.05.04 Care for Persons with Disabilities 101 3.05.05 Noise 101 Section 4 Statement on the Likely impact on the Environment of Implementing the policies of this plan 4.01 Introduction 103 Matrix 105 Map 9 (Sheet 1 of 2) 106 Map 10 (Sheet 2 of 2) 107 Section 5 Volume II, Record of Protected Structures 109 Map 11 Carrick on Shannon ByPass – Preferred Route 111 SECTION 1: INTRODUCTION AND GOALS SECTION 1 INTRODUCTION AND GOALS LEITRIM COUNTY DEVELOPMENT PLAN 2003-2009 1 SECTION 1: INTRODUCTION AND GOALS 1.01 Legal Preamble 1.01.01 Legal Status of Plan The Leitrim County Development Plan 2003 -2009 was prepared under the Planning and Development Act 2000. The plan consists of this written statement and accompanying maps. 1.01.02 Purpose of Plan The Development Plan can be regarded as an environmental contract between the Council and the community. The plan sets out the policies and specific objectives that will guide the actions of the Council in its established roles as provider of physical infrastructure, protector of the environment and its emerging role as facilitator of social, cultural and economic development. 1.01.03 Scope The area to which the plan relates is the administrative area of County Leitrim. A separate Local Area Plan has been prepared for the county town of Carrick-on-Shannon. The Council intends to prepare plans for other towns and villages in the county over the period of this plan. 1.01.04 Period of Plan The plan is valid for a six-year period from the date the plan is made. 1.01.05 Context National and Regional Context The Leitrim County Development Plan must conform to various national and regional policies. The National Development Plan 2000-2006 The National Development Plan forms the basis on which national capital expenditure will be based over the next five years. It includes the following objectives; • Continuing sustainable national economic and employment growth, • Consolidating and improving Ireland's international competitiveness, • Fostering balanced regional development, • Promoting social inclusion. National Spatial Strategy The Department of the Environment launched Indications of the Way Ahead in September 2001 the second consultation paper for the National Spatial Strategy. The strategy itself was launched at the end of November, 2002. The guiding principles of the strategy are; • To bring people and their jobs closer together; • To reduce the level of migration eastward; • Facilitating north - south interaction; Proposed amended DRAFT LEITRIM COUNTY DEVELOPMENT PLAN 2003-2009 December 2002 2 SECTION 1: INTRODUCTION AND GOALS • Providing a wider variety of employment and leisure options for smaller urban centres; • Improving accessibility to facilities and services; • Lower levels of congestion in major urban areas; and; • Achieve a higher quality environment in both urban and rural areas. Map 1.1a Leitrim in the context of the National Spatial Strategy The strategy has identified Leitrim as a predominantly rural county ‘with strong potential for diversification’. Sligo is the gateway town for the region. Sustainable Development ‘The government is committed to ensuring that the economy and society can develop to their full potential within a protected environment, without compromising the quality of that environment, and with responsibility towards present and future generations and the wider international community’1. Government policy is contained in Sustainable Development, a Strategy for Ireland (1997).