Kilkenny County Development Plan 2014-2020 Adopted 22nd April 2014 Effective from 20th May 2014 Planning Department Kilkenny County Council Table of Contents 1 Introduction ............................................................................................................. 1 1.1 Legislative Framework ........................................................................................1 1.2 Strategic Environmental Assessment ...................................................................1 1.3 Appropriate Assessment ....................................................................................2 1.4 Sustainability .......................................................................................................3 1.5 Structure of the Plan ............................................................................................3 1.6 Policy Context .....................................................................................................3 1.6.1 Climate Change .................................................................................................. 3 1.6.2 National Spatial Strategy ................................................................................... 4 1.6.3 The National Development Plan 2007-2013 ..................................................... 4 1.6.4 The National Recovery Plan ............................................................................... 5 1.6.5 Our Sustainable Future – A Framework for Sustainable Development for Ireland ............................................................................................................................... 5 1.6.6 Ministerial Guidelines and Directives ................................................................ 5 1.6.7 Food Harvest 2020 Strategy .............................................................................. 5 1.6.8 South East Regional Planning Guidelines .......................................................... 6 1.6.9 South East River Basin Management Plan ......................................................... 6 1.6.10 Waterford Planning and Land Use Transportation Study ................................. 6 1.6.11 Strategy for Economic, Social and Cultural Development 2002- 2012 ............. 7 1.7 Mission Statement ...............................................................................................7 1.8 Monitoring and Review .......................................................................................7 2 Demographic and Socio-Economic Trends ................................................................. 8 2.1 Population ..........................................................................................................8 2.1.1 Population Trends ............................................................................................. 8 2.1.2 Population Change ............................................................................................ 9 2.1.3 Household size ................................................................................................. 10 2.1.4 Population Forecasts ....................................................................................... 10 2.2 Housing Vacancy Rates ......................................................................................11 2.3 Socio - Economic profile .....................................................................................12 2.3.1 Kilkenny’s Economy ......................................................................................... 12 2.3.2 Employment .................................................................................................... 12 2.3.3 Broadband ....................................................................................................... 12 2.3.4 Travel to Work ................................................................................................. 13 2.3.5 Unemployment ................................................................................................ 13 2.4 Physical Development Trends ............................................................................14 2.5 Key issues for Plan ............................................................................................14 3 Core Strategy .......................................................................................................... 15 3.1 Introduction ....................................................................................................15 3.2 Development Strategy ......................................................................................15 3.3 Settlement Hierarchy .......................................................................................16 3.3.1 Kilkenny City & Environs .................................................................................. 16 3.3.2 Waterford Gateway (Ferrybank/Belview) ....................................................... 16 3.3.3 Large Town – the Environs of New Ross ......................................................... 18 3.3.4 District Towns .................................................................................................. 18 3.3.5 Smaller Towns and Villages ............................................................................. 19 3.4 Core Strategy Table ................................................................................................. 23 3.4.1 Population Change .......................................................................................... 23 3.5 Rural Settlement Strategy .................................................................................25 3.5.1 Analysis of the County ..................................................................................... 25 3.5.2 Rural Housing Policies ..................................................................................... 26 3.5.3 Rural House Design Guidance ......................................................................... 31 3.6 Implementation of Settlement Strategy .............................................................31 3.7 Retail Strategy ..................................................................................................32 3.8 Housing Strategy ..............................................................................................32 4 Economic Development .......................................................................................... 33 4.1 Introduction .....................................................................................................33 4.2 The Green Economy ..........................................................................................34 4.3 Economic Development & Heritage ...................................................................35 4.4 Economic Strategy for Kilkenny .........................................................................36 4.4.1 Third and Fourth Level Education and Research Development ...................... 36 4.4.2 Agri-Food ......................................................................................................... 37 4.4.3 Services Development ..................................................................................... 37 4.4.4 Tourism Arts and Leisure ................................................................................. 38 4.4.5 Life Sciences including Pharma with specific focus on Belview ...................... 39 4.5 County Development Board Strategy .................................................................39 4.6 Strategic Locations for Enterprise and Employment ............................................39 4.6.1 Kilkenny City .................................................................................................... 39 4.6.2 Belview Port ..................................................................................................... 40 4.6.3 District Towns .................................................................................................. 41 4.6.4 Enterprise and Employment in Rural Areas .................................................... 41 4.7 Retail Strategy ..................................................................................................42 4.7.1 Overview of Progress ....................................................................................... 42 4.7.2 County Retail Hierarchy ................................................................................... 43 4.7.3 Core Retail Area ............................................................................................... 43 4.7.4 Broad Assessment of Additional Retail Floorspace ......................................... 44 4.8 Review of Retail Potential .................................................................................49 4.8.1 Kilkenny City & Environs .................................................................................. 49 4.8.2 Ferrybank/Belview (Waterford City Environs) ................................................ 51 4.8.3 The District Towns ........................................................................................... 52 4.9 Spatial Distribution of New Retail Development .................................................52 4.9.2 Criteria for Assessing Future Retail Proposals ................................................. 54 4.10 Monitoring & Review ........................................................................................55 5 Housing and Community ........................................................................................