Tuamgraney Community Development Plan 2019 -2022 Prepared on behalf of the Community by the Voluntary Community Planning Group February 2019 Contents Introduction ..............................................................................................2 Tuamgraney ...............................................................................................2 Community Profile ....................................................................................3 Tuamgraney Community Development Planning Process ..........................................8 Survey Results & Prioritised Actions ...................................................................9 Next Steps ...............................................................................................10 Appendix 1 – The Survey............................................................................... 11 Appendix 2 – Survey Responses .......................................................................12 1 Introduction This document is the result of a year-long process enabled by Clare Local Development Company. The process leading to this plan was led by a group of local volunteers who worked closely with a facilitator whose role was to guide and inform the planning process. The actions proposed in this plan have been informed by the needs, interests and concerns of those living in the area. Members of the planning group invested a great deal of personal commitment in attending meetings, taking on tasks, and reflecting on the needs brought forward by their community. The planning group was made up of members from following groups: • Tuamgraney Development • Tuamgraney Handball Club Association • Bodyke/Tuamgraney GAA Club • Bodyke/Tuamgraney Pastoral • Bodyke/Tuamgraney Camogie Club Council • Raheen Hospital Support Group • Tuamgraney Community Weekend • St. Cronan’s Church Committee • Tuamgraney NS Parents Council • Blossom Harp Festival The impact of volunteers across the broad spectrum of activities to be found in the community is enormous, and a great deal of gratitude is owed to them. Sincere appreciation is due to those who committed to this planning process. Tuamgraney Tuamgraney is a village in east County Clare. It is a rural community with all the aspects of a traditional rural village, while located in very close proximity to the market town of Scariff. Scariff/Tuamgraney are identified as a Service Town in the Clare County Development Plan 2017-2023. Ennis, Clare’s County Town, is 34km from Tuamgraney, a drive of just over half an hour. Tuamgraney is an attractive village with much to offer to residents and visitors. For visitors, there is the historic St. Cronan’s Church, many outdoor activities ranging from walks, horse riding and angling. There are also several businesses providing visitor experiences and products. The potential for expanding visitor numbers has been fully investigated in a recent Community, Tourism and Cultural Development Study. The community is clear on the best things about living in Tuamgraney as evidenced by residents’ views gathered from the community survey that forms the basis of this plan. Best things about life in Tuamgraney: • Community spirit • Cleanliness/upkeep • Small businesses • Peaceful/rural/safe • Woods/Quay/Lake • History/Culture/Heritage • The Green • Location - towns/airport The task of this process was to allow residents to acknowledge the strengths of the community and to identify aspects which could be improved upon. 2 Community Profile Tuamgraney is situated in the Electoral Divisions of Scariff and Caherhurley. Collating census data for Tuamgraney is complicated by the fact that the community resides in at least two Caherhurley ED Electoral Divisions. The data that follows has been gathered from the three Small Areas1 most closely covering the Tuamgraney community. These Small Area ID numbers are 37017001 (1), 37142001 (2) and 37142002 (3). Population Total Population 2016 257 260 199 195 175 130 65 0 1 2 3 • Total population of the three Small Areas is 631. 1 Small Areas are areas of population generally comprising between 80 and 120 dwellings created by The National Institute of Regional and Spatial Analysis (NIRSA) on behalf of the Ordnance Survey Ireland (OSi) in consultation with CSO. Small Areas were designed as the lowest level of geography for the compilation of statistics in line with data protection and generally comprise either complete or part of townlands or neighborhoods. 3 % Pop Change (2006-16) 0 -0.03 -0.05 -0.08 -0.1 1 2 3 • There was a very small decrease in population in each of the three Small Areas between 2006 and 2016. As Small Area 2 contains the highest population of the three Small Areas, it has been taken as the sample area for several population statistics. Population aged 0 - 19 by sex and year of age - Small Area 2 in 2016 6 5 3 2 0 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 Male Female • Useful information for childcare and schools. Population aged 20+ by sex and age group - Small Area 2 in 2016 16 12 8 4 0 20-24 25-29 30-34 35-39 40-44 45-49 50-54 55-59 60-64 65-69 70-74 75-79 80-84 85+ Male Female • The population of 20-35 year olds is lower than 35-60 year olds suggesting out migration. 4 Usually resident population by place of birth and nationality - Small Area 2 in 2016 300 225 150 75 0 Ireland Poland Other EU 28 Not stated Birthplace Nationality • Most of the population in Tuamgraney were born in Ireland and are Irish nationals. Private households by type - Small Area 2 in 2016 Two or more non-related persons 2 Non-family households and relations 4 Two or more family units 1 Mother children and others 1 Father children and others 1 Couple children and others 1 Couple and others 1 Mother and children 16 Father and children 0 Cohabiting couple and children 2 Married couple and children 27 Cohabiting couple 2 Married couple 17 One person 23 0 8 15 23 30 • Married couple with children households are the most numerous • The second most common household type is ‘one person’ households • In 2016 there were 16 households where mothers were parenting alone 5 Permanent Dwellings - Small Area 2 in 2016 100 95 75 50 25 19 5 0 0 Occupied Unoccupied holiday homes • In 2016, 19 dwellings were vacant in Small Area 2. This is 15% of permanent dwellings in this Small Area. Employment Population aged 15 years and over by principal economic status and sex - Small Area 2 in 2016 Unable to work due to permanent sickness or disability Retired Looking after home/family Student Unemployed having lost or given up previous job Looking for first regular job At work 0 15 30 45 60 Female Male • A significant amount of the population in Small Area 2 is retired. Persons at work by industry and sex - Small Area 2 in 2016 Other Professional services Public administration Transport and communications Commerce and trade Manufacturing industries Building and construction Agriculture forestry and fishing 0 8 15 23 30 Female Male 6 Educational attainment 2016 in each Small Area 40 36.94 34.51 30 21.77 20 17 13 11 10 0 1 2 3 Prop. primary education only (%) Prop. third level education (%) Disability & Carers Persons with a disability by sex in Small Area 2 in 2016 Disability Male Female Total Total 12 20 32 Carers by sex Carers Male Female Total Total 6 7 13 7 Tuamgraney Community Development Planning Process Following an initial expression of interest by Tuamgraney Development Association to Clare Local Development Company, a four-phase process was undertaken to inform this plan: 1) An Orientation Phase: This phase involved the establishment of the planning group to lead and project-manage the planning process in Tuamgraney. Orientation was provided on how to conduct an evidence-informed planning process while materials and information were also provided to the planning group to support the process. 2) An Information Gathering Phase: The planning group implemented a broad-based consultation process during Phase 2. A survey was developed (see Appendix 1) to enable residents to identify strengths, needs, interests and concerns from their experiences of living in Tuamgraney, and to identify priority projects that they’d like addressed in the emerging community plan. A total of 100 individuals from across the life cycle responded to the survey as outlined below: Age of Respondents 50 46 38 25 15 16 10 13 6 1 1 0 Under 18 18-35 36-45 46-55 56-65 66 - 75 76+ The high number of respondents under the age of 18 reflects the kind support of the National School in encouraging pupils to respond. The low number of respondents in the 18-35 is, in part, explained by the low population numbers in this cohort. The gender breakdown of respondents was 62% female and 38% male 3) Analysis of Information and Action Planning Phase: Phase 3 required the planning group to examine the information gathered through the community consultation, identify priority needs and select priority actions based on both need and the ability of the community to implement the actions. 4) Writing Phase: Phase 4 involved the preparation, agreement and finalisation of this document as the core output of the planning process. 8 Survey Results & Prioritised Actions There were a very large number of suggestions in the returned surveys. The full list can be found in appendix 2, the actions prioritised for this plan are as follows: Prioritised Action Lead Group Location Timefram e Children’s play equipment TDA & Parents’ The Park 2 years 1 Council (subject to consultation) Form a representative group to All the main Explore all 1