Donegal County Council County Donegal Development Plan 2012-2018 Core Document June 2012 County Donegal Development Plan 2012-2018 FOREWORD On behalf of the Elected Members of Donegal County Council, I am delighted to introduce the County Donegal Development Plan 2012-2018. The purpose of this plan is to help achieve the sustainable development of Donegal, where the quality of life in the County is exceptional, with the pristine scenery of mountain, lakes and seashore, together with a wide range of quality services to attract both investors and tourists to the area. Donegal is part of a large sub region with Derry City, involving the entire north west portion of the island of Ireland. It creates a critical mass that supports a variety of health, educational, retail, social and community facilities that, together with the opportunities presented by Project Kelvin and the availability of a highly skilled workforce, all contribute to making the County an attractive place in which to invest, work and live. This plan seeks to position Donegal so that it benefits from the new ways by which we will earn our living in a competitive world. We must house a rising population, which is living longer and wants to make new choices. We must respond to the changes that new technologies offer us and ensure that it benefits our social, community, cultural and environmental wellbeing. This plan recognises that our historic environment – buildings, landscapes, towns and villages – can better be cherished if their spirit of place thrives, rather than withers and it seeks to direct significant development quantum to locations that has the capacity to sustain it. This plan is about helping to make positive growth happen in a sustainable way that encourages economic, environmental and social progress for this and future generations. Development that is sustainable should go ahead, without delay - a presumption in favour of sustainable development is the basis of this plan. This framework sets out clearly what could make a proposed development unsustainable and it represents a creative exercise in finding ways to enhance and improve the places in which we live our lives. Cllr Noel McBride Meara Chontae Dhún na nGall June 2012 Foreword County Donegal Development Plan 2012-2018 Contents Page Chapter 1 Introduction and Context 1 Chapter 2 Core Strategy 9 Chapter 3 Economic Development 27 General Economic Development 27 County Retail Strategy 2012-2018 37 Chapter 4 Infrastructure 46 Transportation 46 Water and Environmental Services 53 Telecommunications 61 Flooding 64 Chapter 5 Housing 70 Housing Strategy 70 Urban Housing 75 Rural Housing 80 Traveller Accommodation 91 Chapter 6 The Natural and Built Heritage 93 Natural Heritage 93 Built Heritage 98 Archaeological Heritage 101 Chapter 7 Natural Resource Development 103 Extractive Industry and Geology 103 Energy 106 Chapter 8 Tourism and Marine 113 Tourism 113 Marine Resource and Coastal Zone Management 119 Chapter 9 Community Culture and Gaeltacht 123 Chapter 10 Development and Technical Standards 130 Chapter 11 Childcare Strategy 187 Contents County Donegal Development Plan 2012-2018 APPENDICES APPENDIX A Settlement Frameworks APPENDIX B Building a House in Rural Donegal. A Location Siting and Design Guide. APPENDIX C Strategic Environmental Assessment (Environmental Report) List of Tables Table 1: Housing Land Requirements for Letterkenny and the rest of County Donegal. Table 2: Housing Land Requirements for Letterkenny and the rest of County Donegal. Table 3: Distribution of Population within the Settlement Hierarchy. Table 4: Level of Vacancy and Extant Planning Permissions at Tier Level. Table 5: Positioning of towns within the Urban Settlement Hierarchy. Table 6: Population Projections. Table 7: Land Supply within the Urban Settlement Hierarchy. Table 8: Tier 1 and 2 Settlements. Table 9: Urban and Village Renewal Programme 2010-2012. Table 10: Total National Retail Sales for All Business Combined. Table 11: National Retail Sales 2010. Table 12: Sectoral Employment 2002-2006. Table 13: Floor Space in County Donegal 2005. Table 14: Retails Types. Table 15: Requirements for Wastewater Treatment for Multiple Developments. Table 16: Flood Vulnerability and Land Use Guide. Table 17: Matrix of Vulnerability for Urban Areas. Table 18: Proposed Marina/Sea Angling Centres. Table 19: Blue Flag Beaches. Table 20: Roadside Boundaries in Rural Areas. Table 21: Gradients on Public Roads. Table 22: Gradient on Internal Residential Roads. Table 23: Vision lines at Accesses to Non-National Roads. Table 24: Stopping Sight Distances. Table 25: Car Parking Standards. Table 26: Dimensions of Loading and Parking Bays. Table 27: National Monuments in State Ownership or Guardianship of O.P.W. Table 28: Historic Graveyards (in Guardianship of Donegal County Council). Table 29: Record of Protected Structures Glenties Electoral Area. Table 30: Record of Protected Structures Inishowen Electoral Area. Table 31: Record of Protected Structures Letterkenny Electoral Area. Table 32: Record of Protected Structures Stranorlar Electoral Area. Table 33: Record of Protected Structures Donegal Electoral Area. Table 34: Public Rights of Way. Table 35: Total number of Childcare Services in the County. Table 36: Geographical Spread of Services. Contents County Donegal Development Plan 2012-2018 Table 37: Childcare Services Accessing the CCS Scheme. Table 38: Childcare Services Accessing the CETS Scheme. Table 39: Population of children in County Donegal by census year, age group and electoral area. Table 40: Area census population illustrating percentage change and actual change between 2002- 2006 census. Table 41: Table illustrating existing and projected child population statistics (Based on continuing average trend of 2.4% birth rate increase year on year in the age 0-4 age cohort, and a continuation of the previous 2% growth in the 0-14 age cohort). Table 42: Illustrating Actual Annual Birth Rate in Donegal from 1998-2009 and projected Annual Birth Rate from 2010-2016, based on an annual increase of 2.4% (the average growth rate between 1998-2009). List of Figures Figure 1: Development Plan Linkages with Other Plans. Figure 2: Urban Settlement Hierarchy for County Donegal (Tiers). Figure 3: Factors of Competitiveness. Figure 4: Example – Flood Zone Areas A, B and C. Figure 5: Holiday Homes Permissions by Electoral Areas 2000-2010. Figure 6: entrance Details for Residential Properties. Figure 7: Measurement for Visibility Splays. Figure 8: Alternative Visibility Splay for Urban Regional and Local Roads where overtaking is prohibited. List of Maps Map 1: Core Strategy. Map 2: Strategic Infrastructure Corridors. Map 3: Strategic Transport Network. Map 4: Donegal Airport Safeguarding. Map 5: Telecommunications Network. Map 6: Major ICT Wireless Network. Map 7: Rural Area Types. Map 8: Areas of Especially High Scenic Amenity. Map 9: Wind Energy. Map 10: Public Rights of Way. Routes and Corridors Mapped for Reservation: Map (a) N14 Letterkenny to Lifford. Map (b) N15 Lifford to Ballybofey. Map (c) N56 Mountcharles to Inver. Map (d) N56 Dungloe Glenties (Kilraine). Map (e) N56 Letterkenny Relief Road. Map (f) N13-N15 Ballybofey Stranorlar Bypass. Map (g) N56 Inver to Killybegs. Map (h) Buncrana Inner and Outer Relief Roads. Map (i) Muff Bypass. Contents County Donegal Development Plan 2012-2018 Chapter 1 Introduction and Context 1.1 Introduction The County Donegal Development Plan is the principal instrument that is used to manage change in landuse in the County. This physical change can relate to the pressures and growth within our settlements and rural area; their renewal and regeneration; the protection of our heritage (natural and man-made); as well as the many and varied pressures on the landscape in the form of different types of development. This County Development Plan 2012-2018 has been prepared in accordance with the requirements of the Planning and Development Acts 2000 to 2010 and the Development Plan Guidelines, 2007 and other Government guidance in the form of Guidelines and Circulars. The Development Plan sets out the Council’s strategic land use objectives and policies for the overall development of the County up to 2018 and beyond to a horizon year of 2022. The Plan relates to the functional area of Donegal County Council, excluding the three Town Council areas of Letterkenny, Buncrana and Bundoran as they are separate Planning Authorities and have their own Development Plans. This Development Plan incorporates a Core Strategy which is strategic in nature for the purposes of developing objectives and policies to deliver an overall strategy for the proper planning and sustainable development of the area of the Development Plan. The Core Strategy shows that the development objectives set out in the Plan are consistent as far as practicable with National and Regional development objectives set out in the National Spatial Strategy, 2002-2020 and the Border Regional Planning Guidelines, 2010-2022. The Development Plan is also subject to a Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) demonstrated as Appendix C, the Environmental Report and a report on the Appropriate Assessment (AA) process as required under the Habitats Directive. The Planning Act requires that the Development Plan must also include a number of statutory objectives such as; The zoning of land uses. Provision of infrastructure. Conservation and protection of the environment. The encouragement of the management of features of the landscape and the preservation