This article is from page 24 of the 2008-10-28 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 24 JPG
PLANS to remove settlement enti- tlements from the villages of Cool- meen, Darragh, Leitrim and Lisdeen has met with opposition, with one local politicians describing the pro- posal as “anti rural”.
Amid the pages of the draft West Clare Area Plan 2009-2015, due to go on public display next month, Clare council planners have said in order to address the quantum of overzoned land, four settlements have been pro- posed for removal from the settle-
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“These settlements have showed little or no planning activity over the last six years and have some serious access difficulties,’ Eilis O’ Nuallain, Executive Planner, told members of the West Clare Area Council, as they saw the draft for the very first time.
“Leitrim is a lovely area, but it is in a structurally weak area. It may work to its advantage; no longer a settlement it would not have those limitations. It wouldn’t stop bailing in Lisdeen,” she said.
“You are hitting the small old core
communities. I won’t accept that. A Statement like that 1s anti-rural,” said Cllr Christy Curtin (Ind).
Fine Gael Cllr Oliver Garry said he did not understand why the settle- ment status should be removed.
According to the draft plan and its maps, 60 per cent of west Clare is de- scribed as structurally weak. Struc- turally weak areas have been rec- ognised as an area where “there is a level of economic decline exacerbat- ed by continued depopulation. These problems must be addressed through levels of growth beyond the housing
requirement of the local population. SUMNER Ceyer Dame) IOC DMmS le e-lKorca ami tee gests that any demand for residential development in such areas should be accommodated.”
This includes most of the central area of the west Clare peninsula, with the exception of a large area around Kilrush town and Kilmurry Ibrickane. According to the draft plan in structurally weak areas there is no “significant advantage for hav- ing in land zoned for housing”.
This policy also seeks “to encour- age the redevelopment of derelict or
vacated sites that present opportu- nities for development in the open countryside as an alternative to new one off housing developments.”
The brief for tourism within the draft has also been altered to encour- age activities with more local reve- nue generating potential than holiday home construction.
“The only reference before was holiday homes. The area is still suit- able for holiday homes, but we are looking at others that would bring economy to the area, for example hostels,” said Ms O’Nuallain.