New plan will seek to revitalise town centres
Zoning, support for rural communities and revitalising the centres of towns were all identified as key areas of focus in the forthcoming Cavan County Development Plan (CDP).
The review of the Chief Executive’s Report on submissions and observations received in the first stage of the drafting of the new Cavan CDP and Local Area Plan for Cavan Town and Environs to serve from 2021 to 2027 was discussed at the local authority’s December meeting.
The County Development Plan sets out the overall strategy and vision for the proper planning and sustainable development of the county over the six year plan period. In his report, the chief executive, Tommy Ryan, summarised the submissions and outlined his policy recommendations.
Commenting on the document Cllr TP O’Reilly (FG) said the final report must ensure provisions to facilitate the adequate zoning of land for development purposes. Cllr O’Reilly said: “We have to make sure that this is not just a box ticking exercise and the development is spread through the county.”
This point was reiterated by Cllr Paddy McDonald (SF) who said the document must ensure more land is in circulation to accommodate future development. Cllr McDonald said there is a need to “liven up the centre of towns” in the county: “We need provisions to get people on board and encourage them to live in the centre of town.”
Cllr John Paul Feeley (FF) supported the call for proper zoning. He said encouraging people to live in town centres that are “suitable for modern living” is vital.
The Blacklion councillor highlighted retail and parking as areas of importance and said the CDP must support the development of rural communities, as well as promoting the development of towns.
Cllr Trevor Smith (FG) said the plan should have proper support for revitalisation the retail sector: “Retail is experiencing a particularly difficult time at the moment. We have to have supports in place for them.”
Cllr Clifford Kelly (FF) said preparation of the CDP presented a great opportunity for development in the county.
He said every town in Cavan had a lot of property over shops lying vacant and that grants should be made available to bring people into the heart of towns.
Cllr Brendan Fay (Ind) said town centres across the county are dying and it was time the council did something for retail. Cllr Shane P O’Reilly (Ind) thanked the manager for the comprehensive review of the submissions to date.
Cathaoirleach Sarah O’Reilly said the 2021 to 2027 plan should focus on additional economic zones and also ensure there were supports for rural families.
Director of Services Brendan Jennings thanked the councillors for their input and said the recommendations were “well noted”.
The council will now prepare a draft Plan, Strategic Environmental Assessment, Housing Needs and Demand Assessment, and Strategic Flood Risk Assessment in spring 2021.
The elected members will consider the Draft Plan.
Stage Two will sees the publication of the Draft Plan of the CDP, currently scheduled for April 2021.
There will be a public display of the plan for public consultation, with further submissions invited, expected in summer 2021.
The third stage will see the publication of material amendments for a further period of public consultation before the plan goes back before members for adoption.