At the signing of contracts for the Monaghan MD were: Front (from left): Robert Burns, Chief Executive, Monaghan County Council; Cllr Seamus Treanor, Cathaoirleach of Monaghan MD; Cllr PJ O’Hanlon, Cathaoirleach, Monaghan County Council; John O’Neill, MD, Venture International and Charlotte Sheridan, Director, Sheridan Woods; back, Cllr Pauric Clerkin; Martin Taylor, MD co-ordinator, Monaghan County Council; Cllr Raymond Aughey; Nicola Payne, Director of Services, Monaghan County Council; Cllr Alan Johnson; Oran Hughes, Researcher, Venture International; Kevin Woods, Director; Sheridan Woods; Máire Cullinan, Executive Planner, Monaghan County Council; Cllr Sean Conlon; Cllr Niamh McCooey; Monica Hamilton, Community Development Support Officer, Monaghan County Council.

Village plans to drive housing

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Monaghan County Council has commenced the preparation of ‘Community Vision and Spatial Land Use Plans’ for Glaslough, Inniskeen and Smithborough. These plans will guide the future development of the villages, to act as a community action plan, and to direct future land use development. There will be a number of opportunities for the public to get involved and to contribute their ideas as these plans are developed.

Robert Burns, Chief Executive explained: "The plans will provide support for long-term community-led development and take a long-term holistic overview of key opportunities and projects, resulting in long-term socio-economic, cultural and environmental benefits for residents, communities, businesses and visitors.

"These plans represent a unique step for County Monaghan as we bring the community and the spatial land use planning elements together under a single process. This is a sensible, practical approach as it involves a single robust consultation and plan-making process and will ensure that proposals coming forward will align with strategic policy and environmental and sustainability principles. So, our planning and community teams will be working closely with the local communities and the consultants in developing the plans."

Outgoing Cathaoirleach of Monaghan County Council, Cllr P.J. O’Hanlon, stated: "I am delighted to see the commencement of these Tier 4 village plans. When we adopted our County Development Plan last year, we committed to a programme of preparing village plans, with a focus on housing, amenity, infrastructure, transport and the sustainable reuse of and regeneration of existing derelict, vacant and underutilised sites. We want to ensure that these villages can continue to adapt and have an important role in sustaining the vitality of rural communities."

Smithborough

Cathaoirleach of Ballybay-Clones Municipal District, Cllr Sinéad Flynn is calling on the people of Smithborough, to have their say on the future development of the village.

"This is an opportunity for the community to help shape a vision for Smithborough. I encourage everyone to come along and engage with the Council and the consultant team to tell us what matters most to you. Whether it’s new housing, improved amenities, better public spaces or increased employment opportunities, we want to hear your ideas. The success of this plan depends on community involvement, and together we can deliver real and lasting improvement for Smithborough."

Inniskeen

Cathaoirleach of Carrickmacross Castleblayney Municipal District, Cllr Paul Gibbons, also welcomed the plans: "This is a great opportunity for the many active local groups and individuals of Inniskeen to put their ideas together, to look to ways of providing more housing, how to improve traffic and parking and the provision of local services, amenities and visitor facilities."

Glaslough

Referring to Glaslough, Cathaoirleach of Monaghan Municipal District, Cllr. Seamus Treanor stated: "We know we have a very active community in Glaslough, evidenced in the Tidy Towns successes. It is very important that the community gets involved in shaping the future direction of their village, to increase the opportunities for new housing, employment and to enhance the amenity for locals and visitors."

Studio Idir Ltd has been appointed to prepare the plan for Inniskeen, while Sheridan Woods Architects and Urban Planners Ltd will prepare the Glaslough and Smithborough plans. Both consultant teams bring vast experience in plan-making, with skills in architecture, urban design, planning, conservation and community engagement.

Public consultation

Public consultation meetings are to take place:

Inniskeen: Thursday, June 25, at 7pm, in the Social Club

Smithborough: Tuesday, June 30, at 7pm, in the Community Hall

Glaslough: Thursday, July 2, at 7pm, in the Oakland Community Centre

All who are interested in shaping the future of these villages are encouraged to attend and to have their say.

More details

For more information, please contact the Forward Planning Department, Monaghan County Council on 047-30532.

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