Development plan ‘aims to harness potential of county’
The Clare County Development Plan 2011-2017 sets out an overall strategy for the proper planning and sustainable development for the Clare County Council area.
The six-year blueprint replaces the existing County Development Plan 2005 and is the sixth such Plan since 1964.
At the official launch of the plan yesterday at the Council HQ in Ennis, Clare mayor, Cllr Christy Curtin (Ind) said: “The primary goal of this plan is to position County Clare as a driver for local and regional growth through harnessing the potential of its unique location, quality of life, natural resources and other competitive advantages. Ultimately, the plan seeks to make County Clare a better place to live in, work and visit.”
Cllr Curtin described the plan as a “window of opportunity for the County to foster innovation, creativity and new sustainable, inclusive development.”
Some of the key strategies in the plan include the delivery a flagship international scale tourism project; to lead the development of a Strategic Integrated Framework Plan for the Shannon Estuary and to facilitate the economic development and expansion of Shannon International Airport to include an International Air Freight Cargo Hub and innovative initiatives such as a global logistics centre for humanitarian aid.
The plan also seeks to prepare a County Renewable Energy Strategy within the plan period and to proactively pursue opportunities for pumped hydro energy storage in County Clare; to ensure that Ennis continues to grow and strengthen its employment, service and population base and maintains a strong retail presence in the county and region and to prepare a High Level Strategic Plan to identify key priority projects capable of being accommodated at the Shannon Airport lands and Shannon Free Zone and Westpark.
Clare county manager Tom Coughlan said: “This County Development Plan is ambitious. It is innovative. It is pro-active. It is a plan for people and places. It encompasses many facets of life in County Clare and, as such, the implementation of the plan will require a high level of inter-agency co-operation. I look forward to the further development of the excellent working relationship which has been forged between the public sector agencies in this county.
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