Political parties have turned backs on our electoral area

LOCAL Area plans can be an excellent source of information relating to how we as a community view development objectives.

Last Wednesday was the deadline for submission for the draft local area plans for west Cork. Excellent work was undertaken by the Planning Policy Department of Cork County Council in preparing Strategic Environmental Assessments for each Local Area Plan as part of this initative.

The Planning and Development Acts require that local area plans must be consistent with the County Development Plan. The County Development Plan 2009 sets out population and household targets for the period up to the year 2020 for the main Strategic Planning Areas of the county. The forecasts for population growth as set out in the CASP Review (2006-2020), indicate Bandon will continue as the largest settlement in the electoral area with 7,379 persons in 2020, a 26% increase from 2006. Growth in Kinsale will be more moderate, with an estimated population target of 4,519 or about a 10% increase in the 2006 population up to the year 2020.