Clare villages have a say in development

Conflict over planning matters may become less of an issue in the Clare coastal villages of Ballyvaughan and Doonbeg where both communities are currently engaged in drawing up their own development plans.

Adopting markedly different approaches, residents in both areas, mindful of the impact large-scale holiday-home developments have had on other coastal towns, have moved to have a major say in the future of their areas and to secure the long-term viability of their villages.

Nestled between the Burren and Galway Bay, Ballyvaughan has seen an increase in holiday-home development in recent years, and the pressure on land continues. An Bord Pleanala recently overturned a decision by Clare County Council to refuse planning to a hotel and housing development on the village's seafront.

Chairman of the Ballyvaughan Community Development Group, Mr Michael Greene, said: "What we have here is very special. It is one of the jewels in the crown of Clare tourism, and we do not want to lose that."

He added: "We were very scared of what was happening to other coastal areas in terms of the uncontrolled development, and by drawing up the development plan we are protecting ourselves from that and having a major say in how our village is to be developed."

The Community Development Group has obtained financing from Clare County Council and the Leader fund, while it is also contributing to the £15,000 project itself.

The community has employed an architect and urban planner, Mr Michael Leahy, to draw up a draft plan, but not before a number of meetings were held with local residents and questionnaires were distributed to each household in the area asking how they would like to see their village developed.

One threat to the long-term viability of the village is the inability of local people to compete for sites with urban-based people anxious to purchase land for holiday homes.

According to Mr Leahy, this was one of the most consistent issues raised at the meetings, and it has been addressed with the planned provision of a relief road which will generate a landbank affordable to local people.

The plan is currently on public display. After responses have been taken into account, the final plan will be prepared, put back on public display for three months and then be voted on by the members of Clare County Council for adoption as part of the Clare County Development Plan.

A development plan for Doonbeg, an area which has already come under development pressure since the £12.5 million Greg Norman-designed golf links resort commenced construction last December, is at an earlier stage.

Adopting the "planning for real" concept, a local steering group comprising 32 people has been established to liase with the council.

Intensive weekly meetings have been held between the steering group and the project manager, Ms Candice Ingram.

This culminated in an open day in Doonbeg where over 700 people turned out to give their views on the plan. Ms Ingram said the turnout on the day "was really beyond our expectations".

The chairman of the Doonbeg Community Development Company, Mr Francis O'Dea, said: "This is a pilot programme, and we have gone into it blind, but it has been amazing and has proved a great way of uniting the community."

The steering group is currently working on the draft plan. It will be presented to the council shortly after planning staff carry out a technical appraisal of the document and will then go through the statutory procedure of going on public display, before being adopted by the council.

A senior executive planner, Mr Brendan McGrath, describes the process as "handing over responsibility and sharing responsibility with the local community concerned".

A similar process has just been initiated in the village of Corofin, while the drawing up of the current draft plan for Ennis has also involved a high degree of public participation, through the holding of an open day and a website being established.

The move away from development plans being foisted upon local communities is welcomed by the heritage officer for An Taisce, Mr Ian Lumley.

However, he states that most local authorities still pay only scant regard to public participation in the drawing up of development plans.

"An Taisce monitors development plans from draft stage to the adopted plan, and there is little difference. However, this `bottom-up top-down' approach being adopted in Clare is a means of achieving sustainable development and is to be welcomed."