New Local Area Plan for Clonmel will be put on public display for six weeks

Tipperary County Council has commenced the process of preparing a new Local Area Plan (LAP) for Clonmel, which will replace the existing Clonmel and Environs Development Plan.

The council says the plan will “set out the land use and development strategy for the town to ensure the town can support sustainable development and quality of life, in accordance with the provisions of the Tipperary County Development Plan 2022-2028”.

Jim Egan, Executive Planner with Tipperary County Council, told a meeting of Clonmel Borough District that workshops would be held with the councillors before the plan was put on public display for six weeks, from the end of July to the beginning of September, after which any further submissions received would be considered.

The public was already invited to make submissions from November 4 - December 5 last, while a public consultation workshop was held in Clonmel Library on November 23 last.

This workshop was attended by 22 people, while 26 submissions were received within the consultation period.

Mr Egan told the meeting that if any further submissions were made, the council would have a look at them.

District Mayor Pat English said that properly-zoned land was needed for housing and industry in Clonmel, but the census figures they were working from were “off the scale”.

Cllr Siobhán Ambrose said that the announcement in May of the preferred route for the major upgrade of the N24 would have an impact on the Local Area Plan.

In a statement, Cllr Michael Murphy said the map of the area covered by the LAP included in the Issues Paper was considerably smaller than the area covered by the environs of Clonmel in the Clonmel and Environs Development Plan 2013.

He noted that key areas of what would and should be considered part of Clonmel were excluded, including the Ballingarrane Business, Science and Technology Campus, the Ard Gaoithe Business Park, residential developments at Meadowlands and Moangarriff and industrial development at Waterford Road, including Bulmers and Medite.

“And yet, a considerable part of what I would term the rural areas of county Waterford is included”.

He also asked if the Marlfield area would be included in the plan.

Cllr John FitzGerald said he was aware of a periphery commercial space, not in the town centre, where accommodation solutions might be available.

Cllr Niall Dennehy said it was important that the public was made aware that this wasn’t a renewal of the Clonmel and Environs Development Plan, and that the six members of the Borough District wouldn’t have the power to do anything with regard to zoning. That would be a decision for the 40 members of Tipperary County Council.

However, District Manager Sineád Carr said that while the Borough District wouldn’t make the final decision, the contribution of its elected members would be very significant.

Senior Executive Planner Clare Lee said the decision to amend or adopt the plan would be taken towards the end of the year. She said that land that was serviced and serviceable was likely to remain zoned, and she didn’t believe there would be very significant reductions in the amount of zoned land.