Shannon Shannon Shannon Town is situated within the Limerick-Shannon Metropolitan Area, and Shannon is identified as a Metropolitan Town. The Metropolitan Area Strategic Plan aims to strengthen the role of the Limerick Shannon Metropolitan Area as an international location of scale, and a primary driver of economic growth in the Southern Region. Shannon occupies a strategic position as a gateway to the West of Ireland. It is a centre of international business and has strong synergies with Limerick City, Galway City and Ennis. The international airport and the industrial park, are critical not only to the Mid-West but to the country. Its strategic importance is recognised in the Regional Spatial and Economic Strategy which states that Shannon is central to delivery of the ambition for the Limerick-Shannon Metropolitan Area’s economic, social diversity and tourism development. Shannon is also of critical importance to the future economic development of the Mid-West Region as a whole. Shannon Town was initially developed in the 1960s in response to the growth of Shannon International Airport and the Shannon Free Zone. Shannon, the second largest town in County Clare, is located on the Shannon Estuary, which forms part of the southern boundary of the County. The settlement is defined by a number of components: Shannon Town, Shannon International Airport, Shannon Free Zone, Smithstown Industrial Estates and agricultural lands to the east, west and north. Shannon occupies a strategic position along the Atlantic corridor and has excellent road connectivity to the cities of Limerick, Cork and Galway. Shannon Town and Environs is subject of its own Local Area Plan the Shannon Town and Environs Local Area Plan 2012-2018 (as extended) as amended. The population of the town is approximately 10,000 while Shannon has a daytime population of 18,000 people with over 8,700 people working within the Shannon Free Zone in over 160 companies. Shannon has many competitive advantages and existing strengths. It has considerable potential to improve and reinvent itself as a place to live, work, recreate, and visit and do business. The position of Shannon within the County’s settlement hierarchy and its location within the wider Metropolitan area indicates significant potential for population growth over the plan period. The settlement strategy therefore plays a key role in the appropriate delivery of the population allocation identified for Shannon which is set out in the Core Strategy. A new Shannon and Environs Local Area Plan will be prepared within the lifetime of this plan and shall have regard to the Core Strategy. Shannon has many unique assets and this plan seeks to promote synergies between them, in particular in the areas of business, aviation, tourism, education, green infrastructure and recreation. The opportunity exists to develop a dynamic, co-ordinated tourism offer through collaboration between the Aviation Museum/Centre and Shannon College of Hotel Management and their education and training potential; the extensive green infrastructure network including the Shannon Estuary Way, Shannon Town Park and Shannon Wetland; and with Shannon International Airport, the Shannon Free Zone and the wider locality.
__________________________________________________________________________________ Draft Clare County Development Plan 2023-2029
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