Ballinruan
Ballinruan Location and Context Ballinruan is identified as a small village in the settlement hierarchy of this Plan. The village is located on elevated lands with extensive views across the countryside to the southwest, west and northwest of the settlement. The road through the village is narrow and winding and is bordered by houses and, in some case, agricultural lands and farm buildings. There has been limited development in Ballinruan in recent years. The majority of the lands within the settlement boundary remain in agricultural use and as a consequence, the village has retained its rural character. There is currently a church, a community centre and a village pub providing services to the local community. The village is the trail head for the Ballinruan Loop and Gortnamearacun Loop walks which link into the Mid-Clare Way. General Objectives •
To encourage small scale development within the village that will be beneficial to the local community whilst also reflecting the rural character of the area;
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To ensure that existing population levels and services are maintained;
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To ensure that future growth in Ballinruan is incremental and small scale in nature, relative and appropriate to the scale, size and character of the population and services in the village;
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To facilitate the provision of infrastructure to allow for future growth in the village;
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To encourage the development of recreational tourism in the area, in particular walking trails and to develop links to complementary facilities.
Employment and Enterprise Ballinruan is a small rural village providing a small number of services to the residents of the surrounding hinterland. Agriculture is the primary industry in the area. Sustainable recreational tourism also offers potential to support the village, with promotion of the looped walks in the area. In order to strengthen the local economy and increase the number of services and employment opportunities available, local shops and services, agricultural diversification and home-based business will be supported in the village in accordance with the objectives set out in Volume 1 of this Plan.
__________________________________________________________________________________ Draft Clare County Development Plan 2023-2029
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