Cooraclare

Cooraclare

Location and Context

Cooraclare has a picturesque rural setting and the bridge and Doonbeg River provide an attractive gateway into the village on the southern approach. The village is surrounded by a rolling rural landscape with significant tree cover and low ridges.

Located on the R483 regional route Cooraclare has a tight-knit main thoroughfare that gives the Village a pleasant character. There are a significant number of services in the Village including a large community hall, school, petrol station, shop, church, post-office, florist, and several public houses. There is a public footpath in the village providing pedestrian connectivity from existing residences to services. Only a short distance from the main Service Town of Kilrush, the village is well located to accommodate future growth.

As there is no public wastewater treatment infrastructure serving the village any future development, including alterations to existing commercial or employment generating development, will require private wastewater treatment subject to suitable site-specific conditions and compliance with the EPA Code of Practice for On Site Wastewater Treatment Systems. Cooraclare is connected to the West Clare Regional Water Supply. The Natura Impact Report accompanying this plan (Volume 10a) relevant mitigation measures and recommendations at site and project level.

The village experiences a substantial amount of through traffic being located on a main regional route. A significant amount of this is commuter traffic between Kilrush and Miltown Malbay and during the summer season tourist traffic uses this route to access the Killimer car ferry. There is potential for businesses in the village to attract in some of these holiday makers. The traffic flows need to be properly managed in a way that ensures a safe environment for all pedestrians and motorists in the village.

General Objectives

• To consolidate the existing built form, whilst allowing for growth that will support the village centre, ensuring its vitality whilst preserving and enhancing the character of the village; • To encourage the incremental and small-scale expansion of the settlement that is relative and appropriate to the scale, size and character of the population and services in the village; • The redevelopment of existing unused structures for retail or commercial purposes will be particularly encouraged; • To support the provision of infrastructure to allow for future growth of the village; and

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• To manage the flow of traffic through the village to ensure the safety of road users and pedestrians and to minimise the negative impacts of heavy volumes of traffic.

Employment and Enterprise

Cooraclare’s proximity to the N68 makes it suitable for businesses seeking convenient access to the hinterland of Kilrush and beyond. It is situated on R483 which provides good links to the N67 and the settlements on the Wild Atlantic Way. This advantage should be harnessed for the benefit of the settlement, by improving signage and facilitating economic development.

In order to promote economic development, the following zoning objectives are identified for Cooraclare:

MU4 and MU5 Mixed Use Village Centre

These lands are located at the centre of the village and comprise the existing buildings in the Village Core and several small backland areas. These buildings/lands can accommodate a mixture of uses. The centre of the village of Cooraclare has been designated as an Architectural Conservation Area (ACA). ACAs are places, areas, groups of structures or a townscape which are of special interest or contribute to the appreciation of a Protected Structure. The aim is to retain the overall special historic or architectural character of an area or place as per Objective CDP 16.5 of this plan (Vol 1).

ENT1 Enterprise

These lands have been designated for the development of enterprise and employmentgenerating uses to provide greater employment opportunities for members of the local community. OS1 along the southern boundary of ENT1 provides a valuable foraging and commuting route for bats as well as an important ecological corridor of wider biodiversity value.

Strategy for Growth and Sustainable Communities

The strategy for the sustainable growth of the village and its community is through consolidation and regeneration that promotes compact sequential growth and supports and strengthens a sustainable village community and its rural hinterland. This will be achieved by encouraging small scale growth in areas which make a positive contribution to the overall enhancement of the village and sustains it into the future. In line with this approach and to promote vibrant rural villages, village growth areas have been identified which provide opportunities and choice for development, including small scale commercial, enterprise, community, services/facilities as well as small scale cluster housing, all of which offer a viable and attractive option for rural living within a village community and setting.

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Cooraclare’s proximity to Kilrush and the Wild Atlantic Way together with the existing services and community makes it an attractive place to live.

In addition to compliance with the policies and objectives set out in Volume 1 of this Plan, any development proposals on areas identified for growth shall consider the following:

VGA1 East of the Village

The EPA Code of Practice for Wastewater Treatment Systems must be strictly adhered to on these lands in order to ensure no significant long-term effects on the Doonbeg River.

VGA2 West of the Main Street

These lands are located in close proximity to the village centre and have been identified as being suitable for village growth due to their location in close proximity to many of the existing services in the area. The mature trees and hedgerows associated with these lands should be retained as part of any future development as foraging and commuting routes for bats but also as ecological corridors of wider biodiversity value. The EPA Code of Practice for Wastewater Treatment Systems must be strictly adhered to on these lands in order to ensure no significant long-term effects on the Doonbeg River.

The Open Space zoning OS3 must be strictly adhered to in relation to any future development on VGA 2. The mature trees located within OS3 should be retained as part of any future development.

Due to the location of these lands, close to a small tributary of the Doonbeg River, a Site Specific Flood Risk Assessment must accompany any proposals for development on these lands.

VGA 3 and VGA 4 West of the Village

The mature trees and hedgerows associated with these lands should be retained as part of any future residential development as foraging and commuting routes for bats but also as ecological corridors of wider biodiversity value.

The EPA Code of Practise for Wastewater Treatment Systems must be strictly adhered to on these lands in order to ensure no significant long term effects on the Doonbeg River.

Place Making and Regeneration

The core area of Cooraclare is strong and well-defined by buildings, although there are some that are vacant or underutilised. A key issue for the village is traffic management given the volume using the R483 as a through route at certain times. Since a wide road width encourages speed, undefined setbacks at the approaches create a feeling of width which has the unwelcome effect of encouraging speed while also looking unsightly. Junctions at both

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approaches and in the village centre at the old creamery are exceptionally wide. There is an existing green area with benches by the river on the southern approach to the village and a community garden at the northern approach. There are also several green areas within the village that could be enhanced. The incorporation of green features into public realm including the greening of public spaces would add significantly to the overall amenity of the village, promote biodiversity, and help to mitigate against climate change.

It is an objective of the Plan:

• To support proposals to enhance the public realm in Cooraclare, with a particular focus on visual enhancement schemes and measures for the reduction of traffic speeds in the village; and • To support the enhancement and development of public spaces, biodiversity, and the overall amenity of the village.

Flooding and Flood Risk

The Strategic Flood Risk Assessment in Volume 10(c) of this Plan advises that there is limited encroachment of Flood Zones A and B. Redevelopment within these areas is likely to be low impact and risks can be managed through appropriate site layouts and building layouts, with development limited to Flood Zone C.

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