Fanore

Fanore

Location and Context

Fanore is located on the western coastline of North Clare, straddling the R477 coastal route and Wild Atlantic Way, between Doolin and Ballyvaughan. It is identified as a Small Village in the Settlement Hierarchy of this Plan. Development has spread over an extensive area and is served by a pub, shops, church and school. There is also a range of tourist accommodation including a mobile home park situated among the sand dunes on the seaside of the coast road. Fanore serves as a trail head for looped walks of Black Head and Caher Valley which overlook the sand dune beach at Fanore and provide breath-taking views towards Galway Bay to the north.

Fanore has seen limited development scattered along the R477 in recent years. Development has primarily served the second homes and holiday homes market, however the development of a café and two shops opposite O'Donohues pub has contributed to establishing an identifiable village centre, around which development can be focused to serve a permanent population. The strategy for Fanore is to encourage small-scale incremental residential growth that will be reflective of the rural nature of the settlement.

Fanore receives its water from a public water supply. There is no public wastewater treatment system in the village and any future development including alterations to existing commercial or employment generating development, will require private wastewater treatment subject to suitable site-specific conditions and must ensure they comply with the EPA Code of Practice for ‘On Site Wastewater Treatment Systems.

The settlement boundary of Fanore adjoins Black Head-Poulsallagh Special Area of Conservation (SAC) to the east, west and south of the village. Future development must ensure that there are no adverse effects on the conservation objectives of the SAC or on-site integrity, or the integrity of any other European site as a result of the proposed development. Accordingly, objectives set out in Volume 1 of this Plan, relating to European sites and to appropriate assessment will apply to any future development proposals in this area. The Natura Impact Report accompanying this plan (Volume 10a) provides relevant mitigation measures and recommendations at site and project level.

General Objectives

• To consolidate the existing village, support the tourism industry in the area and encourage the development of a range of amenities and services for both permanent residents and visitors to the area, subject to the requirements of the Habitats Directive; • To ensure that future growth is balanced and sustainable and is relative and appropriate to the scale, size and character of the existing village; • To provide for residential development to cater for a permanent population in the area;

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• To support the provision of infrastructure to allow for future growth as well as the development of social and recreational facilities to serve the existing community; and • To protect the structure and function of sand dunes at Fanore and prohibit any development that would damage the integrity (ecological and visual) of these areas or prevent full compliance with the requirements of the Habitats and Birds Directives.

Employment and Enterprise

The sustainable and successful development of the tourism industry is critical to settlements along the west coast of County Clare. Tourism can contribute to the viability of local enterprises particularly in settlements such as Fanore. Its location on the Wild Atlantic Way provides an opportunity to strengthen its economy based on tourism. The village already offers numerous activities to visitors including surfing, swimming, and hill walking.

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 offers a viable and attractive option for rural living within a village community and setting.

Transport, Active Travel and Connectivity

Bus Eireann provides daily bus services to and from Galway City and Ennis, and Local Link provides a regular bus service to Ballyvaughan, Lisdoonvarna and Ennis. These services provide a valuable connection to service settlements and an alternative to the private car and encourages a modal shift to a more sustainable transport option.

There is no public footpath in the village. The provision of a public footpath linking existing residences to the village core is supported in this Plan. In addition, the enhancement of and provision for green infrastructure such as walking and cycling routes would promote active recreation and sustainable travel in the village and its environs.

Place Making and Regeneration

Due to the linear form of the settlement, identifiable gateways are required on all approaches to announce the village and give a sense of arrival. At the southern approach, definition is required in the widened car parking area opposite the pub and there is an opportunity to provide wayfinding signage around this four-road junction to direct visitors. The natural boundaries need to be retained along the R477 as it passes through the settlement. Any

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setbacks required for lines of sight must be surfaced with sea compatible grasses. Fanore is located on the Wild Atlantic Way. The principles for place making on the Wild Atlantic Way are set out in Chapter 16 Volume 1 of this Plan.

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