Estuary development plan en route

CLARE County Council is to seek tenders for consultants to provide a new inter-jurisdictional strategy to identify sites for development on the Shannon Estuary.

County manager, Tom Coughlan is chairing a new regional steering group, which will be charged with the task of developing a new Strategic Integrated Framework Plan for the entire estuary.
Five “opportunity sites” on the Clare side of the estuary were removed from the Clare County Development Plan last November following concern from the Department of the Environment about the lack of an overall development strategy for the estuary.
The new strategy, which is being led by Clare County Council, will be funded by the four local authorities (Clare County Council, Limerick County and City Council and Kerry County Council) and it is expected it may cost in the region of €100,000. The final amount will become apparent once the tender process has been completed.
Senior planner, Gordon Daly hopes to have a draft land-use management strategy ready by the end of the year and it will then be incorporated as part of Limerick, Kerry and Clare County Council Development Plans once the final strategy is adopted.
It is believed this is the first time that all the relevant agencies in the Mid-West have joined forces to come up with an overall plan to attract marine-related development to the estuary.
Despite criticism from councillors about the withdrawal of the opportunity sites, Mr Coughlan pointed out that it drew attention to the potential of the Clare side of the Shannon Estuary, which has very deep water.
“Even though local authorities are not the port authority, we see ourselves working in partnership to develop plans and strategies for the estuary. When the new strategy is completed, it strengthens our case for marketing the estuary to attract development once planning authorities incorporate this strategy in the County Development Plan.
“When we get to the end of process, it could be rolled out for other key strategic natural resources. It will be a specific plan for the development of the estuary. Specific investors will be able to see that planning authorities are supporting the development of the estuary and they will be able to see where development is possible and where are the no-go areas,” he said.
He pointed out that the Department of Environment believe it is an innovative way forward to take a strategic view of a body of water such as the estuary.
Mr Daly explained it may be prudent to await the outcome of the strategy to give greater certainty to individual projects. However, he stressed this strategy does not prevent development proposals being put before the planning authority under the existing strategy for the estuary.
“The strategy will be subject to full appropriate strategic assessment under EU directives. This will give certainty to any development proposals that are measures against environmental assessments,” he explained.
The new group includes Clare County Council, Limerick County and City Council, Kerry County Council, Shannon Development, Shannon Foynes Port Authority, the Mid-West Regional Authority and the Limerick Clare Energy Group.
The aim of the plan is to promote improved connectivity and linkages between marine-based transport and the Shannon Estuary and to facilitate the development of energy infrastructure at Moneypoint, exploring opportunities for extra marine-related industrial activities. It also wants to encourage sustainable renewable energy development along the Shannon Estuary and the Clare maritime coast.