Sites highlighted for marine industry

Two sites totalling 421 acres in West Clare have been identified as one of the strategic zones for marine-related industry in a new strategy to promote development along the Shannon estuary.
A 86 hectare site at Inismurray/Cahercon, Kildysart and 335 hectares in the vicinity of Moneypoint Generating Station are two of the nine sites on the estuary included in the Draft Strategic Integrated Framework Plan (SIFP).
The other sites are Limerick Docks, Foynes Island, Foynes Port and adjoining lands, Askeaton Industrial Estate, Aughinish Island, (Limerick), Tarbert Power Station and Ballylongford Landbank (Kerry).
Most of these sites are zoned for marine-related industry, with Askeaton zoned for industry and Limerick Docks zoned for mixed use.
In some cases, the zonings confirm existing large-scale developments but additional lands for expansion and some new sites are also identified.
The Cahercon site includes the existing pier and lands that planning permission was granted to Shannon Explosives Limited for a new explosives manufacturing facility in the past.
The Moneypoint site comprises 335 hectares and includes the existing ESB Moneypoint Generating Station together with undeveloped land adjacent and outside the ownership of ESB that also has access to the deep waters of the estuary.
Once the SIFP is completed in 2013, Clare County Council senior planner Gordon Daly predicted it would help investor confidence and interest by providing lands zoned for marine-related industry and an overall framework within which proposals can be considered.
“One of the key areas of due diligence for any proposals of this scale is that there is a reasonable chance of successfully completing the planning process.
“The absence until now of a single plan for the estuary has been perceived as a barrier to that. On completion of the SIFP, attention will turn towards marketing to a greater degree the opportunities that exist in the estuary. The SIFP is an important prerequisite for this as it must be a plan led, co-ordinated approach, given how sensitive the estuary is environmentally,” he said.
The land and marine-based plan, the first of its type to be developed in the country, has been commissioned by a multi-agency steering group comprising Clare County Council as lead authority, Kerry County Council, Limerick City and County Councils, Shannon Development and Shannon Foynes Port Company.
“This is a very exciting initiative for the Shannon estuary and for the counties of Clare, Limerick and Kerry as for the first time we are developing a single strategic plan for the entire Shannon estuary including the lands immediately adjacent to the estuary,” explained Tom Coughlan, Clare county manager and chairman of the steering group overseeing the plan.
Mr Coughlan stated that the aim of the SIFP is to identify the nature and location of future development, economic growth and employment that can be sustainably accommodated within the Shannon estuary. However, as the estuary is designated a Special Area of Conservation (SAC) under the EU Habitats Directive and also partly a Special Protection Area (SPA) for birds, he noted that “the SIFP will also aspire to achieving a careful balance between promoting development, and protection and conservation of this natural resource”.
Mr Daly explained the SIFP recognises the importance of the role the towns and villages along the estuary.
“The important role Kilrush can play in developing tourism on the estuary is recognised in the SIFP due to its many amenities including Kilrush Marina, Cappa Pier and Blue Flag Beach, Vandeleur Walled Garden and Scattery Island. The importance of the estuary to Kilrush is reciprocated in the soon to be published Draft Kilrush Town and Environs Plan 2014 2020,” he added.
Last Friday, Housing Minister Jan O’Sullivan launched the new draft plan and www.shannonestuarysifp.ie, a new website that has been developed to coincide with an eight-week public consultation that extends from December 17 to February 15 next.
There is a similar approach to fishing and aquaculture, with eight separate opportunity sites identified on the estuary, including designated shell fish waters at Poulnasherry Bay and Carrigaholt Bay in County Clare. Other areas of opportunity include Rinevella Bay, Killimer and Clonderlaw Bay in Clare, Carrig Island in Kerry, and Greenish Island and Long Rock in Limerick.
The plan recognises the tourism potential of the estuary and includes objectives to further develop the cruise ship industry, while it highlights the potential of the Islands on the Fergus estuary. Meanwhile, the strategy features objectives relating to aviation and supports the future development of Shannon Airport, including acknowledging the importance of the 2000-acre land bank zoned for aviation uses in the new Shannon Town and Environs Local Area Plan 2012-2018.