A VISION for the future of Ennis will be launched this Friday by the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Leo Varadkar TD.

The much anticipated Ennis 2040 Economic and Spatial Strategy is, according to Clare County Council, “a bold vision to deliver economic investment and make housing, jobs, amenity and services easier to access for all. The strategy is about building communities and creating one of the best places in the world to live, work and visit.”

The strategy has set out ambitious growth targets and proposes the prioritisation of sustainable economic activities that will grow its population on average by 1.6% per annum and deliver an additional 5,000 jobs by 2040.

Nine transformational projects have been identified through which the Ennis 2040 vision can be realised. The projects deliver on the concept of the ‘10-minute town’, attracting investment and delivering quality of life. In the implementation of this strategy Ennis will become Ireland’s first Climate Adaptive Town.

The strategy has the potential to be “transformative”, benefiting not just the county capital but the entire Mid West, according to Clare Fianna Fáil TD Cathal Crowe.

“Ennis is the largest town in Munster not to have city status and it’s very much a growing centre of population. Clare County Council have always had a very ambitious outlook for Ennis and the preparation of a 2040 development plan for the town really affirms this.

“The plan, to be launched by the Tánaiste Leo Varadkar, positions the town for growth, to increase its potential for destination tourism and to attract larger events and conferences to the county.

“The Ennis 2040 plan has the potential to be transformative, but it will need a lot of public and private investment to ensure that its aims are achieved by 2040. As a government TD for the county, I’ll be doing whatever I can to ensure that taxpayers’ money is ploughed directly into the Ennis 2040 projects going forward.

“The residential growth of Ennis combined with the enhancement works on the town’s streets, lanes and bows makes the town very attractive to live, work and shop in. The 2040 plan should build on this and I believe that the presence of the Technological University … on Bindon Street gives an elevated status to the town.

“Plans are also afoot by the government and the National Transport Authority to provide an orbital bus route within the town and its outskirts. All of this bodes well for Ennis but it’s important that there’s a strategic plan in place to ensure that the town appropriately develops over the next two decades.

“I’m confident that the Ennis 2040 plan will do that and I look forward to working with many other stakeholders to ensure that this becomes a roaring success for the town, the county and the Midwest region overall.”