Economy
- Economic Profile
- Employment and Education
- Unemployment
- Employment Strategy
- Employment Land at Strategic Locations
- Environmental Improvement of Employment Areas
- Non-Conforming Uses
- Commercial Development in Rural Areas
- Tourism and Recreation
- Retail
6.5 Employment Land in Strategic Locations
The Council has zoned sufficient lands to meet the demands of expanding businesses and the development of new businesses.
Policy ECON 2: Strategic Employment
It is the policy of the Council to identify land in key strategic locations that is suitable for different employment and economic activity. These lands will be protected from inappropriate development that would undermine the future development of economic and employment activity.
Such locations include:
- Land at Gortlandroe, Nenagh situated east of the N52 between the Portroe Road and Dromineer Road
- Shannon Development west of Dublin Road, Nenagh
- Master plan area at Ballycurrane including the former Sugar Factory, Thurles
- Shannon Development at Stradavoher, Thurles
- Land at Archerstown situated southeast of Thurles as part of a new Local Area Plan.
- Land at Lackenavea, west of Birdhill between Birdhill and Ballina on the R494.
The improvement in the overall perception of the County is closely linked to the innate attractiveness of the County as a business location and this is expressed in the policy aims and objectives contained throughout the Development Plan.
As part of the growth strategy for the development of the County, the Council recognises that the development of Nenagh (as the County Town) and Thurles (as the largest town) as major growth centres is critical to the overall competitiveness of the County. In order to advance the role of Nenagh and Thurles in the national and regional context, the Council will zone significant land parcels as major development zones on the edge of these towns in order to promote a Technology Park in Thurles and Employment Park in Nenagh through a multi-agency approach.
Policy ECON 3: Local Area Plans
It is the policy of the Council to promote the development of strategic land banks in Nenagh and Thurles in accordance with the policy objectives set out in the Local Area Plans, including, an integrated development that will achieve:
- a high-quality, sustainable development;
- attract education, research and clean technology based industries;
- provide significant amenities, including a designed parkland; and
- all new buildings shall be of exceptional architectural quality.
Policy ECON 3(a) Local Area Plan for Archerstown, Thurles:
It is a policy of the Local Authorities to prepare a Local Area Plan for lands situated at Archerstown to provide for proper planning and sustainable development of the area. The LAP shall be prepared in accordance with an agreed brief and will provide for the following:
- the infrastructural requirements to service current and planned development in the area;
- the improvement and expansion of employment uses on existing sites and adjacent lands;
- identification of suitable lands for low-intensity, affordable commercial development, including vehicle parking, SME's and start-up employment activity;
- the consolidation of existing residential development and;
- the provision of limited new residential development.
There is a demand across the County for affordable industrial sites to accommodate small-to-medium scale industrial activity. This includes HGV and other vehicle parking, commercial storage, workshops and recycling plants. Because of the nature of such activity promoters are unable to meet the high cost of industrial land within urban areas. This has resulted in such uses being driven out to one-off rural sites in rural locations without adequate services. It is therefore important that such activity is provided for in and around urban areas.
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