Population and Settlement
- North Tipperary in Context
- Current & Projected Population
- Settlement Pattern
- Settlement Strategy
- Preferred Settlement Strategy
- Existing Plans
- Social Inclusion & Universal Access
3.3 County Settlement Pattern
North Tipperary is composed of a hierarchy of urban and rural settlements (See Table 3.5). Some 21% of the population of the County is concentrated in Thurles and Nenagh, with just under 40% in the four main urban centres (Thurles, Nenagh, Roscrea and Templemore). The County is rural in character with more than 60% of the population living in rural DEDs. The County has a low density, populated with a population density of 30 persons per square kilometre.
'Rural' as defined by the CSO categorisation of 'rural', includes 'all settlements with a population of less than 1500 and the open countryside'.
Figure 3.8: Main Settlement Centres in North Tipperary
Table 3.5: Population change in settlements between 1996-2002 |
|||
Centres |
1996 |
2002 |
% Change |
|---|---|---|---|
Thurles |
6,603 |
6,852 |
11.23 |
Nenagh |
5,645 |
6,121 |
10.03 |
Roscrea |
4,170 |
4,578 |
7.5 |
Templemore |
2,115 |
2,159 |
3.54 |
Newport |
871 |
887 |
1.6 |
*Borrisokane |
850 |
832 |
-2.1 |
Ballina |
598 |
1,185 |
98.2 |
Borrisoleigh |
564 |
598 |
6.0 |
*Littleton |
544 |
500 |
-8.1 |
*Cloghjordan |
447 |
431 |
-3.6 |
*Portroe |
411 |
401 |
-2.4 |
*Toomevara |
362 |
321 |
-11.3 |
Two Mile Borris |
325 |
474 |
45.8 |
Rearcross |
324 |
# |
# |
Templetouhy |
293 |
325 |
10.9 |
Puckaun |
256 |
269 |
14.5 |
* Settlements in Decline; # Figures not available
Apart from Thurles, Nenagh and Roscrea, and to a lesser extent Templemore and Borrisokane, much of the County suffers from weak urban fabric of towns and villages in addition to a wide dispersal of housing in the open countryside. This pattern has been amplified in recent years where the numbers moving out to the countryside has increased without a balancing increase in the population of villages and towns.
In the period 1997 to 2002 a total of 2,474 (See Table 3.6) houses were granted permission in the open countryside. In the same period, approximately 2,174 private houses were built in urban areas.
Table 3.6: Planning Permissions for One-off Houses in North Tipperary 1997-2002 |
|
Area |
No. of Houses |
|---|---|
Templemore |
551 |
Borrisokane |
504 |
Thurles |
504 |
Nenagh |
914 |
Total |
2,474 |
In 1996 the rural population in North Tipperary was 55.3% of the County, this figure increased to 60.1% by 2002. If the trend towards living in the open countryside continues, the population projection for 2009 will be that many rural areas will continue to rise and some urban areas, particularly smaller towns and villages, will continue to decline.
| Table 3.7: Rural/Urban Population Distribution 1991 - 2002 | |||
Year |
Aggr. Rural |
Aggr. Urban |
Total |
|---|---|---|---|
1991 |
32,666 |
25,188 |
57,854 |
1996 |
32,088 |
25,933 |
58,021 |
2002 |
36,614 |
24,396 |
61,010 |
2009* |
38,849 |
25,916 |
64,765 |
* The 2009 projected figures are based on equal growth of 0.84% per annum in both urban area rural areas which would maintain the 60/40 rural/urban split in the period 2003-2009.
Table 3.8: % Changes in population between towns and surrounding rural areas 1996 - 2002 |
||
Area |
% Urban Area |
% Rural Area |
|---|---|---|
County |
-5.9 |
14.1 |
Thurles |
11.23 |
21 |
Nenagh |
10.03 |
16.8 |
Roscrea |
7.5 |
5.5 |
Templemore |
1.7 |
5.9 |
Borrisokane |
-2.1 |
3.8 |
While much of North Tipperary is rural, there is a distinct and definable settlement hierarchy in the County, which is a healthy indicator of a sustainable, developed society.
Managing the sustainable development of the County over the next plan period requires a focussed approach. Figure 3.11 shows the main areas that require specific planning attention. This diagram serves merely as a guide - some DEDs have experienced growth over the last plan period, however the areas in dark grey largely remain areas of general decline.
Figure 3.11: Main Areas with a trend of Population Decline (indicated in dark grey)
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