Wicklow town, the administrative centre of the county, has a compact town centre and virtually no remaining land in the urban district left to be developed. For this reason, industrial developments are taking place close to Rathnew, its neighbouring town, and housing developments are beyond the town's boundaries and under the control of Wicklow County Council.
The Rathnew Industrial Park is full to its 30-acre capacity and a relief road has been proposed to take port and industrial traffic out of the town. Another relief road is planned for the western fringes of the town to provide access to the growing housing estates in this area. "At the moment an environs plan is being prepared for Wicklow, Ashford and Rathnew which will look at land to be zoned for business, commercial, industrial and residential. And there are proposals for the construction of a business park along the Marlton road in Wicklow town," says Fachtna Whittle, a local solicitor and president of the Chamber of Commerce.
"Coupled with decentralisation plans," he says, "Wicklow will be in a good position to attract new business at 45 minutes from the city and initiate a contraflow of people into the town."
Whittle does, however, concede that to date, the changes in the town have mainly been in the residential sector.
In terms of housing, Wicklow County Council has noted that there are up to 300 houses under construction, or completed, in the environs of Wicklow town. This compares with 300 houses built in the same geographical area between 19941999. There are another 200 homes at the planning stage. It is estimated that 70 per cent of new occupants are relocating from Dublin. The rail service to and from the town has grown at a pace which confirms this flow of commuter traffic back to Dublin.
The Wicklow County Council offices in Wicklow town are currently undergoing a 50 per cent increase in size and a new public swimming-pool is being built. With a population of 6,500, Wicklow has been designated a primary growth centre in the National Development Plan.
