Ballinasloe plan front-loads 2040 population rise to 2028, regulator finds

A local area development plan for Ballinasloe, Co Galway, front-loads development up to 2040 into the next six years, according to the planning regulator.

The Office of the Planning Regulator (OPR) said the draft Ballinasloe local area plan for 2022 to 2028 could “benefit” from further work to ensure “compact growth” of the town, urban regeneration and sustainable transport improvements. The OPR has responsibility to review local authority development plans to ensure they align with regional and national development strategies.

However, a submission the regulator’s office said the draft plan showed “considerable and evident work”, particularly in the preparation of a local transport plan and the hosting of online webinars to improve public consultation.

In all the OPR has submitted a total of four “recommendations” for changes which must be taken on board to align the draft plan with regional and national plans, as well as eight “observations”, which the planners must show they have considered.

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While the submission noted the regional policy of allocating a population growth target of 30 per cent by 2040, the OPR noted the draft plan “seeks to realise this level of growth over the six-year plan period [from] 2022 [to] 2028”.

The OPR did not disqualify such front-loading of development targets, but said they were “ambitious and will require significant focus and the allocation of resources needed to achieve this level of growth”.

The recommendations in the OPR’s submission to Galway County Council on the Ballinasloe plan include:

• Establish the evidence base for rezoning based on availability of services, such as roads and water for all rezonings, creating a tiered, priority approach
• Include an objective to deliver a minimum of 30 per cent of residential units within the existing built-up footprint of the town
• Audit lands available for a new school and ensure any selected site is accessible by walking and cycling, in consultation with the Department of Education
• Provide an urban regeneration statement and an overarching structure for "brownfield" urban regeneration, including more details of available opportunities

In relation to observations, the OPR submitted that the Ballinasloe plan should include age-friendly policies and “a clear strategy in relation to the provision of nursing homes and sheltered housing”.