8.4.2 | South Clare Economic Strategic Development Zone
In common with other higher education institutes, UL is a key economic driver in the Metropolitan Area and wider region. An opportunity for the development of a South Clare Economic Strategic Development Zone (SDZ) has emerged at UL on a large scale strategic site zoned as a University Zone. The proposal which is being developed by the University in conjunction with Clare County Council, prior to consideration by the Government, reflects the strategic economic role of UL which is located in both Clare and Limerick. The establishment of a SDZ at this strategic location will be a catalyst for the further economic and social development of the Limerick-Shannon Metropolitan Area and the wider region. It will establish a zone of substantial scale and strategic importance, advancing the Metropolitan Area by creating a prime global site for international investment with the potential to generate 3,500 jobs. Investment by industry will involve collaboration with the University in a new model of learning delivered by industry-partnered academies directed at attracting the best multinational employers with a guaranteed recruitment feed. The zone will create the potential for world-class learning, research and development. Based on the existing zoning in the Clare County Development Plan, the proposed South Clare Economic SDZ is planned to become Europe’s first 21st Century University town and gown environment, merging education, enterprise and employment, modelled on the very best of modern on-campus living. It will be a model of sustainable urban living, education and
enterprise, building on the standards of the existing campus. The development of the proposed SDZ will also allow for the redevelopment and integration of the Errina Canal to link the nearby villages of Clonlara, O’Briensbridge and Castleconnell, and provide a direct inland waterway connection between Limerick City and Belfast to reopen the historic all-island inland waterways system. The envisaged re-opening of the canal will significantly boost economic activity in these villages, as has been the experience in each settlement on the route of the Ballinamore-Ballyconnell canal project. The proximity to Ireland’s first hydroelectric power station at Ardnacrusha will provide a direct feed of green energy to the zone. The impact of the zone on the Limerick-Shannon Metropolitan Area would also be significant as the site’s enterprise population focus would be on an international scale with partnerships with Europe, the United States and Asia. Local settlements in the Metropolitan Area would also benefit from the appropriate placemaking infrastructure of the zone that will enhance its attractiveness to residents from overseas. The site will be accessible through a new link from the planned LNDR linking the zone directly to Shannon International Airport and onto the cities of Dublin, Cork and Galway via motorway. This is a potential project of scale from a European perspective. From a national perspective this is an exemplar project enabling an early win to the balanced regional development strategy set out in the National Planning Framework. At local level, the economic resurgence effect of this development will be highly significant for Limerick City and will complement the Limerick 2030 plan.
Limerick-Shannon MASP Policy Objective 14
South Clare Economic / UL proposed Strategic Development Zone (SDZ) It is an objective of the MASP to support an application for the designation and subsequent development of the lands zoned as University in the Clare County Development Plan 2017-2023 as an Economic Strategic Development Zone (SDZ), subject to the provisions of the Planning Act and all environmental considerations.
Southern Regional Assembly | RSES
297
Made with FlippingBook flipbook maker