Miltown Malbay
Miltown Malbay Location and Context Miltown Malbay is identified as a Small Town in the settlement hierarchy of this Plan. The Settlement Strategy contained in Volume 1 of this Plan sets out the objective for these towns which are of fundamental importance as employment and tourist centres and for the provision of services and facilities for their resident populations and their rural hinterlands. This will be achieved through adequate zoning of lands and implementing a positive approach towards appropriately scaled and designed urban development. The expansion of Miltown Malbay should be sympathetic with the focus on developing brownfield sites, developing sites from the centre out and expanding its retail and commercial functions. Miltown Malbay, located only 2km from the Wild Atlantic Way, is one of the main towns in West Clare. Historically it was a market town and was a Victorian resort in tandem with Spanish Point. Miltown Malbay has a strong and bustling town centre which serves a relatively large catchment area, providing a wide range of services including retail outlets, national school, church, medical centre, credit union, bank and the West Clare Resource Centre. The economic base of the town consists of small-scale industry, services, commercial, agricultural and tourism activity. Other facilities in the town include the Malbay Digital Hub which forms part of the Council’s Digi-Clare initiative and provides remote working and hot desk facilities that are broadband enabled in the centre of the town. Miltown Malbay’s strong cultural connections to traditional Irish music are celebrated through numerous festivals and events each year such as the Pipers Weekend and the internationally renowned Willie Clancy Summer School which attracts an international audience to the town. Spanish Point and its outstanding beaches are situated just a short distance away (c.1.5km). Miltown Malbay has an attractive urban centre which is reflected in its designation as an Architectural Conservation Area (ACA). ACAs are places, areas, groups of structures or a townscape which are of special interest or contribute to the appreciation of a Protected Structure. The aim is to retain the overall special historic or architectural character of an area or place as per Objective CDP 16.5 in Volume 1 of this plan. The existing market town grew rapidly during the early 19th century from which most of the existing buildings date. Today it comprises one long commercial street with single and doublebay, two and three storey buildings There are some very fine plaster shopfronts that replicate the classical, timber traditional shopfronts of the early decades of the 20th century. There are several vacant buildings in the town and their reuse, redevelopment or enhancement is encouraged as a means of regenerating the town centre and promoting sustainable development.
__________________________________________________________________________________ Draft Clare County Development Plan 2023-2029
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