Potential for jobs can boost population

by Páraic McMahon paraic@clareecho.ie

TEN strategic objectives underpin the renewed Clare Rural Development Strategy.

Building social enterprises, growing multi-services centres and digihubs, co-operating with communities, managing the environment and transition to carbon neutrality, supporting age-friendly initiatives, sustaining a rural way of life, enhancing transport and wastewater infrastructure, building tourism, supporting the delivery of education, child and youth services plus population growth and meeting the needs of incoming communities are the ten areas of focus.

Clare’s Rural Development Forum will monitor and evaluate the implementation of the renewed strategy. They will be examining the percentage increase of rural Clare’s population, the percentage increase in commercial rates within each Municipal District, increased public expenditure due to the strategy, vacancy and dereliction rates, employment in rural Clare, rural transport usage, the teacher to pupil ratio in rural Clare schools, broadband speeds, fluctuations in deprivation scores and the percentage increase in rural population having access to improved wastewater treatment infrastructure.

A total of 33 sub-actions aim to ensure the ten renewed objectives are delivered.

War in Ukraine has influenced the strategy. Included as a specific objective is addressing the “immediate and medium term needs of the incoming communities to ensure that their presence in Clare is welcomed”. A rebalance of the “self-perpetuating circle of decline and poor development balance” in rural Clare can be achieved through the population of Ukrainians, it is believed.

Low employment levels have served as a big contributor to declining population numbers in rural Clare. Potential for employment creation exists within the agriculture, food and marine sectors, renewable energy industry, tourism industry, private professional services and the emerging ‘working from home’ and social enterprise occupations can tackle this, the strategy underlines.

Seán Ó Riordáin his review stated of the growth of multi-service centres and digital hubs, “it might reasonably be argued that the county is now a leader in Ireland in this regard with the development of DigiClare the most tangible manifestation of the strategy to date. It is evident from the footfall created around the hubs, along with the capacity created to enable hybrid working and the community activities facilitated by the hubs that the county has benefitted considerably from this welcome development which was foreshadowed in the strategy”. Building on the capacity to facilitate further service provision should be considered, he said.

“Limited, if important progress has been made” when it comes to infrastructure delivery in towns and villages with hopes high for a positive outcome for Broadford’s long quest to get a wastewater treatment plant.

by Páraic McMahon @clareecho.ie

HALLENGES facing rural Clare will be met head on by the renewed Clare Rural Development Strategy 2030, officials behind the document have maintained.

On Friday, the Renewed Clare Rural Development Strategy 2030 (Realising Clare’s Rural Potential: Our Life, Our Home) was officially launched in the civic room of the Buttermarket Building in Ennis with over sixty people in attendance. The plan was adopted by Clare County Council this Monday.

Initially developed as a ten year plan for the development of rural Clare, the strategy’s implementation has been affected by “unprecedented challenges” over the past two years, Cathaoirleach of Clare County Council, Cllr Tony O’Brien (FF) stated. A review of its aim was timely in his view and allowed the aims to remain realistic and achieveable, he said. “There is a huge untapped potential in rural Clare for both jobs and tourism, where there are strong communities with ideas and ambitions for their futures. The aim of this Renewed Strategy is to further unlock that potential”.

Chief Executive of Clare Couny Council, Pat Dowling said the last three years has left the country “bruised but not broken”.

He recalled that in 2016, Clare launched the rural development strategy in Kilmaley and became the first Council to establish its own rural development directorate, “we set on a journey, I’m not really sure where it would take us, I pretended I did but I’m not sure, the challenge was enormous with how we would develop our rural county”.

Dowling who also chairs the Clare Rural Development Forum pointed out that the creation of the Department of Rural Development followed Clare setting the way in 2016.

The appointment of a tourism officer, roll-out of eleven digital hubs, appointment of rural community development officer in each Municipal District, designation of Ennis and Shannon Airport as an age friendly town and Airport were listed as his highlights.

He said €30-40m in funding has been secured in Clare “because of that rural focus”.