elphin local area plan 2009 - 2015 - Roscommon County Council

Chapter 8: Recreation, Leisure and Tourism
Objective 93
Objective 94
Objective 95
Objective 96
Objective 97
Objective 98
Objective 99
Assist in the landscaping and further enhancement of the Fair Green and St Mary’s
Cathedral site.
Promote and facilitate the work of the Tidy Towns Committee in their enhancement
scheme for the town.
Encourage and promote further landscaping, hanging baskets, window boxes along the
main streets.
Provide landscaping within the Windmill Road housing estate in order to improve its
appearance.
Ensure that social, cultural and sporting activities provide adequate off-street car parking.
Support the development of public allotments and seek to identify appropriate sites for
such activities.
Implement the Council’s Development Contribution Scheme as it relates to the
improvement of existing recreation and leisure facilities and the funding of new recreation
and leisure facilities in tandem with new developments.
Objective 100 Support the development of an Integrated Sustainable Regional Tourism Strategy for the
region in consultation with relevant statutory / non-statutory bodies and local authorities.
8.4 INTEGRATED TOURISM AND RECREATION DEVELOPMENT
Integrated Tourism is tourism that is linked to the economic, social, cultural, natural and human structures
of the region where it occurs. Integrated tourism seeks to make the most of these structures. Integrated
Tourism aims to retain local ownership and control of resources and activities with maximum benefits to
the area. It encourages tourism that is based on local physical, economic, social and cultural resources and
local relationships so that tourist experiences are place specific. It is also sensitive to scale, which is
appropriate to local circumstances and supports sustainability of resources and activities in ecological,
economic and cultural terms. It encourages complementary components within tourism, between tourism
and other economic and social activities and encourages local empowerment through local participation,
decision-making, control and self-confidence. 2 RCC supports these aspects of integrated tourism and
sustainable tourism development by facilitating greater inter-agency cohesion and better targeting of
resources enabling the protection of the resources which currently attract visitors and upon which future
tourism can be based.
RCC recognises the need to build on existing facilities and support niche markets for example cycling
holidays, archaeological and nature tours, English language learning tours, and specialist markets such as
activity holidays, environmental or cultural based tourism.
Policies in relation to Integrated Tourism and Recreational Development
Policy 112
Provide for the sports and recreational needs of Elphin by upgrading and maintaining
existing facilities and providing for new facilities as required. Facilities provided should
be designed with flexibility in mind so that they are multifunctional and ensure maximum
usability by a variety of groups and members of local communities. Facilities should be
widely accessible to ensure that sports and recreation may provide a forum for social
inclusion and integration and the Council will work with sporting organisations and clubs
to achieve widespread availability of facilities.
2 Teagasc-Integrated rural tourism development in the west of Ireland: Learning from tourists and tour organisers
Elphin Local Area Plan 2009-2015 Page 73