boyle local area plan 2012 - 2018 - Roscommon County Council
boyle local area plan 2012 - 2018 - Roscommon County Council
boyle local area plan 2012 - 2018 - Roscommon County Council
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PART II: DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY FOR <strong>2012</strong> – <strong>2018</strong> & BEYOND Chapter 5: Recreation, Leisure & Tourism<br />
‣ those for the recreational cyclists where raised<br />
paths are created adjacent to footpaths and the same<br />
rules apply for cyclists and pedestrians.<br />
Walking and cycling routes should be designed to<br />
incorporate current thinking and best practice from<br />
experience in other locations in order to create more<br />
people friendly places. Road safety for pedestrians and<br />
cyclists is an important issue in tourist <strong>area</strong>s and lower<br />
speed limits and priority over motorised transport<br />
should be provided, where appropriate.<br />
Under the Smarter Travel Initiative Boyle has received<br />
a grant of €300,000 to enhance the cycle and pedestrian<br />
linkages between the Abbey and the first arch to the<br />
Lough Key Forest and Activity Park at Rockingham,<br />
through Abbeytown. The proposed works will primarily<br />
address gaps in the existing footpath network, the<br />
construction of a number of pedestrian crossings and<br />
other traffic calming measures. These works are<br />
currently underway.<br />
Policies for Walking & Cycling Routes<br />
Policy 35<br />
Facilitate the development of walkways and cycleways<br />
within the LAP <strong>area</strong> with careful consideration of<br />
design and use to ensure maintenance of <strong>local</strong><br />
biodiversity. Routes should take full advantage of<br />
existing amenities such as riverbanks and canalbanks so<br />
as to facilitate their enjoyment and exploit their tourism<br />
value, whilst ensuring that the environmental integrity<br />
of the <strong>area</strong> remains.<br />
Policy 36<br />
Support the investigation of the potential for off-road<br />
walking and cycling trails surrounding the LAP <strong>area</strong>;<br />
and for the development of linkages between existing<br />
trails and others in the county and in adjoining counties;<br />
and support national trail development policy including<br />
the Irish Trails Strategy.<br />
Objectives for Walking & Cycling Routes<br />
Objective 63<br />
Promote walking, rambling and cycling as appropriate<br />
recreational and tourism activities within the LAP <strong>area</strong>.<br />
Objective 64<br />
Establish walkways and cycle routes on a legal and<br />
permanent basis to include heritage and other<br />
attractions including accompanying signage.<br />
Objective 65<br />
Provide dedicated bicycle parking within the town<br />
centre.<br />
Objective 66<br />
Implement the proposed Bicycle Sharing Scheme<br />
identified in Chapter 2 of this LAP, and seek to provide<br />
for an integrated cycle and walking network in the Plan<br />
<strong>area</strong>.<br />
5.2.3 Tourism<br />
Boyle and its surrounding <strong>area</strong> contain a wealth of, not<br />
only, historical aspects, but also a wide variety of<br />
environmental and ecologically important <strong>area</strong>s. Whilst<br />
Boyle has a considerable wealth of historic features,<br />
including King House and Boyle Abbey, amongst<br />
others, the potential to attract visitors to the town has yet<br />
to be fully realised.<br />
The tourism industry provides great opportunity for<br />
economic development and employment creation within<br />
the LAP <strong>area</strong>. Boyle is rich in heritage and it is<br />
envisaged that new investment priorities should be<br />
directed into Boyle to enable the town to develop as a<br />
heritage centre. This will entail prioritising a number of<br />
unique projects in the town. Investment could focus on<br />
archaeology, history, vintage car rallies, walking,<br />
cycling, boating, angling, and further development of<br />
existing heritage. It is considered that the development<br />
and implementation of strategies aimed at contributing to<br />
the promotion and facilitation of tourism is one way of<br />
projecting an image of a place and attracting further<br />
inward investment. The <strong>Council</strong> will seek to facilitate the<br />
development of tourist resources where appropriate, in<br />
partnership with other public sector agencies and the<br />
private sector.<br />
The overall objective for the <strong>Roscommon</strong> Tourism<br />
Strategy 2010-2014 is ‘To increase by 50% the<br />
contribution made by tourism to <strong>Roscommon</strong>’s<br />
economy in the next five years for the period 2010 –<br />
2014’. The Plan states that although ambitious, this<br />
objective is achievable when you put it in context of the<br />
national revenue generated through tourism, albeit in a<br />
time of economic uncertainty. With regard to Boyle, the<br />
following is identified;<br />
1. The Strategy states that the absence of a major<br />
accommodation base in Boyle is an identifiable<br />
weakness, particularly when the town and Lough<br />
Key are major attractors for visitors. It specifically<br />
states the need for a quality hotel in Boyle. The<br />
Boyle LAP 2011-2017 has identified a potential<br />
suitable site for such development in the town. See<br />
Chapter 2 and Maps 12 and 14a.<br />
2. Signage is a weakness and there is also a<br />
requirement for an up to date network of tourism<br />
information points at key visitor attractions and in<br />
the villages.<br />
Boyle Local Area Plan <strong>2012</strong>-<strong>2018</strong> Page 49