boyle local area plan 2012 - 2018 - Roscommon County Council

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PART II: DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY FOR 2012 – 2018 & BEYOND Chapter 5: Recreation, Leisure & Tourism Policies for Integrated Tourism & Recreational Development Policy 33 Provide for the sports and recreational needs of the LAP area, 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. Policy 34 Facilitate and encourage the development of new tourist activities on appropriately zoned lands at Boyle Harbour, as part of an integrated tourism development to include a high quality harbour mixed use development providing appropriate leisure, recreational, open space and water based facilities and provide support for existing services and communities. In all cases development will be required to comply with the development management standards and key sustainable tourism principles as set out under the RCDP. Objective for Integrated Tourism & Recreational Development Objective 61 Identify strategic locations where public open space and parks should be provided, so that they may be useable by a large proportion of the local community and so that they may facilitate the enjoyment of other amenities such as rivers, lakes, canal, picturesque landscapes, views or features of our natural heritage, or to retain areas of ecological interest and biodiversity value. Objective 62 Seek to facilitate the provision of disabled persons fishing stands along the Boyle Canal at locations suitable for anglers with a disability or restricted mobility. ‣ Walkways/Cycleways An important component of an integrated tourism strategy is sustainability and the use of more sustainable forms of transport. There are a number of walking/cycling routes as well as walking clubs throughout the County. Slí na Sláinte is a health promotion walking initiative which was introduced in 1996 and aimed at encouraging people of all ages and abilities to walk for pleasure and good health. There are four main Slí na Sláinte trails in County Roscommon. The Lough Key Slí na Sláinte is in close proximity to the Boyle LAP area. The Miners’ Way Historical Trail is a 110.5 mile long walking route, 39 miles of which are in County Roscommon. The walk forms part of the Cospoir approved national network of long distance walking routes. The route is entitled the Miners Way/Historical Trail. The Miners Way denotes the fact that it covers the coal mining area of Arigna and Historical Trail as it follows the route taken by the Red Earl in the ninth Century. There is a need to recognise the importance of walking and cycling in County Roscommon from a local as well as tourism perspective. Walking is becoming an increasingly popular activity with holidaymakers and Ireland is one of the best countries in the world for walking holidays. There has never been a better time to experience walking in Ireland. The latest figures show that walking in Ireland is one of the top activities enjoyed by holidaymakers with over 1.6 million taking part during 2009. Research by Fáilte Ireland also shows that walking is extremely popular with both domestic holidaymakers (over 860,000 people) and overseas visitors (up to 800,000) enjoying the wide range of walking facilities around the country during the same period. There is huge potential for Boyle to really benefit from this increasingly popular activity and it should be promoted and marketed as such. Improvements need to be made to walking routes throughout the county and cycle paths need to be provided along public roads where possible. As mentioned in the infrastructure section of this plan, there are two types of cycleways; ‣ those for the commuter where cyclists ride on the roadway and there may be no clear distinction between the roadway and “cycle path”; and, Boyle Local Area Plan 2012-2018 Page 48
PART II: DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY FOR 2012 – 2018 & BEYOND Chapter 5: Recreation, Leisure & Tourism ‣ those for the recreational cyclists where raised paths are created adjacent to footpaths and the same rules apply for cyclists and pedestrians. Walking and cycling routes should be designed to incorporate current thinking and best practice from experience in other locations in order to create more people friendly places. Road safety for pedestrians and cyclists is an important issue in tourist areas and lower speed limits and priority over motorised transport should be provided, where appropriate. Under the Smarter Travel Initiative Boyle has received a grant of €300,000 to enhance the cycle and pedestrian linkages between the Abbey and the first arch to the Lough Key Forest and Activity Park at Rockingham, through Abbeytown. The proposed works will primarily address gaps in the existing footpath network, the construction of a number of pedestrian crossings and other traffic calming measures. These works are currently underway. Policies for Walking & Cycling Routes Policy 35 Facilitate the development of walkways and cycleways within the LAP area with careful consideration of design and use to ensure maintenance of local biodiversity. Routes should take full advantage of existing amenities such as riverbanks and canalbanks so as to facilitate their enjoyment and exploit their tourism value, whilst ensuring that the environmental integrity of the area remains. Policy 36 Support the investigation of the potential for off-road walking and cycling trails surrounding the LAP area; and for the development of linkages between existing trails and others in the county and in adjoining counties; and support national trail development policy including the Irish Trails Strategy. Objectives for Walking & Cycling Routes Objective 63 Promote walking, rambling and cycling as appropriate recreational and tourism activities within the LAP area. Objective 64 Establish walkways and cycle routes on a legal and permanent basis to include heritage and other attractions including accompanying signage. Objective 65 Provide dedicated bicycle parking within the town centre. Objective 66 Implement the proposed Bicycle Sharing Scheme identified in Chapter 2 of this LAP, and seek to provide for an integrated cycle and walking network in the Plan area. 5.2.3 Tourism Boyle and its surrounding area contain a wealth of, not only, historical aspects, but also a wide variety of environmental and ecologically important areas. Whilst Boyle has a considerable wealth of historic features, including King House and Boyle Abbey, amongst others, the potential to attract visitors to the town has yet to be fully realised. The tourism industry provides great opportunity for economic development and employment creation within the LAP area. Boyle is rich in heritage and it is envisaged that new investment priorities should be directed into Boyle to enable the town to develop as a heritage centre. This will entail prioritising a number of unique projects in the town. Investment could focus on archaeology, history, vintage car rallies, walking, cycling, boating, angling, and further development of existing heritage. It is considered that the development and implementation of strategies aimed at contributing to the promotion and facilitation of tourism is one way of projecting an image of a place and attracting further inward investment. The Council will seek to facilitate the development of tourist resources where appropriate, in partnership with other public sector agencies and the private sector. The overall objective for the Roscommon Tourism Strategy 2010-2014 is ‘To increase by 50% the contribution made by tourism to Roscommon’s economy in the next five years for the period 2010 – 2014’. The Plan states that although ambitious, this objective is achievable when you put it in context of the national revenue generated through tourism, albeit in a time of economic uncertainty. With regard to Boyle, the following is identified; 1. The Strategy states that the absence of a major accommodation base in Boyle is an identifiable weakness, particularly when the town and Lough Key are major attractors for visitors. It specifically states the need for a quality hotel in Boyle. The Boyle LAP 2011-2017 has identified a potential suitable site for such development in the town. See Chapter 2 and Maps 12 and 14a. 2. Signage is a weakness and there is also a requirement for an up to date network of tourism information points at key visitor attractions and in the villages. Boyle Local Area Plan 2012-2018 Page 49
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boyle local area plan 2012 - 2018 - Roscommon County Council

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