Victor Boyhan (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I actively engage with councillors from all parties and none and some months ago, I met Gerry Flynn, an independent councillor, to discuss Shannon.I do not have to give anyone a lecture about Shannon. The town has a population of approximately 10,000 people and Clare County Council has had responsibility for it since 2014. There have been a number of reports, including a local area plan and a county development plan. There is a reluctance on the part of Clare County Council, as demonstrated by a look at planning files and engagement as part of the public consultation process, to develop the town centre of Shannon outside SkyCourt, the private shopping centre. Everyone who knows the town will be aware that all of the commercial activity takes place around this commercial and privately-owned building that was once under NAMA but which has since been sold. There are issues in that regard.

The people in Shannon and their elected representatives want a high street. There is no high street there. I know the town well because I have friends who live there and who work in the aviation business. There is nowhere to walk. There are places without footpaths and there is a deficit of facilities. Everyone wants a sense of place, a place to which they belong. A number of surveys and reports have been commissioned, including the Shannon town environment local area plan. It was supposed to be completed between 2012 and 2018, but nothing happened. It has been extended further to 2023.

The residents and public representatives are talking about the creation of a public realm, a place they can call their own. Planners call this "place making", and it is really important. They wish to see the development of An Bóthar Mór road as a main street, which is part of the vision set down in their plan, and to ensure that the vision for the town extends beyond the town centre, which is privately-owned and to which there is limited access. There is no right of access or public access. In essence, this is about streetscaping, increasing recreational sports facilities for the community and improving the quality of community life, including arts and cultural development, which are at the core of every town and place. It concerns place finding. I spoke to a person who worked in Intel. I asked this person why he or she left, and was told that while the job was great and a great house to live in, the people in Shannon believe it has been neglected, that regeneration and urban renewal has not occurred and that the sense of place has been lost. People are of the view that they cannot stay there.

I will not speak at length about the national planning framework. I welcomed it and have always supported it. I see its potential. However, my concern is funding, access to programmes for regeneration and the building of a sense of place in the heart of Shannon.