SOCIO-ECONOMIC FRAMEWORK

Transcription

1 LOCAL ECONOMIC AND COMMUNITY PLAN LECP SOCIO-ECONOMIC FRAMEWORK Baseline data & Information OFFALY COUNTY COUNCIL May 2015

2 This Socio-Economic Framework has been prepared as an integral part of the development of the Local Economic and Community Plan (LECP) for County Offaly. This framework is a comprehensive evidence base and draws together a range of data and information sources including: Raw data and information relevant to County Offaly. Analysis of relevant National, Regional and Local Policy and Issues arising from stakeholder engagement and public consultation. All of these sources have been examined and analysed and both the economic and community issues are identified. The Socio-Economic Statement that accompanies this report identifies the high level goals that will be further elaborated upon in the draft economic and community plans. The socio-economic framework and the socio-economic statement should be read in conjunction.

3 Table of Contents Page 1. Introduction and Background 1 2. LECP implementing National, Regional and Local Policy 6 3. Overview of County Offaly Key Statistics and Trends Stakeholder Engagement and Public Consultation Key Findings from analysis and research 42 Appendix A1 Offaly County Development Plan and the LECP. Appendix A2 Data Offaly Profile. Appendix A3 Stakeholder Engagement and Public Consultation.

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5 Contents 1 Introduction & Background Intro Introduction LECP Purpose and Role Background to LECP Key players in preparing and making the LECP Context of the LECP Purpose of this Socio-economic Framework

6 1. Introduction & Background 1.1 Introduction This socio-economic framework is carried out as the first part of the making of the Local Economic and Community Plan (LECP) and provides background information relating to County Offaly. The socio-economic framework pulls together various data sets and profile information on Offaly and includes matters raised by way of public consultation to establish a real evidence base from which actions and priorities are identified in the plan. From this evidence base, high level goals will emerge through the final socio-economic statement. These will serve as both an agreed vision for County Offaly and provide the overarching framework for the LECP. The LECP is a new venture for Local Authorities prescribed by new legislative provisions contained in the Local Government Reform Act This section will outline the overall purpose of the LECP, its background and context and the key players involved in drafting and managing the implementation of actions in the plan. It is further explain the purpose of this 1.2 LECP Purpose and Role The purpose of the Local Economic and Community Plan (LECP) is to set out, for a six year period, the objectives and actions needed to promote and support the economic development and the local and community development of an area (in this case County Offaly), both by its self directly and in partnership with other economic and community development stakeholders. The LECP will provide the primary mechanism at local level to bring forward relevant actions arising from decisions, recommendations, objectives or principles from government policy and strategies including for example the Action Plan for Jobs, Policy Framework for Children and Young People , Action plan for Social Inclusion, CEDRA report etc. (please refer context for list of other relevant strategies). Funding allocation and distribution in Offaly in respect of and for the purposes of local community development, rural development, social inclusion and/or economic development will be used on actions and priorities that have been included in the plan. The LECP is an integrated joint plan with two component parts: Economic element Community element The process of making the LECP is both shared and separate in consideration of the distinct functions of the individual elements and also the separate committees responsible for developing each aspect. The two elements of the plan will be integrated into one final plan for adoption through the Local Authority. 1.3 Background to LECP In 2012 a national policy document entitled Putting People First Action Programme for Effective Local Government outlined the intention to continue the reform process of local government. The recommendations of this report are aimed at 1

7 Providing a more central co-ordinating role for local government in local and community development; Achieving greater efficiency and effectiveness in local and community development programming; and Improving the delivery of services for citizens and communities. The Local Government Reform Act 2014 provides the legislative framework for the policies contained in Putting People First and provides a stronger and clearer role for local government in economic and community development. In advancing and strengthening the overarching purpose of Local Government with respect to economic and community development the legislative provisions of Act provide for: 1. The establishment of a Local Community Development Committee (as a sub-committee of the County Council) and, 2. The requirement for each Local Authority to make an integrated six year Local Economic and Community Plan. 1.4 Key Players in preparing and making the LECP The economic element of the plan will be developed by the Strategic Policy Committee (SPC) for Economic development, Enterprise and Planning. The community element will be prepared by the Local Community Development Committee (LCDC). Each of the committees has representation from various interest groups and members of the public. SPCs were established by Local Government Act Their role is defined as to: Assist the Council in the formulation, development and review of policy; Assist and advise the Council in relation to functions of the local authority, e.g. preparation of a development plan, waste management plan, water quality management plan and now the LECP. The LCDC is a newly formed committee of the Local authority. Their role as established by the Local Government Reform Act is: for the purposes of developing, coordinating and implementing a coherent and integrated approach to local and community development. The main responsibilities of the committee are to: Develop six year economic and community plan Implement, monitor and review community plan Co-ordinate, manage, oversee local and community development programmes Seek to ensure effectiveness, co-ordination-avoid duplication Responsible for Local Community Development Programme social inclusion Responsible for local action group (LAG) to submit and oversee Rural Development Programme An advisory steering group has been established in Offaly County Council to assist in the preparation, drafting and adopting of the individual elements of the plan. This will ensure for proper co-ordination, avoid duplication and 2

8 maximize the use of available resources. Once the LECP is made, this advisory steering group will advise and assist on implementation and on monitoring arrangements. The integrated plan will be adopted by the Local Authority. 1.5 Context of LECP The LECP as a framework for the economic development and local community development of Offaly and will sit as part of a series of plans and strategies that have been developed at national, regional and local level. Figure 1.1 shows the interaction and context of the LECP with regard to some of the relevant national, regional and local level plans and strategies. It is recognised that the LECP will be developed and implemented within an evolving national policy context and should endeavour to ensure that all relevant policies are reflected in the plan. Although not exhaustive, the list contained in Table 1.1 is representative of the number, nature and extent of national, regional and local plans and strategies from which the LECP takes its context. The principles and objectives of these plans and strategies will feed into objectives and further into specific actions of the LECP. Section 2 of this report examines a number of relevant strategies relating to the Offaly and sets out preliminary objectives for inclusion in the LECP and shows how such strategies will be implemented at local level. Figure 1.1: Context of LECP National Strategy for Traveller/Roma Integration Nat Spatial Strategy Reg Planning Guidelines County Development Plan Action Plan for Jobs Further Education & Training Strategy Food harvest 2020 LECP Action Plan for Social Inclusion CEDRA Social Housing Strategy 2020 Local Gov Sectoral Strategy to promote employment & support local enterprise National Reform Programme for Ireland Construction

9 Table 1.1: Context of LECP national, regional and local plans Economic aspect Action plan for jobs Food Harvest 2020 Our Cities: Drivers of National Competitiveness Making it Happen Growing Enterprise for Ireland Delivering our Green Potential Government Policy statement on Growth and Employment in the Green Economy Developing a Green Enterprise Energising Irelands rural economy CEDRA Local Government Sectoral Strategy to promote Employment and Support Local Enterprise Supporting Economic Recovery and Jobs locally. Supporting Enterprise, Local Development and Economic Growth Cost of doing business in Ireland 2014 Evaluation of Enterprise Supports for Start-ups and Entrepreneurship Irelands competitiveness Scorecard 2014 Construction 2020 A Strategy for a renewed Construction sector Harnessing our Ocean Wealth National Reform Programme for Ireland Social Housing Strategy 2020 Green Paper on Energy Policy in Ireland Regional Planning Guidelines Regional Operation Programmes Gateways and Hubs Development Index County Incomes and Regional RDP Reports Forfas Regional Competitiveness Agendas County Development Plan IDA Regional Strategy Rural Development programme Community aspect OECD Report on Local Development Our Sustainable Future: A Framework for Sustainable Development for Ireland (2012) National Action Plan for Social Inclusion Better outcomes, brighter futures - The National Policy Framework for Children and Young People Energising Irelands rural economy CEDRA Further Education and Training Strategy Corporate Social Responsibility Plan, Good for Business, Good for Community Healthy Ireland A Framework for Improved Heath and Well Being National Strategy for Traveller/Roma Integration Report on High Level Group on Traveller Issues Year Strategy for the Irish Language Supporting Enterprise, Local Development and Economic Growth National Reform Programme for Ireland National Action Plan for Social Inclusion County Development Plan It is important to note that the LECP does not sit directly within the hierarchy of spatial planning policy but rather as an entity considerate of the spatial framework endorsed by the National Spatial Strategy (NSS) at national level, Midlands regional Planning Guidelines 1 (MRPGs) at regional level and the Offaly County Development Plan at local level. As a strategy in its own right the LECP must be consistent with the core strategy and the objectives of the development plan... 2 The LECP must not present alternative or competing proposals to that of the development 1 To be replaced by Regional Spatial and Economic Strategies under the direction of the newly established regional assemblies. 2 Section 66B Local Government Reform Act

10 plan. Please refer also to appendix A1 of this report for further information on the relationship between the development plan and the LECP and objectives that the LECP must be to be consistent with. 1.6 Purpose of this Socio-Economic Framework Report This socio-economic framework report is an amalgam of various aspects including policy context, raw data, relevant information, issues arising from public consultation etc., to create a significant evidence base on matters relating to County Offaly. It gives an all encompassing picture of the county and its people and the range of economic and community related issues that are dealt with on a daily basis. The evidence base is examined and is focused on what will be needed to provide information to formulate both the economic and the community development aspects of the LECP. The approach to assembling the evidence base and obtaining as much relevant information as possible is stepped and includes the following: A top down examination of relevant principles and objectives of national, regional and local policy, Examination and consideration of raw data and information collated from various sources and Examination and consideration of the bottom up consultative process undertaken to identify issues experienced by people living in the plan area. For clarity, each of these are set out in sections 2, 3, 4 and 5 (respectively) in this report. Section 6 of this report summarises the key findings from the analysis and research. 5

11 Contents 2 LECP Implementing National, Regional & Local Policy Introduction National, Regional & Local Strategies Policy context Key principles

12 2. LECP Implementing National, Regional and Local Policy 2.1 Introduction As previously stated in section 1 the LECP is guided and influenced by the principles, objectives and policies of a range of relevant strategies at national, regional and local level. The LECP is the mechanism at local level for the realisation of new and relevant objectives aimed at implementing high level policy as well as addressing issues and matters of concern at local level in our local community. There are a number of important high level strategies and local level reports that are of relevance to the economic and local community development dimensions of County Offaly. These are outlined initially and described further below. Their fundamental principles will be translated through the LECP for effective implementation at local level. Action Plan for Jobs 2015 Medium Term Economic Strategy (MTES) IDA Regional Strategy CEDRA Rural Development Programme (LEADER) Making it Happen Growing Enterprise for Ireland EU2020 and National Reform Programme for Ireland OECD Report on Local Development 2013 National Action Plan for Social Inclusion Further Education and Training Strategy Healthy Ireland A framework for Improved Health and Wellbeing National Strategy for Traveller/Roma Integration 2011 Spatial framework National Spatial Strategy, Midland Regional Planning Guidelines and Offaly County Development Plan. 2.2 National, Regional & Local strategies: Name Action Plan for Jobs 2014 Purpose The Action Plan for Jobs is a whole-of-government initiative under which all Government Departments and Agencies work together to deliver on the agreed action points for each year. The Action Plan for Job's Five Strategic Ambitions are: 1. To support 100,000 additional jobs by To get Ireland back to a top-five ranking in international competitiveness 3. To stimulate the domestic economy and generate employment in locally traded sector 4. To build an indigenous engine of growth that drives up the export market share of Irish companies 5. To build world-class clusters in key sectors of opportunity The Government is committed to seeing full employment of 2.1m people in An Action Plan for Jobs is published every year, setting out clear actions and targets to help create positive conditions for job creation. Results are reviewed quarterly and progress reports are published underneath. 6

13 Medium Term Economic Strategy (MTES) The Medium Term Economic Strategy sets out the core components of the Government s strategy to continue the work of rebuilding the Irish economy, achieving sustainable economic growth, strong public finances, and enduring job creation. It explains how the Government will ensure that the failed policies of the past are consigned to history and the economy will be managed and developed on a sustainable basis, for the benefit of all. The Government s goals of ensuring a job-rich recovery and setting Ireland on the path to sustainable prosperity, will provide opportunity for people, provide high quality public services, and encourage innovation in business and across society. This will help to reduce inequality and improve poverty outcomes across society, with a particular emphasis on child poverty in line with the commitment in the Programme for Government. The Medium Term Economic Strategy sets out the Government s intentions to drive ahead with its reform programme under these three pillars: Ensuring Debt Sustainability Financing Growth, and Supporting Employment and Living Standards IDA Regional Strategy Winning: Foreign Direct Investment The IDA through a five year plan for Irelands FDI offering outlines the organisation's high level strategic actions aimed at developing the sector further. IDA aims to win 900 individual projects over the next five years, increasing its investment target by over 40%. This will be based on an ability to respond to client's needs efficiently, effectively and ahead of the competition. As part of its growth strategy, IDA is targeting a minimum 30% to 40% increase in the number of investments for each region outside Dublin. These targets have been developed taking into account the key factors crucial to attracting and retaining FDI, namely: - A critical mass of population and urban centres - The ability to attract and develop appropriate skills (talent) - The existence of clusters in specific industry sectors/activities - Alignment with the IDA global team s targets for the sectors, geographies and new opportunities - Regional infrastructure and place-making, including social and cultural capital - Availability of property solutions and those planned over the short, medium and longer term of the strategy. These investments will be a combination of new name investments, expansions from existing overseas companies in Ireland and R&D investments. The agency also announced it is targeting a 20% increase in spending by overseas firms within Ireland, bringing expenditure to 26.8bn per annum. In particular IDA is committed to showcasing Irish industry to its client companies. A 20% increase in cumulative spend ( 3bn) on RD&I is also a target of the strategy, as overseas companies place additional high value activity into Ireland. 7

14 Report of the Commission for the Economic Development of Rural Areas Energising Ireland s Rural Economy the report of the Commission for the Economic Development of Rural Areas (CEDRA) was commissioned in September 2012 by Minister Phil Hogan and Minister Simon Coveney in recognition that a number of commitments to encourage job creation and sustainable enterprise development, are reliant on the ability of all parts of Ireland to contribute to economic growth going forward. It was also apparent that both the differential degree of economic development and the variable impacts of the economic downturn between urban and rural areas needed to be examined in detail in order that appropriate measures are identified to inform the development of strategies that support rural Ireland into the future. The primary task given to CEDRA was to identify strategic initiatives that will ensure rural areas contribute to sustained and sustainable national economic growth and development in the future. The report sets out 34 recommendations and presents a vision of the rural Ireland of the future that is: vibrant, sustainable and resilient. It is a place where people can and want to live, work and raise their families. It is a dynamic source of economic growth that provides opportunities for its inhabitants. It is a place of equal opportunity where all members of the community have the chance to reach their full potential. Rural Development Programme LEADER The acronym LEADER' derives from the French words "Liaison Entre Actions de Développement de l'économique Rurale which means, Links between the rural economy and development actions'. The premise of this programme is to enlist the energy and resources of people and bodies that contribute to the rural development process by forming partnerships at a sub-regional level between the public, private and civil sectors. The LEADER approach is associated with local empowerment through local strategy development and resource allocation. The main tool for the application of the LEADER approach to area development and involving local representatives in decision-making is the Local Action Group (LAG). LEADER Themes include the following: Rural Economic Development/Enterprise Development and Job Creation Rural Tourism Enterprise Development Broadband Rural Towns Social inclusion through building community capacity, training and animation Basic Services for hard to reach communities Rural Youth Rural Environment Alan Kelly T.D., Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government, and Ann Phelan, TD Minister of State for Rural Affairs allocated 220 million overall to individual 8

15 sub-regional (county) areas for the purposes of the implementation of the LEADER elements of the Rural Development Programme by Local Action Groups within those areas. As announced in Budget 2015, an overall 250 million will be allocated towards the LEADER element of the Rural Development Programme. County Offaly has been allocated 8,036, for the period Food Harvest 2020 Food Harvest 2020 is a long-term strategy for the agri-food, forestry and fisheries sectors. It was recognised that these sectors were entering a period of profound change and it was critical that the correct strategies are identified. It was also necessary that the industry was seen to be an integral part of the 'Smart Economy' and was at the forefront of exportled economic recovery. The overall vision set out in the strategy is as follows: Making it Happen Growing Enterprise for Ireland This report presents a coherent narrative for enterprise policy within the context of the Smart Economy. It recommends the actions needed to ensure a competitive, sustainable enterprise base that will deliver growth and jobs within the medium-term to Driving growth and jobs within Ireland's enterprise base will be reliant on four complementary critical success factors: innovation, productivity, cost competitiveness and a strong enterprise mix (expanding upon Ireland's existing strengths in sectors and markets). The report's recommendations focus on the essential areas of education and skills, R&D and innovation, management development, public procurement, access to finance, infrastructure priorities, the regulatory environment and competition policies, which are relevant to all firms. Creating this optimum environment requires coordinated action across the whole of Government. 9

16 EU2020 & National Reform Programme for Ireland EU 2020 Europe 2020 is the European Union s ten-year growth and jobs strategy that was launched in It is about more than just overcoming the crisis from which our economies are now gradually recovering. It is also about addressing the shortcomings of our growth model and creating the conditions for a smart, sustainable and inclusive growth. Five headline targets have been set for the EU to achieve by the end of These include. Employment 75% of the year-olds to be employed. 2. R&D 3% of the EU's GDP to be invested in R&D. 3. Climate change and energy sustainability greenhouse gas emissions 20% (or even 30%, if the conditions are right) lower than % of energy from renewables 20% increase in energy efficiency. 4. Education Reducing the rates of early school leaving below 10% at least 40% of year-olds completing third level education. 5. Fighting poverty and social exclusion at least 20 million fewer people in or at risk of poverty and social exclusion Ireland s National Reform Programme Ireland s National Reform Programme The National Reform Programme provides an update on the continuing process of reform following Ireland s successful exit from the EU/IMF Programme of Financial Support. It also provides an update on progress towards the targets set out under the Europe 2020 process. Ireland s National Targets Employment to raise to 69-71% the employment rate for women and men aged 20-64, including through the greater participation of young people, older workers and low-skilled workers and the better integration of legal migrants, and to review the target level of ambition in 2014, in the context of a proposed mid-term review of the Europe 2020 Strategy. Research and Development to raise combined public and private investment levels in this sector to 2.5% of GNP (approximately equivalent to 2.0% of GDP). Climate Change to reduce emissions in the non-traded sector by 20% compared to 2005 levels; to increase the share of renewables in final energy consumption to 16%; and to move towards a 20% increase in energy efficiency. Education to reduce the percentage of year olds with at most lower secondary education and not in further education and training to 8%; and to increase the share of years olds having completed tertiary or equivalent education to at least 60%. Poverty to reduce the number experiencing consistent poverty to 4% by 2016 (interim target) and to 2% or less by 2020, from the 2010 baseline rate of 6.3%, which will lift at 10

17 least 200,000 people out of the risk of poverty and exclusion between 2012 and OECD Report on Local Development 2013 This report was written by the Local Economic and Employment Development (LEED) Programme of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) as part of a project on delivering Local Development undertaken in co-operation with the Department of Social Protection, Department of Children and Youth Affairs, Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government, Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, Department of Education and Skills, and Pobal. The intention of the review was to provide input and observation with a focus on enabling national reform to help Ireland develop suites of tools to promote job creation and recovery that are used widely in other OECD countries. It is acknowledged that adapting the local government system can refocus local efforts on long term job creation and enterprise development and link to providing opportunities if the local arrangements have scale, flexibility, clear co-ordination and accountable local leadership. The effect will be to modernise the economic role of local government in Ireland and this will be an important opportunity seized in the context of a sound programme of recovery. National Action Plan for Social Inclusion The NAPinclusion represents a wide-ranging and comprehensive programme of action to address social exclusion. It sets out a coherent and comprehensive approach for a ten year period. The NAPinclusion uses a lifecycle approach, as set out by National Economic and Social Council (NESC) in its report, The Developmental Welfare State. This approach was adopted by the national partnership agreement Towards 2016 as a means to tackling the problems people face at different stages of their lives and is also reflected in the social inclusion elements of the new National Development Plan. The lifecycle approach places the individual at the centre of policy development and delivery and offers a framework for implementing a streamlined, cross-cutting and visible approach to tackling poverty and social exclusion. The lifecycle stages are children; people of working age; older people; and people with disabilities. In addition, the NAPinclusion contains a chapter on communities in which targets and actions which cut across various stages of the lifecycle are included. The NAPinclusion identifies 12 high level strategic goals in certain key areas across the lifecycle in order to mobilise resources to address long-standing and serious social deficits to achieve the overall objective of reducing consistent poverty. The high level goals focus on: 11

18 ensuring children reach their true potential; supporting working age people and people with disabilities, through activation measures and the provision of services to increase employment and participation; providing the type of supports that enable older people to maintain a comfortable and high-quality standard of living; building viable and sustainable communities, improving the lives of people living in disadvantaged areas and building social capital. Healthy Ireland A framework for Improved Health and Wellbeing Healthy Ireland is a new national framework for action to improve the health and wellbeing of our country over the coming generation. Based on international evidence, it outlines a new commitment to public health with a considerable emphasis on prevention, while at the same time advocating for stronger health systems. It provides for new arrangements to ensure effective co-operation between the health sector and other areas of Government and public services, concerned with social protection, children, business, food safety, education, housing, transport and the environment. It also invites the private and voluntary sector to participate through wellsupported and mutually beneficial partnerships. It sets out four central goals which include: G1: Increase the proportion of people who are healthy at all stages of life. G2: Reduce health inequalities. G3: Protect the public from threats to health and wellbeing. G4: Create an environment where every sector of society can play their part. Actions are outlined under 6 thematic areas, in which all people and all parts of society can participate to achieve the goals. Further Education and Training Strategy The Further Education and Training (FET) Strategy was launched in 2014 with the overall aim to develop a world-class integrated system of further education and training in Ireland, which will promote economic development and meet the needs of all citizens. The new strategy was developed by SOLAS with assistance from the ESRI which was commissioned to carry out evidence based research and assist in the development of the Strategy. Five high level strategic goals have been identified: - Skills for the Economy: to address the current and future needs of learners, jobseekers, employers and employees and to contribute to national economic development. 12

19 - Active Inclusion: to support the active inclusion of people of all abilities in society with special reference to literacy and numeracy - Quality Provision: to provide high quality education and training programmes and to meet the appropriate national and international quality standards - Integrated Planning and Funding: FET provision will be planned and funded on the basis of objective analysis of needs and evidence of social and economic impact - Standing of FET: to ensure a valued learning path leading to agreed employment, career, developmental, personal and social options. The Strategy follows a radical overhaul of the structure of the sector by the Government which includes the streamlining of 33 existing VECs into 16 Education and Training Boards (ETBs), the abolition of FÁS and creation of SOLAS, the Further Education and Training Authority. National Strategy for Traveller/Roma Integration 2011 This strategy acknowledges the continuing need to combat discrimination against Travellers and Roma and is committed to maintaining and, as far as possible, improving the range of positive action measures already in place to support them. The Government supports the participation of Travellers in mainstream social and economic life, while continuing to acknowledge and respect the legitimate expression of Traveller culture and identity. Ireland s national plan sets out the strategies already in place for the Traveller Community in the areas of Education, Accommodation, Healthcare and Employment. It also mentions initiatives in place in the same areas to assist the Roma community who are EEA citizens. Ireland s Ancient East Fáilte Ireland has developed an umbrella destination brand that offers visitors a compelling, motivating reason to visit the East of the Country. This umbrella brand is called Ireland s Ancient East and will ensure that the area is presented in a cohesive and unified manner. It is the key emotional pull and is the reason visitors will travel to this part of the country. Ireland's Ancient East is promoted as an opportunity to experience 5000 years of European history in a compact area. It offers the opportunity to discover not only the Stone Age art, the monasteries, the castles and fortresses but also to engage in the local, bustling towns and villages, to take in a festival, try local fresh produce or tasty local specialties. 13

20 The Ireland s Ancient East brand is supported by 4 distinct thematic pillars based on certain themes within Ancient Irish History and includes Ancient Ireland, Early Christian Ireland, Medieval Ireland and Anglo Ireland. Included in this destination are Clonmacnoise and Birr Castle to the West of Offaly. Spatial framework National Spatial Strategy National Spatial Strategy (NSS) is a coherent national planning framework for Ireland for a period of 20 years. The NSS aims to achieve a better balance of social, economic and physical development across Ireland, supported by more effective planning. In order to drive development in the regions, the NSS proposes that areas of sufficient scale and critical mass will be built up through a network of gateways and hubs. It's about people, places and potential. Making the most of cities, towns and rural places to bring a better spread of opportunities, better quality of life and better places to live in. The NSS identifies gateway cities and towns and linked gateways along with nine medium sized hubs which will support and be supported by the gateways. Gateways act at a national level together with the hubs acting at the regional and county levels. These are partnered by the county towns and other larger towns as a focus for business, residential, service and amenity functions. The NSS also identifies an important need to support the role of smaller towns, villages and rural areas at the local level. Tullamore has been identified and designated as a linked gateway in the midland region along with Athlone and Mullingar in the NSS. Midland Regional Planning Guidelines Midlands Regional Planning Guidelines (MRPGs) were adopted by the Midland Regional Authority, whose main responsibilities will be assumed by the Eastern and Midland Regional Assembly. The Midland Regional Authority included the counties of Offaly, Laois, Westmeath and Longford. The MRPGs contain policies and objectives for a diverse range of issues impacting on the midlands region arranged in a number of strategies. As well as an overall Vision for the Region there are strategies for economic development, regional settlement, transport and infrastructure, environment and amenity and tourism. The MRPGs transpose the concept of the linked Gateway triangle of Tullamore, Mullingar and Athlone from the National Spatial Strategy as well as the remainder of the hierarchy including Principal Towns, Key Service Towns, Service Towns and Local Service Towns. The vision of the MRPGs seeks to enhance the critical mass of the region by combining the strengths of the linked gateway and develop the full potential of rural areas. It aspires to fostering a distinctive lifestyle rooted in a high quality living environment, rich in heritage and landscape value. The Economic Development Strategy seeks to promote and diversify the economy at a regional and local level in accordance with the Regional Settlement Hierarchy. It recognizes the importance of the linked gateway as a key driver of growth for the region and specifies different types of industry that should be targeted in each of the constituent towns of the linked gateway in order to capitalize on existing and emerging strengths. For Tullamore the guidelines identify medical devices/medical services, other medtech, 14

21 consumer foods, shared services (multi-lingual) and R&D. The MRPGs encourage the sustainable development of the region s sectoral opportunities including: Internationally Traded Services, Life Sciences, Food, Tourism and Leisure, Engineering, Green Enterprise, Logistics and Distribution, International Trading, Public Sector, Retail and the Rural Economy. With regard to community and social inclusion the MRPGs seek to ensure the provision of necessary social, community, and cultural infrastructure throughout the region, particularly with regard to the provision of schools within each of the counties. The MRPGs seek to ensure that the culturally diverse nature of the region, including ethnic minorities, is considered in planning for the needs of the region s communities. The MRPGs place particular importance on consulting with the relevant agencies representing or working within groups representing minorities and special interest groups in order to promote greater social inclusion. Offaly County Development Plan. Offaly County Development Plan as a strategic landuse and development plan, sets out the spatial policy and framework for the growth of the County over a six year period. The plan acknowledges and addresses wider social, economic and environmental trends and focuses on planning issues, possibilities and considerations that underpin how the development process in Offaly is to be structured in order to achieve the plan s objectives for the wider community. Please refer also to appendix A1 of this report for further information on the relationship between the development plan and the LECP and objectives that the LECP must be to be consistent with. 2.2 Key principles The LECP must align itself with relevant existing and various national, regional and local policies and strategies. The following key principles stem from an analysis of those relevant to Offaly. Employment generation and promotion - through a variety of sectors and through various initiatives and programmes. Supporting and promoting business opportunities and entrepreneurship at macro and micro level. Increasing competitiveness of companies, labour force, products. Supporting Research and Innovation and linking with business development and entrepreneurship. Facilitating and guiding business development through relevant agency co-ordination. Strengthening regulatory and policy frameworks. Deepening and widening of tourism product and linking tourism with other sectors. Promotion of place and product (quality of towns, villages, marketing and branding). Improve ICT and enhance for the benefit of business and residential users. Improve access to and expand education and training. Linking education and training to skill requirements. 15

22 Consider rural areas to promote economic development, improve quality of life in rural areas and promote diversification in rural based sectors. Reduce poverty. Reducing social exclusion and disadvantage in communities. Improving quality of life of the community. Expand the provision of social and community infrastructure. Promote health and wellbeing in our communities. Protection and enhancement of the environment and applying the principles of sustainable development. Regard for core strategy of County Offaly and planning principles for development. 16

23 Contents 3 Overview of County Offaly General Geography Settlement Strategic economic locations Local Economy Transport and Infrastructure Overview Tourism, Natural Resources, Environment & Heritage

24 3. Overview of County Offaly This section gives a general overview of County Offaly in respect of its geography, administration, settlement areas, local economies, transport & Infrastructure and tourism, natural resources, environment and heritage. 3.1 General Geography Geography County Offaly is located within the midlands of Ireland and has an area of approximately 2,000 km2 (c. 800 sq. miles). Offaly borders seven counties which are Galway, Roscommon, Tipperary, Laois, Westmeath, Kildare and Meath. Approximately one fifth of the county comprises peatlands with the majority of lands being used for mix of agriculture and forestry. Offaly is primarily a flat county with the exception of the Slieve Bloom Mountains and their attractive foothills, located to the south west of the county. Other significant landscape features include the River Shannon (and Callows) which runs along the western boundary of the county, the River Brosna, a tributary of the Shannon, the Grand Canal which traverses the county, important archaeological and historical landscapes such as Clonmacnoise and Durrow and Croghan Hill, an extinct volcano. A comprehensive system of eskers also exists in Offaly, mainly concentrated in the northwest and centre of the county. Offaly has a well-developed network of moderately scaled market towns and attractive villages. Tullamore is the county town of Offaly. Offaly in context Edenderry Tullamore Portarlington Birr 17

25 Administration Currently County Offaly is located within the Border Midland and Western Regional Assembly (NUTS2 region 1 ) and within the Midland Regional Authority 2 area (NUTS3) along with Longford, Westmeath and Laois (area 3). Border, Midland and Western Region Midland Regional Authority area 3 In the context of new and emerging regional assembly areas Offaly is now located within the Eastern and Midland Regional Assembly area along with 11 other areas/counties including: Dublin City, Dun Laoghaire- Rathdown, South Dublin, Fingal, Wicklow, Kildare, Laois, Westmeath, Longford, Meath and Louth. E&M 1 Nomenclature des unités territoriales statistiques (NUTS - Nomenclature of Territorial Units for Statistics) is a geocode standard for referencing the subdivisions of countries for statistical purposes. The standard is developed and regulated by the EU. NUTS is instrumental in the delivery mechanisms of the EU s Structural Funds. 2 Midland Regional Authority along with 7 other regional authorities have been dissolved as of 1 st June

26 Municipal District Areas Offaly As a further division of the NUTS 3 region, Offaly County Council is the Local Administrative Unit (LAU) which covers the individual components (Counties). County Offaly in a further sub-division has three Municipal Districts (MD) including Birr to the West, Edenderry to East and centrally located Tullamore. 3.2 Settlement areas/strategic Economic Locations Offaly has a substantial number of towns and villages located throughout the county. Each of these settlement areas have a defined function or role within the area in which they are located. The significance of each settlements role is determined by a number of factors including their: Strategic location and potential, Function within the area they are located, Relationship to other settlement areas, and Size. Settlement areas Offaly 19

27 Midland Linked Gateway Town Tullamore Key Service Towns Birr, Edenderry, Portarlington Service Towns Clara, Ferbane Local Service Towns Banagher, Daingean, Kilcormac Villages Sráids & Open Countryside The Offaly County Development Plan under direction of the National Spatial Strategy ( ) and the Midland Regional Planning Guidelines ( ) identifies the role of towns, villages and rural areas of the county in a settlement hierarchy. This settlement hierarchy forms an integral part of the overall Core Strategy of the development plan which sets out a clear framework for growth of County Offaly by: Rationalising landuse planning and population distribution, Aligning investment in infrastructure, services and facilities accordingly whilst, Enhancing sustainability and ensuring quality of life and protection of the environment. The settlement hierarchy as shown below greatly informs and enables a planned approach to the development of settlement areas and provides a clear understanding of their role and potential (please refer to chapter 1 of the Offaly CDP for further information relating to the Core Strategy and Settlement Strategy for County Offaly). The three Municipal Districts (MD) in Offaly have a generally dispearsed settlement pattern but their growth and development largely hinges on the nature and type of settlement areas that are located therein. In the context of settlement hierarchy, Tullamore MD takes in the main towns of Tullamore and Clara with a number of villages and rural hinterland. Tullamore is the largest settlement in County Offaly, provides for the majority of employment and sustains the largest portion of population. Tullamore also takes on a strategic role in a regional context as part of the Linked Gateway with Athlone and Mullingar and has been identified a driver for the Midland Region. This strategic economic role allows Tullamore and the Region to compete for development, jobs, people and services. Clara performs a supporting economic role to Tullamore. Its location in close proximity to the M6 (Dublin-Galway) route makes it strategically attractive. The Edenderry MD takes in the main towns of Edenderry, Portarlington and Daingean supported by a dispearsed pattern of villages and rural hinterlands. Important to Edenderry and Portarlington is the fact that the majority of this MD is located in an area influenced by the Greater Dublin Area. The Birr Municipal District has the largest area of the three MDs and overall takes in the largest number of settlements including Birr Town, Ferbane, Banagher and Kilcormac, a network of villages and rural hinterlands. This MD performs takes on a more significant tourism role given its location on the River Shannon in particular. Notwithstanding the hierarchy of towns and villages, it is acknowledged that economic activity comes in many forms and requirements or specifications for most suitable locations vary considerably. Just as some economic activity is best suited to locate in main urban centres, others are as equally suited to rural areas or the open countryside. 20

28 3.3 Local economy - overview Municipal Districts (MD) Within County Offaly the three MDs can be considered as having distinct economic characteristics. Tullamore Municipal District: The economic hub of the county remains the (Linked) Gateway town of Tullamore. It is the centre of administration and a large proportion of the workforce are employed in the public service. The Department of Education is based to the south of the town centre, the HSE including the hospital, administration and associated health services are based around a campus to the north of the town and as the County town, Offaly County Council is also a large employer. There are a number of industrial estates around the town, in the IDA operated Srah industrial estate Covidien is the largest of a number of medical device related manufacturers. There is a diverse range of smaller businesses in the Axis industrial park to the north of the town and the Cloncollig area on the Portarlington Road. The town has a strong retail base, though in recent years competition from out of town shopping centres, shopping in nearby population centres and online shopping has had some impact on the vibrancy of the town centre. The major retailers Tesco, Dunnes Stores, Aldi and Lidl all maintain a presence in the town. W. Grant and Sons Ltd. have recently invested significantly in reinvigorating the Tullamore DEW brand and the new Tullamore distillery has recently opened on the outskirts of the town representing a significant investment in the manufacturing sector in the town. There is recognition of the wider benefits of the worldwide marketing campaign undertaken by the company and it is anticipated that the strong association between the town and the Tullamore DEW brand will have positive outcomes for the Tourism industry. Outside of the larger employers, there is a bustling SME sector in the town with a wide range of services on offer and manufacturing evident. The Tullamore Chamber of commerce is extremely active and is indicative of the healthy business environment of the town. Clara is the second largest town in the Tullamore MD. It is located to the northwest of Tullamore just off of the M6 and has a rich industrial past. Capitalising on this legacy, Clara has a number of employers successfully operating within the town. These include Steri-Pack, Europharma, Synthetic Packaging Limited, Wilker Automation Conversions Ltd., Rosderra Irish Meat Group, and Clara Fields Ltd. The Clara Bog visitor centre and the boardwalk over the bog is operated and maintained by the OPW and attracts visitors to the town, while the boardwalk also serves as an amenity to residents. There is potential to develop an interpretative visitor experience around the town s industrial past to further attract visitors. Edenderry Municipal District: In the east of the County, Edenderry and Portarlington are the largest population centres in this MD and where the majority of the employment is available. As the Socio Economic profile shows, 21

29 there is a large workforce available in this area with many people within the easternmost catchment commuting to the Greater Dublin Area (GDA) for work. Edenderry is the largest town in this MD and experienced considerable population growth in the mid to late 2000s. It has a vibrant retail core and there is a wide range of services on offer. Light manufacturing forms the basis of much of the employment in the town. The former shoe factory in the centre of the town, Edenderry Business Park, hosts a diverse range of smaller enterprises. Infrastructure is available for growth of the industrial sector in the town, with serviced sites ready in a number of locations, most notably in the Edenderry Business Campus northwest of the town centre. Portarlington straddles the county boundary with Laois and while the larger part of the town and its retail centre is on the Laois side, businesses in the Portarlington Industrial Estate located on the Offaly side include Laois Hire Services and Polar Ice. Daingean is the third largest town in the Edenderry MD. Daingean has no major employers within the town but there are a number of small enterprises which trade successfully and generate local employment. In fulfilling a service function for the surrounding area the town has schools, shops and other services. Many of the inhabitants are engaged in employment in locations such as Tullamore and the GDA, and also in the rural hinterland in sectors such as agriculture, tourism, energy and forestry. The Midlands Gateway Business Park is located on the site of the former peat briquette factory 4.5km east of the town on the R402. Birr Municipal District: In the west of the County, within the Birr MD, the heritage town of Birr lies at the heart of a rich agricultural hinterland. The attractive town centre hosts a wide variety of boutique shops and independent retailers. Birr Castle and Demesne is a large draw for tourists including bus tours. Recent public realm improvements have sought to encourage patrons of the castle to visit the town centre on foot. Grant Engineering, based within the walls of the former Crinkill Military Barracks, manufacturing wood pellet heating products has shown significant growth in recent years and is the largest single employer in the environs of the town. EJ (formerly known as Cavanagh s Foundry) operates close to Crinkill and producing drainage and service infrastructure including manhole covers. In Syngefield, along the R440, there are a number of active businesses including food processing businesses Rudd s Fine Foods and Milne s and other businesses such as Midland Print and Central Tool Hire. In the Syngefield industrial estate there are a number of businesses including the snow machinery manufacturing business Romaquip, which continues to expand, as well as Nanoclean and Guinan Haulage. Also in the Syngefield area there are a number of substantial disused factories with potential for re-occupation. 22

30 Ferbane is located to the north of the Birr MD on the busy National Secondary Route, the N62. The small town centre offers a range of retail and services for its surrounding rural hinterland. Opened in 2006, the Ferbane Business and Technology Park lies to the east of the town and includes businesses such as Brosna Press, ESB Customer Support, Seadec Limited and Cultec and also has a number of serviced sites ready for future expansion. Banagher lies on the River Shannon. The busy main street provides a number of retailer and services for its hinterland which stretches west into Galway. The largest single business in the town is Banagher Concrete, which is also engaged in quarrying activities at locations in the surrounding countryside. Being on the Shannon, tourism is important to the town and also a number of enterprises including boat rental and maintenance businesses operate out of the harbour area of the town. Kilcormac, on the N52, provides a small level of retail and services in the town centre. The traditional source of employment would have been industrial peat extraction that has largely ceased in the immediate area with the closure of Ferbane power station. The development of a business park is ongoing to the east of the town. Kilcormac is located approximately 5km to the south of Lough Boora Parklands which is an ecological and recreational park owned and managed by Bord na Móna that is continuously growing in popularity. Rural Offaly Offaly is a predominantly rural county and as such a large proportion of the workforce is engaged directly in agriculture or agri-related businesses throughout the county. There are 3,462 farms in the County with an average size of 36.5ha. The vast majority of these farms are engaged in beef production (2,305). Grennan s of Rath are producers of animal feed are an example of a business that has grown to supply the agricultural sector while Carroll s Meats and Glenisk are examples of companies that have provided added value to the agricultural produce of the county. There is a notable growth in artisan food producers as more people see the potential for adding value to the food produced within the county. A large part of the rural economy in County Offaly is based around the extractive industry, both peat and sand and gravel extraction. Because of the extent of the esker system throughout the county it has been historically relatively easy to extract sand and gravel. For example, Offaly County Council assessed 153 sites relating to quarrying activities within the county under Section 261A of the Planning and Development Act, 2000 as amended, between 2010 and Banagher Concrete, Kileshin, and Kilsaren, are among the bigger employers involved in sand and gravel extraction and there are many more medium sized companies operating in various sites throughout the county. While the national slowdown in house and road construction has led to a contraction of the demand for the product, it is anticipated that the sector will again expand with the recovering economy over the coming years. Established in 1947, Bord na Móna is the largest single landowner in County Offaly and owns approximately 27,650ha of land within the county. Bord na Móna s operations have been distributed around two broad areas in the county in the east around the Bog of Allen, and in the west around Lough Boora and the Blackwater Bog. Bord na Móna continues to be an important employer in the county employing both full-time direct employees and offering seasonal work during peak harvest times. Related to Bord na Móna s activities energy generation has traditionally been a large employer in the county, there were peat-fired power stations in Ferbane (Lumcloon), Shannonbridge, Edenderry and Rhode. While only 23

31 Edenderry and Shannonbridge remain as peat burning operations, the existing infrastructure has proven to be an asset with new gas and diesel fired power stations being developed in Rhode and Edenderry and proposed for Lumcloon. Rhode Business Park has notable opportunities for energy production and related businesses. There has been significant interest in developing wind energy throughout County Offaly. Mountlucas Wind Farm, owned and operated by Bord na Móna, opened in 2014, Yellow River Wind Farm has been permitted north of Rhode and another in Cloghan is in planning stage (January 2015). Coillte is another large landowner in the rural areas. Offaly has a total forest area of just over 15,970ha. of commercial forestry and it is anticipated that the maturing of the forest stock in the Slieve Blooms in the coming years will lead to opportunities in harvesting and transport. 3.4 Transport & Infrastructure overview County Offaly has extensive transport, services and communications infrastructure serving both urban and rural areas of the county. Transport Infrastructure Rail: County Offaly is centrally located along the national interconnecting strategic rail corridors with train stations serving the county in the towns of Portarlington (station located in Laois), Tullamore and Clara. The 2030 Rail Network Strategy Review will bring about improvements to rail infrastructure and services to County Offaly by providing reduced journey times and increased frequency on the Dublin to Galway line, double tracking from Portarlington to Athlone and electrification of the Dublin to Galway line. Bus: Bus services within the county are provided both publicly and privately within County Offaly and to other areas of the country. The rural transport programme provides transport to those whose travel needs are not met by existing bus or train services. The rural transport service is provided in County Offaly in partnership with Laois and is called the Laois/Offaly Local Link. This Transport programme provides access to third level colleges, training centres for education and training opportunities, local towns, active age/network services, bus connections and services to larger urban centres, activities and medical appointments. Rural Hackney: Recognising that access to transport is a problem in rural areas, the National Transport Authority (NTA) introduced a scheme in 2013 that allows and provides for the allocation of Local Area Hackney Licences or Rural Hackney Licences. These may be allocated in locations where it is demonstrated that the area is deficient in public transport and taxi services. Since the introduction of the new scheme and in co-operation with the NTA, Offaly County Council has issued one such licence in the Cadamstown area and is examining other suitable locations. 24

32 Road: There is an extensive network of approximately 2,150km of roads in County Offaly broken down within the hierarchy of Motorway (14.7 km), National Secondary Roads (103 km), Regional Roads (389 km) and County (local) Roads (1640 km). County Offaly is located on the central spine linking east west radial transport corridors by road through the midlands. The M6 (Dublin to Galway) to the north of the county and the M7 (Dublin to Limerick) to the south of the county, assist in improving the county s accessibility. The N52, N62 and N80 are strategic corridor links within the county as well as providing connections to other areas of the midlands. Tullamore and Banagher have been relieved of traffic congestion issues by way of the provision of relief roads in the past. Other urban centres including Birr, Edenderry, Portarlington and Clara located on strategically important transport corridors have objectives to construct relief roads to improve accessibility and capitalize fully on the benefits of investment in road infrastructure. Car dependency stands at 63% in County Offaly (CSO, 2011). This can be attributed to the rurality of the county. Car ownership is also high at 86% (4 points higher than the state average of 82%) of households having access to a car. This provides also that Offaly has a higher car ownership rate of one car per 2.6 persons compared to one car per 3.4 persons nationally. The connection between car and person in County Offaly remains significant. Services infrastructure Water/Waste water infrastructure: Irish Water has been established as a public utility for the delivery of all public water and wastewater services in the country. Since the 1 st January 2014 Irish water have taken the full responsibility for the operation and capital delivery functions. County Offaly s water supplies are derived from public and private supplies. Approximately 65% of water supplies are derived from groundwater reserves. Public water supply provides a total supply of approximately 29,000m3 per day in Offaly serving approximately 50,000 people. 65% of the water supplied is from public schemes and these serve the majority of the larger urban centre including Birr, Edenderry, Tullamore, Clara, Portarlington, Daingean, Kilcormac and also villages such as Geashill, Kinnitty, Rhode. Private wells account for 13% of all water supplies. County Offaly Types of Water Supplies (2013) Not Stated 2% Other [Private Wells] 13% Private Group Scheme 6% Public Schemes 65% LA Supplied Group Scheme 14% Waste water treatment plants and the provision of wastewater schemes are provided largely within the towns and villages as demand and resources provide for. 55% of wastewater is treated through public wastewater treatment plants while 37% remain dealt with by individual effluent treatment systems or septic tanks. 25

33 Individual Treatment (not septic tank) 5% Individual Septic Tank 37% Not Stated 3% Public Scheme 55% Communications infrastructure ICT and Broadband: The Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources are responsible for promoting investment in state of the art communications infrastructure and implementing initiatives such as the National Broadband Scheme, Rural Broadband Scheme and Metropolitan Area Netwrok (MAN). Birr, Edenderry, Tullamore and Banagher have all developed MANs in their respective core areas. Census data reveals that 53% of households that have an internet connection have broadband. Rural areas and in particular to the south of the county experience difficulties with accessing quality ICT and Broadband services. Energy Energy generation and distribution: Offaly has a long tradition of energy production associated predominantly to the commercial exploitation of peatlands. Two out the three extant peat powered generation stations in the country serving the national grid (providing 8% of the electricity used in Ireland) are located in Offaly (Edenderry and Shannonbridge). National policy directs a move away from the use of fossil fuels in the creation of electricity to renewable sources and this will have implications for Offaly directly in the future. The electricity transmission network in Offaly is robust and is particularly strong around former power station sites (Lumcloon and Rhode) and the two existing power stations thus providing opportunity for the sustainable development of new generation capacity. In the move towards renewable energy, wind energy generation is also an option for Offaly in suitable areas. In general, and of most importance is that the existing transmission network can more than adequately support the electrical needs of future development in the county. At a domestic level and in all business and industry both sustainable energy generation and conservation are encouraged and promoted. Intelligent Infrastructure Intelligent infrastructure is the application of technology to deliver a more effective and efficient infrastructure service. It uses additional technologies embedded into new or existing infrastructure to provide for more efficiency 26

34 within that infrastructure. Examples of intelligent infrastructure include smart electricity metering which can be supplied to residential and Small/Medium Enterprise (SME) customers to allow for better management of energy use. Offaly County Council use a number of intelligent infrastructure systems to improve the efficiency of roads within the county by monitoring traffic and sequence of traffic lights (particularly in Tullamore, Edenderry and a number of bridges located in rural areas where they may be safety concerns). Other systems are used to obtain information on weather conditions along roads and to inform as to whether roads should be treated in cold conditions. 3.5 Tourism, Natural Resources, Environment & Heritage There is a strong and growing Tourism offering in the county, particularly based in the west of the County with Clonmacnoise and the River Shannon being major attractions. The Slieve Bloom Mountains Environmental Park straddles the Laois/Offaly border and is a large area that attracts visitors for recreational walking and road cycling. There are plans to develop a Mountain Biking facility. The picturesque village of Kinnitty is the largest village on the Offaly side and provides accommodation, hostelries and services for those visiting the Slieve Blooms. Lough Boora Discovery Park also located in the west of the county is the prime example of a cutaway bog area that has been developed as a fine amenity with high biodiversity value. The Tullamore Dew visitor is the largest attraction for visitors to the County Town, the centre located in Bury Quay has been redeveloped as part of the overall brand investment. In Tullamore two landmark hotels, the Bridge House 27

35 and The Tullamore Court, each operate successful conference and banqueting facilities that no doubt capitalise on their strategic location in the centre of the country. Edenderry, Daingean in the east, Tullamore in the centre and Shannon Harbour to the west, are located on the Grand Canal line which is an important recreational and ecological corridor. Recreational pursuits such as boating and walking are popular along this route and there are plans to develop the tourism package around these amenities further. County Offaly has a rich and diverse range of natural resources that apart from being ecologically and environmentally significant, provide opportunities to contribute to the tourism industry in the County. It is important to note that over 8% of the land area of County Offaly is formally and legally designated as being of European importance for nature conservation. These areas support a variety of species and ecosystems that contribute to a unique bio-diversity in Offaly. These sites comprise Special Protection Areas (SPA), Special Areas of Conservation (SAC) and Natural Heritage Areas (NHA). In addition to these internationally designated areas there are other areas within the county that are also intrinsic to our natural heritage and are worthy of protection for reasons such as preserving bio-diversity, geological or landscape features or scenic/recreational qualities. Such areas include Eskers, Slieve Bloom Mountains, Croghan Hill and the Grand Canal. Offaly can boast natural sites and areas such as the Slieve Blooms and waterways (rivers and Grand Canal) and peatland areas (Lough Boora and Clara Bog) which have the potential for a range of recreational activities from walking, cycling, boating heritage trails etc. Offaly also has a rich Monastic heritage spread across the county. Clonmacnoise and Durrow Abbey both have significant heritage value to the county as well as the monastic settlement in Rahan, Sier Kieran and Monasterosis. 28

36 The Towns and villages within Offaly can be attractive features within their own right but these play an important role in the provision of facilities and services required to satisfy the needs of the tourist from hotels and other accommodation to restaurants and shops. Tourism is recognized as a potential economic driver, and so many of these natural heritage and/or landscape features contribute to attracting people to visit and stay in Offaly. 29

37 Contents IN THIS SECTION: 4 Statistics & Trends Summary Population Households Principle Economic Status Social Class Education Deprivation Score Mode of Transport to work/education Health and Access to Health Services Statistics & Trends Broadband/Internet Access Zones of Influence

38 4. Key Statistics & Trends This section provides a summary of data and statistics relating to the people of County Offaly. There are a range of sources from where the information was collated however, much of the information is derived from an examination of the census of population results of The collation and examination of data is an important first step in the process of making the LECP. The analysis of relevant data provides not only for a robust evidence base and statistical overview from which the LECP will be prepared but also can be used as key indicators for measuring the performance and effectiveness of particular aspects or priorities of the plan at implementation and monitoring stages. To identify relationships, patterns and trends within and between County Offaly and relevant geographical locations, data comparisons have been undertaken between the individual Municipal District areas (MD), the Eastern and Midland Region (E&M) and the State. The full range of data examined and summarised in this chapter can be viewed in Appendix A2 4.1 Population Population growth Urban/Rural Density Age Profile Age Dependency Lone Parents Family Cycle Statistics indicate a percentage population increase of 8.2% from 2006 to 2011 consistent with the percentage population increase nationally. The strongest population growth occurred in the Edenderry Municipal District (MD) at 12% with Tullamore MD at 9% and Birr at 4.4%. Approximately 56% of the population of County Offaly reside in rural areas and 44% residing in urban areas. The percentage share in urban areas increased since 2006 with a corresponding fall in rural areas. The population density of Offaly is low at 38.2 by comparison to the state figure of Birr MD has the lowest population density within Offaly. The highest population densities occur in the three urban centres of Birr, Edenderry and Tullamore. The general population age profile across Offaly is youthful however, the profile shows a considerable fall off for the age cohorts of and in all three MDs when compared to younger and older age cohorts. In the age cohort females represent the larger share of the population by almost a third. The West of County Offaly in particular the Birr MD has a higher average percentage of population aged 65 years and older (14%). All three MD areas have lone parent rates that are high by comparison to the E&M Region (22.0%) and nationally (25.8%) with Birr MD at 32%, Edenderry MD at 28% and Tullamore MD at 40%. Lone Mother families account for 85% of Lone parent families across the County. Lone parent family rates are highest in urban areas. The largest percentage of families in County Offaly are at Adult stage in their family cycle (25%). 30

39 Nationality Ethnicity The majority (91%) of the population in County Offaly are Irish by nationality. UK, Polish, Rest of the World and other EU nationalities all account for 2% each of the population while Lithuanian nationalities account for 1% of the County s population. Offaly is predominantly of White Irish Ethnicity. The White Irish Traveller population represents 1.3% of the total population. Birr Urban and Rural EDs have the highest concentration of Irish Travellers in the County. 4.2 Households House type Living alone Social Housing waiting list Vacant houses The predominant house type in County Offaly is house/bungalow at 91.2% of all households. Owner-occupied households i.e. households with a mortgage and households owned outright account for the majority of these households. 8% of all households in Offaly are Rented Social i.e. aggregate of households rented from local authorities and voluntary bodies. Although marginally below the state average areas including Birr, Edenderry, Tullamore, Daingean, Clara, Kilcormac and Banagher have higher than average Rented Social households. 21.6% of all households were single occupancy or people living alone. 36.4% of these people were aged 65+. Women accounted for almost two thirds of those living alone aged 65+. Oct 2014 there are 1,845 persons on the housing waiting list with the greatest preference for housing in the Tullamore MD. The highest percentage of applicants are single persons. The number of vacant dwellings in the county totalled 3,620 in 2011, giving a vacancy rate of 11.8%. Of these 2,858 were vacant houses, 544 were vacant apartments and 218 were holiday homes. 4.3 Principle Economic Status Economic Status Labour Force Participation rate Employment Sector trends 46.9% of the population were classified as being At Work while 13.1% of the population of Offaly were categorised as being Unemployed. Approximately 5% of the population of were stated to be unable to work due to sickness/disability. Labour force participation rate for Offaly at 61% figures favourably with the participation rate nationally at 61.9%. The labour force participation rate for males is higher at 70% than females at 52.2%. The labour force participation rate within Offaly shows an east-west divide with the Birr MD trailing. Offaly has seen large falls in employment in manufacturing (28%) and Construction (63%) sectors since

40 Unemployment 23.2% of the labour force are classified as unemployed representing a significant increase since The male unemployment rate has experienced a three-fold increase reaching 26.1% in 2011 while the female unemployment rate more than doubled between 2006 and 2011 reaching 19.3%. Unemployment rates are highest in EDs of Srah (37%) Knockdrin (35.2%) and Tullamore Urban (34.4%) Youth Unemployment Offaly has the 5 th highest level of youth unemployment in the Country at over 40%. 4.4 Social Class Social Class Changes in social class largely parallel educational achievement with a gradual increase in the number of professional classes and a decline in the proportion of semi and unskilled manual workers. On average Edenderry MD has the highest percentage (marginally) of unskilled workers in the County. 4.5 Education Area of Study Engineering, Manufacture and Construction is the largest area of study in Offaly at 18.1% ahead of Agriculture and Veterinary at 6.9% and Business & Law at 5.8%. Science Mathematics and Computing registered at 2.3%. Field of Study Within the ten categories identified for Field of Study females represented the higher percentage in 7 categories including Education and Teacher Training, Social Sciences, Business and Law, Health and Welfare and Services. Males represented the higher proportion for Agriculture and Veterinary and Engineering, Manufacturing and Construction. Level completed 16% of the population in Offaly over 15 have completed 3 rd level education compared to26% for the E&M Region and 25% for the state. The Edenderry MD fares worst of the three MDs at 13%. Since 1991 In general there has been continuous improvement in the level of education amongst the adult population of Offaly. In that time there has been a reduction from 41.5% to 16.1% of the adult population of Offaly with primary education only. However, there are several EDs where considerable parts of the adult population have primary education only and these include Mountbriscoe to the East and Srah, Lea, Broughal and Eglish to the West all presenting by over 24%. At primary and secondary school level, Offaly records early schools levers at 17% compared to the national average of 13.8%. 32

41 Offaly s third and fourth level (combined) at 23% trails almost 6% below the national average (29%). Highest level achieved by gender Highest level achieved by MD In the breakdown of males and females for highest level achieved, males tend to out perform females at the lower educational levels. Female participation at third level proves to be significantly higher than males in each category. At MD level Birr and Edenderry are stronger than Tullamore in the categories of Primary Education to Advanced Cert/Completed apprenticeship. Tullamore MD takes a stronger position into 3 rd and 4 th level education categories. Participation rate 3 rd The participation rate of entrants to 3 level college for Offaly in 2011 was recorded as being Level 45% falling short of the figure of 51% recorded nationally. This sees Offaly sitting third from the bottom of the National table just ahead of both Laois and Donegal at 41%. Access to schools Geographically, no child has to commute more than 12 minutes to a primary school and 20 minutes to a secondary school. 4.6 Deprivation Score Deprivation index The deprivation index for Offaly shows a drop from -3.2 in 2006 to in 2011 resulting in the relative position of Offaly worsening from tenth to the fifth (5 th ) most disadvantaged local authority area in Ireland. 4.7 Mode of transport to work/education Mode of transport 63% of the population commute to work or school as either a driver or passenger, almost 5% higher than the national average. 12% of the population commute by walking (14.8% national average) while cycling is a mode of transport preferred by 1.2% (2.2% national average). Train users account for 1%. Car usage is the preferred option for commuting population in all three MD areas with Tullamore having the highest percentage of car drivers and car passengers. Bus transport performs better than train in all three MD areas with between 8% and 10% of the work and school going population preferring that mode. Train use is recorded in each MD at 1% or lower. Time of travel 42% of the population of Offaly commute less than 15mins to school, work or college (higher than national average at 34%). Almost 67% of the population in Offaly commute less than 30mins. The highest percentage of people (63%) of the population leave the house after 8:00am to 33

42 travel to work or educational facilities. In general population of Tullamore and Birr take less time to get to work, school or college than the population in Edenderry. No. of cars per household 41% of households in County Offaly have one car with 36% having two and only 9% having 3 or more. 14% of households currently have no car. Households in the Tullamore MD have the highest number of cars followed by Birr and Edenderry. 4.8 Health and Access to Health Services State of health 88% of the population in Offaly describe their health as Very Good or Good. Disability 13.4% of the population in County Offaly are stated to have a disability. Access to health services The furthest distance to a 24 hour hospital is experienced by population residing in south of County in Birr MD at between 45 and 60 mins. GPs and Pharmacies are located predominantly in urban areas. Population residing in ED of Tulla located in Slieve Bloom Mountains are the furthest distance at between 20 and 30 mins from these services. The majority of people live between 20 and 30 minutes from a dentist. 4.9 Broadband/Internet access Computer ownership Computer ownership in Offaly at 68% is lower than the state average of 72%. Access to Broadband 53% of the population state that they have access to broadband compared to 64% nationally. Internet Access Birr MD trails both Edenderry and Tullamore MDs by 10% in terms of the number of households with internet access Zones of Influence The Edenderry MD lies within the zone of influence of the GDA. Zones of influence to urban centres Tullamore has a significant zone of influence within County Offaly. Athlone has an influence over north west Offaly. 34

43 Contents 5 Stakeholder Engagement & Public Consultation IN THIS SECTION: Introduction Consultation process Key issues raised Consultation

44 5. Stakeholder Engagement & Public Consultation 5.1 Introduction Consultation forms a key part of initial stage of making of the LECP. Preliminary consultation was carried out just over a seven week period from the 19 th March to the 8 th May inclusive and involved the following elements: A press release, Newspaper notice inviting submissions, 8 no. public information meetings across the county, One to one meetings with local and regional groups and organisations, Letters of invitation to make a submission to various relevant interested groups, organisations, funding bodies, government departments etc at local, regional and national level, Online survey. The issues outlined in this section reflect and draw together matters, concerns and issues raised during the course of the public consultation period. The responses received have ensured that the issues and matters raised will be represented and addressed in the plan. This section of the report sets out the approaches undertaken in the consultation process and the responses generated by each approach. It further identifies the key issues that emerged from the stakeholder engagement and public consultation. 5.1 Consultation process Public Information evenings/sessions 8 No. Public Information evenings and sessions were advertised by way of a press release, newspaper notice and social media. One consultation session was organised and targeted specifically for young people. The notices appealed to members of community groups, business interests and individuals to attend in order to put forward priorities for their area. The information evenings and sessions were held throughout the County in both urban and rural settings including the following: Thursday 19 th March th Thursday 19 March th Wednesday 25 March th Wednesday 25 March th Thursday 26 March th Thursday 26 March th Monday 30 March th Monday 30 March Tuesday 1 st April Cloghan Rhode Birr Tullamore Edenderry Daingean Shinrone Clara Tullamore with targeted group Comhairle N Og By attendance the areas of County Offaly represented included: 35

45 Edenderry, Rhode, Daingean, Tullamore, Clara, Shinrone, Birr, Cloghan, Crinkle, Grover Street, Banagher, Kilcoman, Brosna, Aghnacon, Seir Kieran, High Street, Belmont, Kilcormac, Fiveralley, Mountbolus, Ferbane, Killeaigh, Geashill, Walsh Island, Killurin and Clonullogue. A total of 157 people attended these meetings and a range of issues were identified and discussed. One to one meetings 11 No. one to one meetings were held with a range of stakeholders. The stakeholders were chosen with respect to the functions they exercise and the contribution to could make to the LECP in Offaly. One to one interviews were held with the following: Enterprise Ireland IDA Ireland Atlantic Corridor Older persons services HSE Disability services HSE Laois/Offaly Education Training Board ETB Offaly Traveller movement An Garda Siochana Teagasc Dept Social Protection Pobal Correspondence to high level stakeholders including government departments, bodies and agencies. Letters were issued to a number of high level government departments, bodies and agencies in particular given their role in the publication and implementation of national policy and the principle of other strategies. Strategy/Document Address Responded National Reform Programme Dept. of the Taoiseach X National Spatial Strategy Planning system and Spatial Policy DoECLG X Regional Assembly Eastern and Midland Regional Assembly Midland Regional Planning Guidelines Rural Development Programme Dept Agriculture, Food and Marine, X Action Plan for jobs Department Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation X National Action Plan for Social Inclusion Dept Social Protection X Local Education and Training Strategy Solas Further Education and Training Authority X CEDRA Dept Agriculture, food and Marine X Strategy for Traveller/Roma Integration Dept Justice & Equality X Construction 2020 and Social Housing Strategy 2020 DoECLG X A response was submitted from the Eastern and Midland Regional Assembly. The Dept of the Taoiseach issued a response to acknowledge receipt of the Offaly County Council letter. 36

46 Correspondence to regional and local level stakeholders including community development related groups and agencies. Letters were issued to a number of regional and local stakeholders in particular given the functions they exercise and the contribution to could make to the LECP in Offaly. These stakeholders included: Midland Regional Youth Service Foroige Offaly Disability Federation of Ireland Athlone Institute of Technology Jigsaw Offaly Irish Wheelchair Ass. Offaly Macra na Feirme Irish Farmers Association Offaly Farm Family Groups Irish Country Womens Ass. Offaly County Childcare Committe North Offaly Development Company X2 South & West Offaly Home Fix Midland Simon Community Edenderry women in Business Edenderry Cabin Management Committee The Carers Association Ltd. BLC Developments Ltd. Midlands Simon Community Offaly Domestic Violence Support Service Mucklagh Community Development Co. Ltd. Offaly Sports Partnership Ballycommon Telework and Training Centre Ltd. Offaly Branch of Irish Wheelchair Association Conference of the Assumption Society of St. Vincent de Paul Tullamore Housing Association Ltd. Mid Offaly Housing Association Inland Waterways Association of Ireland Offaly Branch National Learning Network Tullamore Macra na Feirme Tullamore Chamber of Commerce Pavee Point Traveller & Roma Centre Offaly Dyslexia Stakeholders in green responded. Online survey An online survey was created with and sent out to c.2000 recipients of a namely business involvement. These recipients are subscribers to the LEO Ezine newsletter. Seven questions were asked within the survey including: 37

47 1. What are Offaly s strengths that can be harnessed to increase employment growth and enterprise development within the county? 2. How can Offaly be promoted to attract inward investment for employment and enterprise? 3. What policies should be included to further support town centre retailing and commercial activities that enhance the vitality and vibrancy of our town and village centres. 4. What are Offaly s strengths as a place to live an visit. 5. How might these (strengths) be enhanced 6. Please outline any other comments or suggestions. 7. What are the attributes you would consider essential to enhancing local business in Offaly (list given). There were 44 respondents to the online survey. Written submissions Written submissions were invited from members of the public or other interested groups as part of the consultation period by post and by . In total 11 submissions were received. 5.2 Key issues raised during stakeholder engagement and public consultation The issues raised during stakeholder engagement and public consultation were varied and extensive. There was similarity in issues across the various means of consultation. The issues however were captured under general headings and included: Employment & Enterprise Develop and promote incubation space to support startup business. Reduce or eliminate red tape, de-regulate and reduce complexities involved in setting up business. Concentrate on small and medium enterprises as core employment generators. Identify, promote and support emerging areas for economic growth and job creation. Provision of quality broadband and ICT necessary for business and to provide flexibility for employees. Promote smaller towns and villages for employment generation. Use of natural resources (tourism) and diversification of rural landuses for job creation. Importance of upskilling to match with employer needs. Promoting creativity and innovation focusing on young entrepreneurs (starting in schools). Looking after existing business to ensure that barriers/obstacles to progression are identified and are dealt with. Creating opportunities at local level supporting local ventures. 38

48 Quality of living, services and facilities in towns important aspect for developing companies and employees. Encourage occupancy of vacant buildings, retail/commercial units to support vibrancy of town centres and promote Developing tourism as a product and a generator of employment and economic activity. Maximise the central/strategic location of County Offaly, infrastructural links and proximity to Greater Dublin Area. Joined up thinking between local government and local development. Support and encourage rural enterprises. Education, training & Skills Promoting access to education addressing barriers including transport, ease of accessibility, cost of education and lack of affordable/flexible childcare. Lack of a 3 rd level education facility in Offaly. Promote new Midlands Technology Campus to support regional competitiveness and innovation in Midlands. Need for a location/venue in north east Offaly for ETB training. Investigate and Identify suitable locations in Offaly as education and training facilities. Key target groups for education or training, early school leavers, youth and long term unemployed, older age groups, traveller needs, parents in education, upskilling existing employees, young farmers etc. Specialised training for farmers to help maximise outputs, margins, support diversification and upskill for the business management aspect of farming. Developing links with Carlow, Maynooth & Limerick Colleges. Matching education and skills requirements to employer needs. Promoting the sharing of community facilities/venues for the provision and running of local education/training programmes. Attracting tourism & promoting Offaly Develop a tourism strategy for the county. Promote and market the natural resources, assets and heritage of Offaly for tourism development including, Slieve Blooms, River Shannon, bog landscape (Lough Boora, Clara Bog etc), Grand Canal, Clonmacnoise, Seir Kieran, Croghan Hill, Durrow (High Cross)walking, cycling, fishing/angling etc. Promote towns and villages of the county given their distinctive attributes and/or association with key tourist attraction. Promote and capitalise on eco-tourism and green tourism. Promote local art and craft and artisan food producers food tourism. Make provision for further tourist accommodation and facilities in suitable and relevant locations including accommodation and information facilities. Attract tourist enable them to stay a while Create and promote festivals/events and culture of Offaly. Promote the branding of Offaly. Services and Social Supports Lack of funding to support local communities. 39

49 Provide, enhance and extend services including Fire, water, health, leisure facilities, community facilities. Accessibility to available funding red tape. Eliminate duplication in applications for funding by established groups. Improve co-ordination of services. Maximise use of existing buildings for social and community purposes. Provision of active age services, activities and facilities. Provision of youth services and facilities. Enhance security and empower communities to provide appropriate security measures. Improve transport to rural areas and 3 rd level facilities. Continue to improve accessibility to services i.e. Health and social care, to improve the experiences of people with disabilities. Intellectual disability key cohort for support. Care of the elderly promote independent living and enhance security measures. Develop special adaptive housing for retirement and elderly cohorts. Promote and encourage volunteerism, motivate and empower communities. Support Tidy Town groups and the wide ranging work they do. Target priority groups including elderly males, farmers and rurally isolated for inclusion in day centre services. Target isolation and fear experienced by rural dwellers. Prioritise home help and care cost saving against residential care facilities. Provide support from agencies i.e. HSE. Need for social care centres in Ferbane/Kilcormac. Address issues of discrimination, health, education, employment with travelling community. Combat drug and alcohol use and impacts of these on mental health. Address anti-social issues in areas of disadvantage and with early school leavers. Promote equal opportunities women s programme and support and Offaly Project. Address key issues facing young adults in the year old age cohorts. Examine the address the issues facing students in their transition from primary to secondary school. Create awareness about youth mental health issues and expand services to support people with mental health issues. Support Community and Resource centres in Offaly, the ongoing work undertaken and the key areas of prioritisation. Promote sports in respect of participation by all, health and fitness, facility development, sports tourism and outdoor recreation. Promoting/Investing/Creating quality places Enhancing and promoting local attributes of towns and villages in order to attract business and tourists and provide for a high quality visitor and resident experience. Enhancing streetscapes and public realm to develop a sense of place. Provision of the required and necessary improvements to roads and footpaths and provision of safety measures/traffic calming for road users. Addressing derelict buildings and sites their presentation and appearance within streetscape. Address vacant commercial units promote pop up shops to reuse vacant units and promote business. Re-introduce town and village renewal scheme. 40

50 Provide necessary services and facilities to accommodate residents needs i.e. library services, playgrounds, community facilities. Priority for pedestrians and cyclist in town centres. Improve aesthetics of approach roads to towns and villages to capture a positive first impression. Refurbishment of shop fronts. Coherent signage. Complete unfinished developments and housing. Provision for space for art. Attend to River courses running through towns and villages capitalise on amenity and recreation value and protect bio-diversity. Redevelopment of key sites with potential to offer great opportunities to towns, eg. Grand Canal Harbout Tullamore, Hotel Site Edenderry. Promote keeping towns and villages clean. Reduce rates/charges in town centres. Maintain adequate on street car parking. Create actives areas on streets for restaurants and bars during summer months and at festival times. Provide tourist information signage and centres. Create a Town Team. No more out of town shopping facilities. Place restrictions on Bookies and off licenses. Sustainable living Energy efficiency - eco-friendly concept for Offaly Green initiative Community energy Homescale biodigestion Co-operative housing renovation and retrofit deal with vacant and derelict housing Renewables Retrofitting houses Promoting self sufficiency within communities Eco-Village Community garden - food, allotments 41

51 Contents 6 Key Findings from analysis and research IN THIS SECTION: Overview of Offaly National, Regional & Local Policy Statistics and Information Stakeholder Engagement & Public Consultation Key Findings

52 6. Key Findings from analysis and research This section draws together the relevant and key findings of the previous sections, in particular sections 2-6 of this report, in to an overall synopsis. The key findings are from the following: Collation, examination and analysis of data and information. Examination of relevant government policy - reports and strategies. Stakeholder engagement & public consultation. The key findings of the analysis and research undertaken will be fundamental in the creation of high level goals and to enable specific areas and issues to be addressed in the LECP. For clarity the key findings are summarised under their respective section heading also. 6.1 Overview of Offaly Central - Strategic location with strong physical links to wider midland region and country. Significant natural landscape and a unique heritage that are both respected. 20% of land mass comprises peatlands. 8% land area in Offaly formally and legally designated for nature conservation. Set within robust administrative system with a local governance structure. Settlement hierarchy sets out strategic economic locations within Offaly. Distinct economic characteristics of each Municipal District area: - Birr MD strong tourism offering, self sufficient commercial and retail offering, more natural landscape, higher level of rurality. - Edenderry MD influenced by pull GDA, strong population growth, large workforce. - Tullamore MD centre of administration, largest proportion of population, large proportion population employed in public service, strong commercial and retail base. High rural population. Reliance on agriculture & peat extraction for employment in rural areas. Bord na Mona and Coillte are largest landowners in county. Tradition of energy generation in county opportunity and challenge to move further away from the use of fossil fuels to more renewable sources of raw material. Growing tourism product and potential, Clonmacnoise, Grand Canal, Slieve Blooms, River Shannon etc. Strong physical infrastructure capable of upgrade. Good public transport to main urban areas of county. Rural transport schemes available but access to rural areas remains problematic. High car ownership and dependency rate. Communications infrastructure lacking in rural areas broadband, especially high speed. Potential for diversification of rural landuses and traditionally rural sectors for economic growth. Growth in artisan food producers and indigenious industries. Existing commercial stock available through vacancy and unfinished/new build within towns and villages. Opportunities to improve public realm aspects of towns and villages and provide further community/social facilities to improve quality of urban environment and quality of life for people to live and visit. 42

53 6.2 Analysis of relevant national, regional & local policy Key principles of government policy to be applied or implemented at local level. Employment generation and promotion - through a variety of sectors and through various initiatives and programmes. Supporting and promoting business opportunities and entrepreneurship at macro and micro level. Increasing competitiveness of companies, labour force, products. Supporting Research and Innovation and linking with business development and entrepreneurship. Facilitating and guiding business development through relevant agency co-ordination. Strengthening regulatory and policy frameworks. Deepening and widening of tourism product and linking tourism with other sectors. Promotion of place and product (quality of towns, villages, marketing and branding). Improve ICT and enhance for the benefit of business and residential users. Improve access to and expand education and training. Linking education and training to skill requirements. Consider rural areas to promote economic development, improve quality of life in rural areas and promote diversification in rural based sectors. Reduce poverty. Reducing social exclusion and disadvantage in communities. Improving quality of life of the community. Expand the provision of social and community infrastructure. Promote health and wellbeing in our communities. Protection and enhancement of the environment and applying the principles of sustainable development. Regard for core strategy of County Offaly and planning principles for development. 6.3 Analysis of data and information relating to Offaly: Population: Growing population Predominantly rural population Notable fall away in population age groups between 15 and 24 years East: West divide - East Offaly younger age profile while West Offaly (Birr MD area) has an older age profile. Higher than regional and state average of lone parents. High level of people 65+ living alone the majority of these are female. Highest proportion applicants on social housing waiting list are single applicants. Labour force and employment Unemployment rate is twice national average. Male unemployment has increased significantly (trebled) from 2006 Large drop in employment in manufacturing and construction sectors. 5 th highest level youth unemployment in country. 43

54 Education and Skills High level of school leavers. Low levels of 3 rd level education. Low levels in take up of Science, Mathematics and Computing areas of study. Low participation rate for entrance to 3 rd level. Accessibility Relatively healthy population Access to health services limited in south Offaly Low access to broadband. Disadvantage 5 th Highest deprived local authority area in Ireland Considerable area of county defined as being disadvantaged with respect to for agriculture therefore needing supports (single farm payment scheme). 6.4 Stakeholder Engagement & Public Consultation Employment & Enterprise Develop and promote incubation space to support startup business. Reduce or eliminate red tape, de-regulate and reduce complexities involved in setting up business. Concentrate on small and medium enterprises as core employment generators. Identify, promote and support emerging areas for economic growth and job creation. Provision of quality broadband and ICT necessary for business and to provide flexibility for employees. Promote smaller towns and villages for employment generation. Use of natural resources (tourism) and diversification of rural landuses for job creation. Importance of upskilling to match with employer needs. Promoting creativity and innovation focusing on young entrepreneurs (starting in schools). Looking after existing business to ensure that barriers/obstacles to progression are identified and are dealt with. Creating opportunities at local level supporting local ventures. Quality of living, services and facilities in towns important aspect for developing companies and employees. Encourage occupancy of vacant buildings, retail/commercial units to support vibrancy of town centres and promote Developing tourism as a product and a generator of employment and economic activity. Maximise the central/strategic location of County Offaly, infrastructural links and proximity to Greater Dublin Area. Joined up thinking between local government and local development. Support and encourage rural enterprises. 44

55 Education, training & Skills Promoting access to education addressing barriers including transport, ease of accessibility, cost of education and lack of affordable/flexible childcare. Lack of a 3 rd level education facility in Offaly. Promote new Midlands Technology Campus to support regional competitiveness and innovation in Midlands. Need for a location/venue in north east Offaly for ETB training. Investigate and Identify suitable locations in Offaly as education and training facilities. Key target groups for education or training, early school leavers, youth and long term unemployed, older age groups, traveller needs, parents in education, upskilling existing employees, young farmers etc. Specialised training for farmers to help maximise outputs, margins, support diversification and upskill for the business management aspect of farming. Developing links with Carlow, Maynooth & Limerick Colleges. Matching education and skills requirements to employer needs. Promoting the sharing of community facilities/venues for the provision and running of local education/training programmes. Attracting tourism & promoting Offaly Develop a tourism strategy for the county. Promote and market the natural resources, assets and heritage of Offaly for tourism development including, Slieve Blooms, River Shannon, bog landscape (Lough Boora, Clara Bog etc), Grand Canal, Clonmacnoise, Seir Kieran, Croghan Hill, Durrow (High Cross)walking, cycling, fishing/angling etc. Promote towns and villages of the county given their distinctive attributes and/or association with key tourist attraction. Promote and capitalise on eco-tourism and green tourism. Promote local art and craft and artisan food producers food tourism. Make provision for further tourist accommodation and facilities in suitable and relevant locations including accommodation and information facilities. Attract tourist enable them to stay a while Create and promote festivals/events and culture of Offaly. Promote the branding of Offaly. Promote culture and the Arts. Services and Social Supports Lack of funding to support local communities. Provide, enhance and extend services including Fire, water, health, leisure facilities, community facilities. Accessibility to available funding red tape. Eliminate duplication in applications for funding by established groups. Improve co-ordination of services. Maximise use of existing buildings for social and community purposes. Provision of active age services, activities and facilities. 45

56 Provision of youth services and facilities. Enhance security and empower communities to provide appropriate security measures. Improve transport to rural areas and 3 rd level facilities. Continue to improve accessibility to services i.e. Health and social care, to improve the experiences of people with disabilities. Intellectual disability key cohort for support. Care of the elderly promote independent living and enhance security measures. Develop special adaptive housing for retirement and elderly cohorts. Promote and encourage volunteerism, motivate and empower communities. Support Tidy Town groups and the wide ranging work they do. Target priority groups including elderly males, farmers and rurally isolated for inclusion in day centre services. Target isolation and fear experienced by rural dwellers. Prioritise home help and care cost saving against residential care facilities. Provide support from agencies i.e. HSE. Need for social care centres in Ferbane/Kilcormac. Address issues of discrimination, health, education, employment with travelling community. Combat drug and alcohol use and impacts of these on mental health. Address anti-social issues in areas of disadvantage and with early school leavers. Promote equal opportunities women s programme and support and Offaly Project. Address key issues facing young adults in the year old age cohorts. Examine the address the issues facing students in their transition from primary to secondary school. Create awareness about youth mental health issues and expand services to support people with mental health issues. Support Community and Resource centres in Offaly, the ongoing work undertaken and the key areas of prioritisation. Promote sports in respect of participation by all, health and fitness, facility development, sports tourism and outdoor recreation. Creating and Promoting Quality places Enhancing and promoting local attributes of towns and villages in order to attract business and tourists and provide for a high quality visitor and resident experience. Enhancing streetscapes and public realm to develop a sense of place. Provision of the required and necessary improvements to roads and footpaths and provision of safety measures/traffic calming for road users. Addressing derelict buildings and sites their presentation and appearance within streetscape. Address vacant commercial units promote pop up shops to reuse vacant units and promote business. Re-introduce town and village renewal scheme. Provide necessary services and facilities to accommodate residents needs i.e. library services, playgrounds, community facilities. Priority for pedestrians and cyclist in town centres. Improve aesthetics of approach roads to towns and villages to capture a positive first impression. Refurbishment of shop fronts. Coherent signage. Complete unfinished developments and housing. 46

57 Provision for space for art. Attend to River courses running through towns and villages capitalise on amenity and recreation value and protect bio-diversity. Redevelopment of key sites with potential to offer great opportunities to towns, eg. Grand Canal Harbout Tullamore, Hotel Site Edenderry. Promote keeping towns and villages clean. Reduce rates/charges in town centres. Maintain adequate on street car parking. Create actives areas on streets for restaurants and bars during summer months and at festival times. Provide tourist information signage and centres. Create a Town Team. No more out of town shopping facilities. Place restrictions on Bookies and off licenses. Sustainable Living Energy efficiency - eco-friendly concept for Offaly Green initiatives Community energy sustaining communities. Homescale biodigestion Co-operative housing renovation and retrofit to deal with vacant and derelict housing Promote renewable. Retrofitting houses Promoting self sufficiency within communities Development of Eco-Village concept Community garden - food, allotments. 47

58 48

59 Appendix A1 Appendix A1 Contents Offaly County Development Plan and the LECP

60 Appendix A1: Offaly County Development Plan and the LECP Purpose of the County Development Plan The main purpose of the Offaly Development Plan is to act as a framework for development and growth of County Offaly for the period It does this by identifying key challenges facing Offaly across a range of issues including population, housing, infrastructure and services, environmental protection, heritage and amenity as well as identifying guidance and suitable landuse zonings for the appropriate location of development. Policies and objectives are set out that seek to direct development and growth, promote appropriate development in appropriate locations and protect and enhance natural and built resources where required. It is important to note that the Offaly County Development Plan sits within a hierarchy of spatial planning policy and is required to demonstrate consistency with the higher order spatial plans of the National Spatial Strategy and the Regional Planning guidelines. The development plan is the mechanism for the implementation of national and regional policy at local level. Development plan and relationship with LECP As previously mentioned, the development plan is the strategic development or framework plan for the area. The LECP must be consistent with the provisions, policies and objectives of the development plan and must not present competing or conflicting objectives. This is clearly expressed in the legislative provisions that require a LECP to be undertaken (section 66B of the Local Government Reform Act 2014) and elaborated up further in guidance issued by the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government in January Policies and objectives of Offaly County Development Plan In the first instance the LECP must be consistent with the strategic objectives of the core strategy of the development plan. These objectives direct the focus for appropriate development to appropriate locations in County Offaly over the period of the plan. The LECP must be consistent with the objectives of the cores strategy as outlined below. 1. To strengthen the role of the Offaly Development Plan in implementing the objectives of higher order plans, where appropriate and ensure that the Offaly County Development Plan is consistent with the objectives and provisions of national and regional strategies, policy guidelines and national and regional population targets. 2. To develop a settlement strategy framework setting out a settlement hierarchy and providing an evidence base within which sustainable development, infrastructure, amenities and economic investment can be provided in a coherent and structured manner that maximises the use of resources in the county. 3. To provide for population growth in County Offaly in line with the population targets set out by the MRPGs and to allocate the population growth to settlement areas identified in the settlement hierarchy. This provides a framework within which sustainable infrastructure, amenities, economic investment and development can be provided in a manner that maximises the use of resources in the County, for current and future generations. 4. To provide for an appropriate quantity and location of zoned land so that this Plan accommodates the level of development anticipated over the plan period and support the priorities for growth as indicated in the settlement hierarchy of the Core Strategy whilst maintaining a level of development to secure the viability of rural communities. 1 Guidelines on Local Economic and Community Plans. i

61 5. To promote sustainable settlement and transportation strategies in order to focus and integrate development in the most sustainable locations in the county making best use of existing and planned transport infrastructure/networks available and making isolated locations more accessible by improving transport links, particularly public transport. 6. To ensure that future development will integrate with the existing and planned transport and services infrastructure such as road, rail, energy and water services infrastructure in order to utilise them in the most efficient way possible (as per priority investments outlined at national and regional level). 7. To ensure a high level of environmental protection ensuring the implementation of the policies and objectives of the plan through the observance of all legal requirements with regard to Strategic Environmental Assessment, Habitats Directive Assessment, Water Framework Directive and Floods Directive, as appropriate. 8. To promote sustainable economic development and direct economic activity into the most appropriate locations within County Offaly for employment generation and to capilatilse on opportuinities available in order to enhance the strategic competiveness and attractiveness of the county. 9. To revitalise town centres maintaining a clear hierarchy of vibrant, diverse and distinct towns across the county as the focus for commercial, retail and leisure uses to meet the needs of the local population and ensuring the primacy of town centres as the first choice for the location of retail development. 10. To protect and conserve the high quality natural environment, built and cultural heritage of the county while ensuring that any future development is facilitated in a manner which complements, repects and protects natural, built and cultural heritage features. 11. To ensure that development promoted, supported or facilitated by the Development Plan provides for the adaptation to climate change and the promotion of renewable energy where possible including the increased risk of flooding. 12. To ensure that development over the lifetime of this plan is monitored and managed so as to achieve the overall objectives of the Core Strategy. In addition to the LECP being consistent with the objectives of the core strategy, there are other objectives relating to many of the settlement areas which could be included into an implementable action subject to the allocation of appropriate funding. In order words, the development plan sets out the framework for suitable development and the LECP may have the capability to bring forward some tangible projects or outcomes to these objectives. Some of these objectives include: Objective in Settlement Plan * Provision of New Playground Provision of Civic Art piece Linear Park along the River / Access to river amenity area maintained Improvements to Streetscape and Public Realm Establish incubator Units Improve recreational & amenities in settlement Loop walk / Walking Routes Settlement Clara, Ballycumber, Tullamore, Edenderry. Portarlington, Birr, Edenderry, Ferbane, Banagher, Daingean, Kilcormac. Tullamore, Portarlington, Birr, Clara, Ferbane, Daingean, Ballycumber Bracknagh, Clonbullogue, Ballyboy Coolderry, Geashill. Tullamore, Birr, Portarlington, Edenderry, Ferbane, Banagher, Daingean. Kilcormac. Tullamore, Birr, Ferbane, Kilcormac, Daingean Tullamore, Birr, Edenderry, Potarlington, Kilcormac, Banagher, Daingean, Cadamstown Tullamore, Portarlington, Birr, Ballycumber, Ballyboy, Cadamstown, Garryhinch ii

62 Tree planting scheme / Planting Scheme/ Maintenance of mature Trees Stonewalls to be maintained / provided Central Village Green / Open Space area Tullamore, Birr, Portarlington, Edenderry, Ferbane, Coolderry, Moneygall, Mountbolus, Walsh Island, Ballyboy, Balyfore, Blueball,Brosna, Clareen, Coghan, Doon, Dunkerrin, Durrow, Fivealley, Garryhinch, High Street, Killina, Killurin, Killyon, Rath, Roscomroe, Tober Bullyboy, Brosna, Croghan, Dunkerrin, Garryhinch, Killina, Killyon, Rath, Roscomroe Belmont Bracknagh, Kinnitty, Rhode, Shannonbridge, Walsh Island, Ballinamere, Ballyfore, Cadamstown, Clareen, Dunkerrin, Lusmagh, Rath Area provided for school expansion / playing fields / community facilities Tullamore, Birr, Edenderry, Portarlington, Ballinagar, Killeigh, Kinnitty, Moneygall, Mountbolus, Mucklagh, Boher, Dunkerrin, Durrow, Killina,Tober Cycle Lane provision Support Community Centre Development Provide and Improve footpaths for accessibility to community facilities Maintain Playground Provide / Enhance Gateway Features to Settlement Extension to Cemetery Have regard to Offaly Way/ Slieve Bloom Way/ Walking Routes Tullamore, Birr, Portarlington, Edenderry, Mucklagh, Pollagh/Leamanaghan Mucklagh Rahan, Rhode, Clareen, Fivealley, High Street, Killina, Killurin, Lusamgh, Roscomroe Shannon Harbour Ferbane, Banagher, Daingean, Kilcormac, Brackanagh, Clonygowan, Killeigh, Shannonbridge, Ballinamere, Boora, Croghan, Garryhinch, High Street, Killurin, Killyon, Roscomore. Boher, Dunkerrin Boher, Boora, Cadamstown * Refers to: - All Settlement Plans in Volume 2 of CDP (Towns, Villages and Sráids); - Tullamore Town and Environs Development Plan ; - Birr Town and Environs Development Plan ; - Portarlington LAP Edenderry LAP Please refer to the relevant settlement plan to ascertain the exact wording for objectives as they refer to individual settlements iii

63 Appendix A2 Appendix A2 Contents Data Offaly profile

64 Appendix A2: Data Offaly profile Offaly Socio-economic Profile Demographic profile Population The population of County Offaly according to census 2011 stands at 76,687 persons. The population increased by 5,819 persons from the previous census period (2006) representing a percentage population increase of 8.2%. This is consistent with the population change experienced at National level which is identical at 8.2% but below the population change experienced in the Eastern and Midland E&M Region. % Population Change While the population growth rate of County Offaly demonstrated a growth rate consistent with the national figure, there is a notable contrast within the population growth rates across the County. Population growth is shown to be strongest in the Municipal District (MD) of Edenderry with a percentage population increase of almost 12% since Tullamore recorded a percentage population growth of almost 9% which is twice the level of growth experienced in the Birr MD (4.4%). 10 % Population Change MD Offaly E&M Region State Birr Edenderry Tullamore The population of Offaly is balanced between males and females with males only having a numerical advantage of approximately 170 persons. Population Males/Females Pop 2011 Males Females i

65 All EDs in the Edenderry and Tullamore MD save for one (Rathrobin), recorded a growth or an increase in population. 13 of the 45 EDs located in Birr MD along with one ED located to the south west of Tullamore MD (Rathrobin) all presented with zero or negative growth rate (population decline) between 2006 and The fastest growing EDs in Offaly from the period were Tullamore Rural (38.9%) and Templeharry (34.2) refer to map 1. Map 1: Percentage change in population ii

66 Population Urban/Rural 56% 44% Offaly is predominantly a rural County. Approximately 56% of the population live in rural areas i.e. outside towns with a population of 1,500 persons 1. However, between the census periods of 2006 and 2011 the population of urban areas in the County increased by almost 12% while rural areas, although having a larger population base, increased by just 6%. % Urban % Rural Map 2 shows the distance in time to settlements that have a population of greater than 1,500 (urban areas). The furthest distance lies within the time range of mins. This gives an indication of the areas of the County with the greatest rurality and includes areas to the East and west of the Tullamore MD and an area to the south west of the County. Map 2 Rurality in Offaly Population density Population Density per Sq. Km The population density of County Offaly at 38.2 persons per sq.km is low in comparison to that of the National figure which is double at 76.7 persons per sq.km. State Offaly According to Census of population for the purpose of defining Urban and Rural areas. iii

67 Map 3 shows areas with the highest concentration of population. These include the urban areas of Birr Edenderry and Tullamore where densities are over 500 persons per sq. Km. Tullamore MD has a higher density than the MD of Edenderry and Birr. Map 3 further indicates the sparsest populated areas occur within the Birr MD. This is quite reflective of the rural nature of the County where density may be influenced by features of natural landscape i.e. location of bogs. Map 3: Population density per sq. km. iv

68 Population age groups The population of County Offaly is predominantly youthful at present with the majority of the population for the three municipal districts coming within the age ranges of and The three MDs experience a slight decline within the age ranges of The three MDs largely follow a similar pattern to each other with the main difference being the actual population numbers. Tullamore presents ahead of Birr and Edenderry in all age groups. The population of Edenderry MD presents ahead of the Birr MD in all but 5 age cohorts including the 0-4, 5-9, 30-34, and age groups. The population profile shows a considerable fall off for the age cohorts of and in all three MDs when compared to younger and older age cohorts Birr MD Edenderry MD 1500 Tullamore MD Age 0-4 Age 5-9 Age Age Age Age Age Age Age Age Age Age Age Age Age Age Age Age 85+ Age 85+ Age Age Age Age Age Age Age Age Age Age Age Age Age Age Age Age 5-9 Age 0-4 Females Males Throughout all age groups there is generally a good gender balance however, within the age cohort of females represent the larger share of the population by almost a third. From the age cohort upwards, females take the numerical advantage over males. v

69 The West of County Offaly in particular the Birr MD has a higher average percentage of population aged 65 years and older (14%). This is in contrast to the Edenderry (10%) and Tullamore (11%) MDs that are largely in line with the national average of 12% (Map 4). Map 4: Percentage population aged 65+, 2011 Age Dependency Age dependency looks at the population aged 18 and under and 65 years and older who are dependent on family members and shows quite an even spread across County Offaly. Throughout all areas of the County the age dependency rate is no less than 35% which remains slightly above the national average of 33%. As can be seen in map 5 the highest Age Dependency rates at greater than 45% are experienced in the EDs of O Dempsey in Edenderry MD, Gorteen and Bawn in Tullamore MD and Gallen, Dromoyle, Roscomroe, Shinrone, Cangort and Mountheaton in Birr MD. vi

70 Map 5: Age dependency - % population aged <18 and 65+, 2011 Lone Parents Lone parents (as a proportion of all households with children) account for 23.3% of the total number of families with children across the County. This is marginally higher than the E&M figure or 22.0% and below the national figure of 25.8%. There is a marked difference in the numbers of Lone Mothers and Lone Father families with Lone Mother families accounting for 85% of Lone parent families across the County. All three MD areas have lone parent rates that are high by national comparison (Birr 32%, Edenderry 28% and Tullamore 40%). Lone parent family rates in urban areas are higher than those in rural areas of the county. Lone parent by gender 50 % Lone Parent by MD as a total of Lone Parents in County Offaly Lone Mother Lone Father Birr Edenderry Tullamore vii

71 Family Cycle Family cycle identifies the general life stages of families starting at pre-family (couple with no children) right up to adult (family nucleus where eldest child is aged 20 years). Retired for the purpose of this category refers to a couple with no children where the female is aged 65+. Pre-family Empty Nest Retired Pre-School Early School Pre-Adolescent Adolescent 25% Adult 9% 11% The largest percentage of families in County Offaly are at Adult stage in their family cycle (25%). 8% 12% 12% 12% 11% Offaly in general is largely consistent with national figures for each stage of family cycle except for an approximate 3 point difference at pre-family stage (State 11.2% Offaly 8.6%). Adult Adolescent Pre-Adolescent Early School Pre-School Retired Empty Nest Pre-family State Offaly There are marginal differences between the MD areas for many of the family cycle stages. There is a difference of 3% between Tullamore (13%) and Birr (10%) for families at pre-school stage while the Adult family cycle is higher in the Birr MD at 28% and lower for both Edenderry and Tullamore MD at approximately 24% each. 100% 80% 60% 40% 20% 0% Tullamore Edenderry Birr viii

72 Nationality The majority of the population in County Offaly are Irish by nationality. UK, Polish, Rest of the World and other EU nationalities all account for 2% the population while Lithuanian nationalities account for 1% of the County s population. UK nationalities are largely dispersed throughout County Offaly between urban and rural areas with the three EDs of Broughal, Knockbarron and Barna to the west of the County having a (UK Nationality) population of greater than 5%. All other nationalities (Polish, Lithuanian, Other EU and Rest of World) are largely concentrated in the main urban centres of Tullamore, Edenderry and Birr. Irish UK Polish Lithuanian Other EU Rest of World Not stated Ethnic Groups The largest ethnic group in County Offaly is White Irish at 88% of the population. The White Irish Traveller population at 1025 persons represents 1.3% of the total population which is above the average nationally (0.7%). Since 2006 the White Irish Traveller population has increased by 297 persons representing an increase of 41%. Map 6 shows the distribution of the percentage of Irish Traveller across the County. Birr Urban and Rural EDs have the highest concentration of Irish Travellers in the County at between 4% and 7%. Banagher, Clara Tullamore Urban and O Demspey to the East have concentrations of between 2% and 4%. White Irish White Irish Traveller Other White Black/Black Irish Asian/Asian Irish Other Not stated ix

73 Map 6: Percentage of population (ethnic group) Irish traveller, 2011 Housing Profile Households According to census 2011 the total number of households in County Offaly was 26,750. The predominant house type in County Offaly is house/bungalow at 91.2% of all households. In terms of household types, households comprising Husband, Wife and Children take the majority at 35%. This lies ahead of One Person households which accounts for 22% all household types. The average household size in Offaly is 2.9 persons, marginally higher than the national average of 2.7 persons. x

74 Map 7: Percentage of households rented from Local Authority/Voluntary body, 2011 Owner-occupied households i.e. households with a mortgage and households owned outright account for 75.4% of all households. This is almost 6% higher than the national figure which is 69.7%. On average 8% of all households in Offaly are Rented Social i.e. aggregate of households rented from local authorities and voluntary bodies. This figure is marginally below the average state figure of 8.7%. Map 7 identifies a number of EDs that have a higher than average percentage (9-20%) of Rented Social households. In addition to some rural EDs, urban areas including Birr, Edenderry, Tullamore, Daingean, Clara, Kilcormac and Banagher are included within this higher range. Living Alone: There were 5,792 people living alone, representing 7.6% of all people living in private households in the county at the time of the census. Of these 2,108 were aged 65 and over, the majority women who accounted for 62.4% of those living alone in the county in this age group. xi

75 The majority of households in County Offaly are heated by means of Oil or Peat. 1.4% of all household have no central heating. Households in Tullamore MD rely primarily on Oil, Peat and Natural Gas as sources of heat. Households in Birr and Edenderry MDs rely primarily on Oil also. Birr MD has the heaviest reliance on Peat of the three MD areas. Private households by Central Heating Birr Edenderry Tullamore Social Housing - Offaly Currently (January 2015) in Offaly County Council there are 1,845 persons on the housing waiting list. The housing location preference demand shows a significant preference for housing within the Tullamore MD over Edenderry and Birr lastly. 37% of all persons on the waiting list are single applicants and 25.3% are lone parents with one child. This demonstrates that the majority of houses required are smaller units Housing Location Preference Demand Applicant Type Birr Edenderry Tullamore Single Person Applications Lone Parent Applications Other xii

76 Workforce profile Principal Economic Status Principle Economic Status (PES) is the term used to describe the position of an individual in a group, population or society. The indicators of PES are employment and general occupation. Census classifies individuals according to whether they are working, looking for their first regular job, unemployed, student, looking after family/home retired, unable to work due to sickness/disability or other. Other Unable to Work due to sickness/disability Retired Looking after family/home Student Unemployed Looking for first regular job At Work State % Offaly % Offaly demonstrates parity with the state in a number of PES categories. Of the total population of Offaly 46.9% were classified as being At Work. This is comparative to the state figure for the same category (46.4%). In terms of the category Looking after family/home the state is an average of 6% above the Offaly figure. 13.1% of the population of Offaly were categorised as being Unemployed which is significant in respect of the state figure of just 7.4%. Approximately 5% of the population were stated to be unable to work due to sickness/disability, slightly above the national average (4.2%). In terms of the male to female share of the PES indicators in Offaly, there is quite notable disparity between males and females in two categories: Unemployed and Looking after family/home. Category Males Females Unemployed 17.1% 9.1% Looking after family/home 1.3% 22% Labour Force Participation Labour Force is defined as the number of people aged 15 years and older who are available for work and includes people who are at work and people who are unemployed. 35,848 persons in Offaly or 47% of the total population can be considered as part of the Labour Force. The labour force participation rate is the percentage of people aged 15 years and over who participate and are available for work as opposed to having another status such as student, retired or homemaker. This is measured as the total labour force expressed as a percentage of the total number of people aged 15 years and older in the County. The labour force participation rate for Offaly figures favourably with that Nationally. Labour Force % Participation Rate Offaly 61% State 61.9% xiii

77 In terms of gender, the labour force participation rate for males is higher at 70% than females at 52.2% Males Females The labour force participation rate within Offaly shows an east-west divide. Tullamore Rural ED shows the highest participation rate in all Offaly with a rate of between 71-79%. Both Tullamore and Edenderry MD areas keep a stable participation rate in general. However there are a number of EDs with the Birr MD that have a low participation rate by comparison i.e %. These can be seen in Map 8 highlighted by pink colouring. Map 8: Labour Force Participation Rate, 2011 xiv

78 At work According to the census the total population At work is 27,536 representing 76.8% of the total labour force. This lies 4% behind the state figure of 81%. The three EDs of Srah to the west, Knockdrin and Edenderry Urban to the East of the County all exhibit the lowest percentage of labour force with Offaly (58-70%) as indicated below in Map 9 (highlighted by pink colouring). Map 9: Percentage of Labour Force At work, 2011 xv

79 Employment Sector In terms of employment sector the graph below shows increases and decreases as recorded in the last three census periods. In 2006 in County Offaly the three major employment sectors were Manufacturing Industries, Construction and Wholesale / Retail. Of these in the 2011 census Manufacturing Industries saw a decrease of 28%, Construction 63% and Wholesale / Retail managed to maintain its employment levels. Industry (not stated) also saw a fall of almost 30% over the 2006 figures. A number of sectors in the same period saw an increase. Agriculture and Forestry increased by 6%, Public Administration saw a 34% increase with Education increasing by 25%. Employment by Industry Agriculture, forestry and fishing Mining, qua rrying and turf production Manufacturi ng industries Electricity, g as and water supply Constructio n Wholesale and retail trade Hotels and restaurants Transport, s torage and communicat ions Banking and financial services Real estate, renti ng and business activities Public administrati on and defence Education Health and social work Other community, social and Industry not personal stated service activities xvi

80 Unemployment Within this category both unemployed and looking for first job are taken to define Unemployed. According to census figures 8,313 persons in County Offaly or 23.2% of the labour force are classified as unemployed. In a national context, since 2006, Offaly represented the largest change increasing from 8.5%. Since 2006 also male unemployment rate has experienced a threefold increase reaching 26.1% in The female unemployment rate more than doubled between 2006 and 2011 reaching 19.3%. Both figures are approximately 4% higher than the national figures for the Males and Females at 22.3% and 15% respectively. At 40% Offaly has the 5 th highest level of youth unemployment in the Country. Unemployment rates in individual EDs reached levels well above those prevailing County wide and are highest in Srah (37%) Knockdrin (35.2%) and Tullamore Urban (34.4%). Map 10: Percentage of Labour Force Unemployed, 2011 Live Register Statistics for December 2014 reveal that there were 8626 Jobseekers registered in Offaly. The majority of Jobseekers (47%) are registered in Tullamore with Birr and Edenderry at 27% and 25% respectively. % Jobseekers Birr Edenderry Tullamore xvii

81 In terms of age groups the majority of Job seekers are over 25 years old (82%) with 60.5% of jobseekers listed as being on long term job seeking supports. In Offaly at present there are a number of Employment Schemes (Community Employment & TúS 2 ) with approximately 540 participants providing placements in jobs within the local community. Social Class Changes in social class largely parallel educational achievement with a gradual increase in the number of professional classes and a decline in the proportion of semi and unskilled manual workers. However, the proportion of population in Offaly in the categories of Professional workers and Managerial and Technical mark a composition below the national average classes. Offaly and in particular the MD of Edenderry has a higher percentage population categorised as skilled manual. The percentage of unskilled workers at 5% is higher than that of the state figure 3.9% State Offaly Birr Edenderry 15 Tullamore Professional Workers Managerial & Technical Non-Manual Skilled Manual Semi-Skilled UnSkilled All others occupied but unknown Map 11 shows the percentage of professional workers by ED. Offaly at 4.9% trails the national average of 7.3%. There are a large number of EDs as can be seen in map 11 (highlighted in light blue), particularly to the west of the County that sit below 4%. EDs that have an average of 8% or more are predominantly located in Birr and Tullamore MDs. 2 Community Employment (CE) programme is designed to help people who are long-term unemployed and other disadvantaged people to get back to work by offering part-time and temporary placements in jobs based within local communities. The Tús Scheme is an activation initiative for those who are unemployed and on the Live Register and to support the work readiness of those who participate. xviii

82 Map 11: Percentage population by social class professional workers, 2011 On average Edenderry MD has the highest percentage of unskilled workers in the County but only marginally. The EDs that have the highest percentage of unskilled workers at over 7% include Knockdrin, Edenderry Urban and Esker/Ballaghassaan to the East and Lea, Kilcormac, Letter and Sierkieran to the west of the County. Map 12: Percentage population by social class Unskilled 2011 xix

83 When Social Class figures are examined by gender it can be seen that female workers have higher levels in the Managerial and Technical and Non-Manual sectors while male works have larger shares of the Skilled Manual and Semi-Skilled sectors. All others gainfully occupied and unknown Unskilled Semi-skilled Skilled manual Non-manual Managerial and technical Professional workers 0 2,000 4,000 6,000 8,000 10,000 12,000 Female Male Education profile Field of Study In terms of Field of Study the largest percentage of population at 59.5% did not state or did not know what field of study they are involved in. This figure is skewed because it includes school going children who have not yet decided on a chosen career path. However, apart from the Not Stated (including unknown) category, Engineering, Manufacture and Construction is the largest area of study in Offaly at 18.1%. This lies ahead of Agriculture and Veterinary at 6.9% and Business & Law at 5.8%. Science Mathematics and Computing registered at 2.3%. The chart below shows all categories including Not Stated and unknown. The breakdown of the individual elements of each category is not available. 1.4% 0.8% 0.8% 5.8% 2.3% Education and teacher training Arts Humanities Social sciences, Business and Law 18.1% Science, Mathematics and Computing Engineering, Manufacturing and Construction 59.5% Agriculture and Veterinary 6.9% Health and Welfare 0.1% 2.7% 1.5% Services Other subjects Not Stated (including unknown) xx

84 0% Education and teacher training 10% 8% 2% 3% Arts Humanities 15% Social sciences, Business and Law 23% Science, Mathematics and Computing Engineering, Manufacturing and Construction 9% Agriculture and Veterinary Health and Welfare 23% 7% Services Other subjects In respect of Municipal District areas, Tullamore is strongest in a number of fields of study by comparison to the comparative figures for Offaly, Birr and Edenderry MDs. Birr MD registered strongest with Agriculture and Veterinary while Edenderry was strongest at Engineering, Manufacturing and Construction % Birr 8 %Edenderry 6 %Tullamore 4 % Offaly 2 0 Education and teacher training Arts HumanitiesSocial sciences, Business Science, and Mathematics Law Engineering, and Computing Manufacturing and Agriculture Construction and Veterinary Health and Welfare Services Other subjects xxi

85 Other subjects Services Health and Welfare Agriculture and Veterinary Engineering, Manufacturing and Construction Science, Mathematics and Computing Social sciences, Business and Law Humanities Arts Education and teacher training Females Males Within the ten categories identified for Field of Study females represented the higher percentage in 7 categories over their male counterparts. There were significant differences between males and females particularly in Fields of Study including Education and Teacher Training, Social Sciences, Business and Law, Health and Welfare and Services. Males represented the higher proportion for Agriculture and Veterinary and Engineering, Manufacturing and Construction. Education: Highest Level Achieved In general there has been continuous improvement in the level of education amongst the adult population of Offaly. In 1991 for example, 41.5% of the adult population of Offaly had primary education only. This has reduced significantly to 16.1% in 2011 but remains over two points higher than the national average of 13.8%. Despite the considerable improvement at County level, there remain parts of the County where considerable numbers of the adult population have no formal education or have primary education only. In general for both of these categories the average percentage for County Offaly is higher than that of the E&M region and the state as per map 13. Birr MD on average has the highest percentage of adults with no formal education and with primary education only. xxii

86 Map 13: Population aged over 15 years level of education completed no formal education In respect of the adult population with primary education only (as per map 14), there remain several EDs where considerable parts of the adult population have primary education only. EDs registering significantly above the average for County Offaly, the E&M region and the State include Mountbriscoe to the East and Srah, Lea and Broughal to the West all presenting within the range of between 24 % to 28%. Eglish to the West of the County presents within the range of greater than 28%. Map 14: Population aged over 15 years level of education completed primary education only. xxiii

87 At primary and secondary school level, Offaly has more early schools leavers with 17% of the population aged 15 years and over having completed their education at lower secondary level compared to a national average of 13.8%. In total Offaly s third and fourth level (combined) at 23% trails almost 6% below the national average (29%). The percentage of people with higher 4 th level (PhD) qualifications in the county is below the national average. Offaly s PhD level is 0.2% compared to a national average of 0.6% and at Postgraduate level (Degree or Diploma) is 3.7% compared to 6.2% nationally. At 3 rd level the gap decreases slightly but still remains, with 5% having honours degrees compare to 7.5% nationally and 5.1% ordinary degrees compared to 6.2% nationally. The figure below identifies the percentage of adult population as per the highest level of education achieved in comparison the percentage nationally for each category. Population Aged 15 Years and Over Highest Level of Education Completed and Census Year Offaly Inner Circle/National Average Outer Circle No formal education Primary Lower secondary 16.8% 1.2% 11.5% Upper secondary 15.2% 1.6% 13.7% Technical/vocational Advanced certificate/completed apprenticeship 3.9% 0.6% 6.2% 3.7% 3.7% 0.2% 5.0% 17.0% 13.8% Higher certificate Ordinary bachelor degree/professional qualification or both 5.1% Honours bachelor degree/professional qualification or both 7.5% 3.6% Postgraduate diploma or degree 6.2% 5.6% 3.7% 7.8% 4.8% 7.2% 17.9% 16.7% Doctorate (Ph.D) Not stated Total whose full-time education has not ceased 16% of the population in Offaly over 15 have 3 rd level education. This figure is low in comparison to the E&M Region at 26% and the state at 25%. The Edenderry MD fares worst of the three MDs at 13% of the population having completed 3 rd level education. Map 15 shows the areas that have particularly low share of the population with 3 rd level education (i.e. 10 % or less) and these include Srah, Lea and Gallen in the Birr MD and Daingean and Raheeniskearagh in the Edenderry MD. xxiv

88 Map 15: Population over 15, level of education completed to 3 rd level In the breakdown of males and females, participation of females at third level proves to be significantly higher than males in each category. Males registered over 40% higher participation rate in advanced certificate/completed apprenticeship than females. Not stated Doctorate(Ph.D) or higher Postgraduate Diploma or Degree Honours Bachelor Degree, Professional qualification or both Ordinary Bachelor Degree or National Diploma Higher Certificate Advanced Certificate/Completed Apprenticeship Technical or Vocational qualification Upper Secondary Lower Secondary Primary Education No Formal Education %Females %Males At MD level Birr and Edenderry are stronger than Tullamore in the categories of Primary Education to Advanced Cert/Completed apprenticeship. Tullamore MD takes a stronger position into 3 rd and 4 th level education categories. xxv

89 % Birr % Eden %Tull The Higher Education Authority (HEA) in its Consultation Paper entitled Towards the development of a new National Plan for Equity of Access to Higher Education (August 2014) looked at the participation rates among the year old age cohort entrants to 3 rd level college. The participation rate for Offaly at 2011 was recorded as being 45%. This falls short of the figure of 51% recorded nationally. The table below highlights Offaly in the context of immediately adjoining counties and shows Laois and Offaly recording the lowest participation rates. Location Percentage Offaly 45 Laois 41 Westmeath 51 Roscommon 59 Meath 49 Kildare 47 Galway 60 Tipperary 51 State 51 Access to Schools There are 66 primary schools in County Offaly distributed all across the county. There are 12 secondary levels schools. In geographical terms, no child has to commute more than 12 minutes to a primary school and 20 minutes to a secondary school (Maps 16 & 17). xxvi

90 Map16: Primary Schools Map 17: Secondary Schools xxvii

91 Deprivation Deprivation Score The 2011 Pobal Haase-Pratschke Deprivation Index for small areas (HP Deprivation Index) draws upon data from the 2011 census of population to determine the level of overall affluence and deprivation in a particular area. Three dimensions (inclusive of associated indicators) are identified, examined and combined to form an index score. These include Demographic profile, social class composition and labour market situation. The deprivation index for Offaly shows a drop from -3.2 in 2006 to in This represents a drop of 8.4 compared to a nationwide drop of 6.5. The economic downturn after 2007 can be attributed to the decreasing score. The relative position of Offaly worsened in the time between 2006 to 2011 from tenth to the fifth (5 th ) most disadvantaged local authority area in Ireland. From the Counties located in the Eastern and Midland Region only one other County, Longford, is below Offaly on the Deprivation Score. Map 18: Deprivation Score At small area level 3 it can be seen on Map 18 that the majority of the County sits marginally below average. A number of areas fall into the disadvantaged category and these areas in Edenderry Town, Tullamore Town and in Kilcormac. There are very few small areas in the County identified as being Affluent but these include: To the west a southern portion of Birr Urban ED, the western portion of Durrow ED north of Tullamore Town and a portion of Screggan, south west of Tullamore Town. 33 Deprivation Index is measured at small area level. xxviii

92 Very disadvantaged areas in Edenderry, Kilcormac and Tullamore Edenderry Kilcormac Tullamore Transport & Access to Services Mode of transport to work/education Means of Travel to Work, School or College Not stated 3% The main mode of transport in Offaly is the private motor car with almost 63% of the population commuting to work or school as either a driver or passenger. The national average for use of the motor car is 58.5%. Car passenger 22% Van 6% Other 5% On foot 12% Bicycle 1% Bus, minibus or coach 9% Train, DART or LUAS 1% Motorcycle or scooter 0% 12% of the population commute to work, school or college by walking which is below the national average at 14.8%. The percentage using cycling as a mode of transport is low at just 1.2% which is a little more than half of the national average at 2.2%. Car driver 41% xxix

93 All three MD areas, notwithstanding the availability of public transport means in their areas, rely firmly on the car as either a driver or as a passenger to get to work, school or college. Tullamore has the highest percentage of car drivers and car passengers but only slightly over Edenderry and Birr. Use of the train in all three MD areas is very low at 1 percent or under. Bus transport performs better than train in all three MD areas with between 8% and 10% of the work and school going population preferring that mode On foot Birr % Edenderry % Tullamore % Bicycle Bus, minibus Train, or coach DART Motorcycle or LUAS or scooter Car drivercar passenger Van Other Not stated Journey time to travel to Work or Education 42% of the population of Offaly commute less than 15mins which is significantly higher than the national average at 34%. Almost 67% of the population in Offaly commute less than 30mins, which is also higher than the national average at 64%. The highest percentage of people (63%) of the population leave the house after 8:00am to travel to work or educational facilities Offaly % Birr % Edenderry % Tullamore % < 15 mins mins mins mins 60-89mins 90 mins + Not stated Within the less than 15 minute category there is a considerable disparity between the MD of Tullamore and Edenderry. Tullamore MD has the highest percentage of people (aged 5+) at 47.4% travelling less than 15 minutes to work, school or collage. By comparison the percentage in the Edenderry MD is 36.5%. Birr MD has the highest percentage of work/school/college going population travelling within the time range of between mins. In general, within the time ranges of between minutes the Edenderry MD is higher than both Birr and Tullamore MDs. xxx

94 No. of Cars per household 41% of households in County Offaly have one car with 36% having two and only 9% having 3 or more. 14% of households currently have no car. Nationally 40% of households have one car with 33% having two cars and a further 8% having three cars or more. 17% of households nationally have no car. Four or more motor cars 2% No. Cars per household Three motor cars 7% No motor car 14% Two motor cars 36% One motor car 41% Number of households with cars Birr Edenderry Tullamore No car One car Two cars Three cars Four + cars Households in the Tullamore MD have the highest number of cars followed by Birr and Edenderry. xxxi

95 Health and Access to Health Services The census figures show that Offaly is in line with the national average in terms of general health. 88% of the population stating their health was Very Good or Good. Population by general health. Very Good 0.3% 1.4% 8.7% 1.7% Good Fair Bad Very bad Not stated 29.1% 58.9% Similar to general health the percentage of people in Offaly who have a disability is in line with the national average, 13.4% for Offaly versus 13% nationally. Breakdown of the different disabilities % 10.0% 7.7% 12.5% 3.2% 5.5% 15.3% 3.4% 8.1% 5.1% Blindness or a serious vision impairment 2 Deafness or a serious hearing impairment 3 A condition that substantially limits one or more basic physical activities 4 An intellectual disability 5 Difficulty in learning, remembering or concentrating 6 Psychological or emotional condition 7 Other disability, including chronic illness 8 Difficulty in dressing, bathing or getting around inside the home 9 Difficulty in going outside home alone 10 Difficulty in working or attending school/college 11 Difficulty in participating in other activities 17.1% xxxii

96 Maps 19 to 22 show the travel time to health services located and provided with the County. The maps show that the population in south Offaly in particular have the greatest distance to travel to a full 24 hour emergency hospital at between 45 and 60 minutes. County Offaly is served reasonably well by GP and pharmacy services. These health services tend to be located within the larger urban centres of the county. At most, people have to travel between 45 and 60 minutes to access GP and Pharmacy services save for one ED, Tulla, located to the south east of the County. People residing within this ED have to travel between 60 and 90 minutes to access these services. Dentist services are provided within the Urban centres of Birr, Edenderry, Tullamore and Portarlington thus providing that many people have to travel between 60 minutes and 90 minutes to access these services. GP Pharmacy Dentist xxxiii

97 Broadband/internet There is limited information available on IT and communications within the Census. What is available shows that computer ownership in Offaly is slightly below the national average at 68%, the national average is 72%. Number of households with a personal computer 2% 30% Yes No Not stated 68% In general Edenderry and Tullamore MD areas are comparable with respect to computer ownership. Birr MD sits approximately 4% below both Edenderry and Tullamore Offaly Birr Edenderry Tullamore yes No Not Stated In terms of internet access 53% of population stated they had broadband access compared to 64% nationally. Similarly a larger proportion of the population stated they had no internet access i.e. 33% compared to a national figure of 26%. Broadband speed or performance is not dealt with in census data. xxxiv

98 Number of households with internet access 2% 33% 12% 53% Broadband Other No Not stated At MD level Birr trails both Edenderry and Tullamore by 10% in terms of number of households with internet access Offaly Birr Edenderry Tullamore Yes other No Not Stated Broadband Schemes Commercial broadband operators as seen below tend to operate within the towns of Offaly and are barely represented in villages. xxxv

99 Outside of commercial providers there are three government schemes available in Offaly. MAN or Metropolitan Area Network is available in Tullamore, Birr, Edenderry and Banagher. NBS or National Broadband Scheme, available in areas deemed not to be commercially viable. RBS or Rural Broadband scheme was designed to provide basic broadband services to individual premises which could not receive broadband from commercial companies. 135 offers of services were made in Offaly and 25 offers were taken up in offers details of broadband services available in each area including information on best available speeds. xxxvi