1.1 Plan Area
The area subject of this plan is within an arc around the north bank of the City, encompassing the rural areas, which are subject to development pressures. It also includes the portal area at Belview, and the villages of Slieverue, and Kilmacow (Upper and Lower). The urban area surrounding the Waterford city within County Kilkenny is referred to in this Plan as the Waterford Suburbs. The Environs area is defined on map 1.1.

The Plan has two main functions:

• To provide the strategic guidance for the physical development of the study area.
• To provide the basis for assessing the detailed planning applications submitted to the Council.

The bulk of Waterford City lies on the south bank of the Suir, with a small part of the urban area lying to the north of the river. Apart from the Waterford Borough Council ward of Ferrybank, the northern suburbs lie within County Kilkenny. Factors which have constrained urban growth in this area are discussed below. In contrast to the rapid development south of the river, Rockshire in Kilkenny and Ferrybank in Waterford have not grown significantly. This is primarily due to the single link across Rice Bridge, which at peak periods exceeds its capacity. In addition there are two separate pockets of residential development at Rathculliheen and Christendom. For most of the later half of the 20th century lack of mains drainage was a critical element in preventing the development of the area. In the early 1990’s, a new mains sewer was laid through the Rockshire and Abbeylands areas.

The main aims of this plan are;

• To meet the infrastructure and development needs of the study area
• To ensure integration of land-use and transportation planning
• To integrate the principles of proper planning and sustainable development into planning strategies
• To establish a clear demarcation between urban and rural areas within the Study Area.
• To provide for the development of the Belview Port area.
• To provide for the planned expansion of Waterford City north of the river from the core area.
• To seek the designation of Belview Port Area as a Strategic Development zone under the Planning and Development Act 2000.

The Local Authority has an obligation to promote principles of sustainable development as outlined in ‘Sustainable Development – A Strategy for Ireland’, 1997, as adopted by the Government. It is therefore the duty of the Local Authority to ensure a sustainable balance between socio-economic growth, cultural development and the environment.

Within the study, land use planning is influenced by the following Plans:
The Waterford City and Environs Strategic Framework Plan 1998, the Kilmacow Village Study 1998, the Belview Port Action Area Plan 1998, the 1994 Kilkenny County Development Plan and the Rockshire Action Area Plan 1976.

In the 1998 Strategic Framework Plan, prepared as a joint document by Waterford Corporation, Waterford County Council, Kilkenny County Council and the National Roads Authority, population projections were carried out for Waterford City and Environs based on the 1996 Census of population and reflecting current trends in fertility, mortality and migration.

Three assumptions were used in the projections:

(a) Nil net Migration, (b) Inward migration of 2% every 5 years and (c) Inward migration of 4 % every 5 years.

The upper forecast for population growth provided by the Strategic Framework Document is 60,966 by 2011 based on the higher inward migration assumption.

The issues which emerged from that study were:

• That population forecasts for the city show a growing population.
• That the labourforce of the city is still growing and is projected to grow at twice the rate of the population creating additional demand for employment.
• That the average household size is falling.

* The population projections included the following DED’s in south Kilkenny.
Aglish, Dunkitt, Kilculliheen, Rathpatrick.

This potential growth presents a significant challenge to planning, land use and urban design issues. There will be increasing demand on Waterford city’s urban fringe and rural hinterland within County Kilkenny.

The settlement structure of the Environs comprises the Waterford Suburbs, consisting of Rockshire, Belmount, Abbeylands and Ferrybank areas immediately adjacent to Waterford City, Kilmacow and Slieverue villages, plus in the rural areas, a number of linear road frontage developments, and individual buildings of residential, commercial, industrial and community use. Other villages such as Mooncoin, Mullinavat and Glenmore are close to the Environs also.

The area includes Rockshire, Abbeylands, Christendom and Rathculliheen and covers approximately 370 hectares a significant proportion of which is currently undeveloped.

The dominant natural landforms in the area of Waterford Suburbs are Mount Misery and Mount Sion with the River Suir sweeping past. There are vistas both up and down stream of the river. This dramatic topography strongly dictates the character of the area and must therefore be carefully considered at the site planning stage. To the north within Rockshire, the land rises up sharply from the river Suir forming rocky outcrops 80m above sea level along the Rockshire Hill ridge. This high ground contrasts with the rolling landscapes of the gently sloping fields within the valley, which forms the central portion of the Suburbs between the N25 and the disused railway line.

To the east within Abbeylands and Christendum the undulating agricultural land rises running along the south western edge of the Abbey Park estate. To the South of this a prominent headland dominates the abbey lands area at a height of about 50m above sea level. This overlooks the bend in the river Suir and offers spectacular views of Waterford City and the South quays. This headland dominates the topography of the area and is an important structuring element for the planning of the area.

There are four identifiable landscape areas within the suburbs as follows:

A River Suir Environs.
B Lands within the river setting.
C Lower lying land.
D Ridgelines and higher ground.

A River Suir Environs
This is in general low lying land adjacent to the river corridor. Development in these areas is not recommended due to aesthetic, ecological and practical reasons.

B Lands within the river setting
This is a significant swathe of land to the south of Abbey Park estate which rises from the river environs and Abbeylands area to the estate itself. The area is highly visible from a number of locations within the study area and from Waterford City centre. The area effectively creates a headland which is an integral part of the setting of the River Suir.

C Lower lying land
Most of this land is suitable for development. It sits within a shallow valley and as a result is not particularly visible from south of the river and is not an integral part of the landscape setting of the City.

D Ridgelines and high ground
Of prime importance to the setting of the City is the ridge line of the Rockshire hills. The historic importance of the hills is underlined by the Napoleonic watch towers which were constructed in the 18th century and today make important landmarks above the city centre.
Views from many parts of the city centre to the north are terminated by the ridgelines, the towers and the mature trees that line the Rockshire hill.

The protection of towers, the ridgeline and the mature trees that line the Rockshire hill from development is in the interests of the setting of the City.

The majority of land within the Action Area is currently in agricultural use which is characterised by pasture land punctuated by scattered farm buildings.

The majority of residential development on the northern side of the River Suir is contained within the Waterford Corporation boundary. This is primarily 1950’s Corporation housing known locally as Rockingham estate. To the north of Rockingham estate more recent development has taken place on either side of the boundary between Waterford Corporation and Kilkenny County Council.

The Abbey Park estate sits in an isolated position in the eastern half of the Study area. The estate is the only significant development within the boundaries of the action area.
Some low density residential development - almost exclusively bungalow style - has taken place along the country lanes with roadside boundary treatment which serve to visually link the plots giving the impression of continuous ribbon development. This form of development is particularly prevalent in the east of the action area.

The bulk of employment generating development is located within the south of the action area at Christendom where traditionally the Clover Meats Company has and still operates.

The other significant employment generator is the North quays area which up until the development of Belview was Waterford’s industrial port area. Today the North quays is still used for some port related activities, primarily export of livestock and mooring of local trawlers. With the further development of Belview these uses are likely to be scaled down further and the North Quays will become a redevelopment site.

A number of community facilities are located within walking distance of the Action area but within the Waterford Corporation boundary in the Ferrybank area. These include playing fields, community centre, churches and schools. Adjacent to this is a row of retail units which comprise a bank, pharmacy, convenience store, butchers and video rental shop. Further along Fountain street there are two petrol stations with convenience stores which also serve as important local retail facilities. The only retail unit is a small convenience store within Abbey Park estate.

Because of the predominance of radial routes, the area suffers from peak time congestion and subsequent rat running brought about by large traffic volumes entering and leaving the Waterford city centre from the north.

The busiest road in the area is the Ross Road. This is a National Primary route which runs east from the city centre to New Ross, Wexford and Rosslare.

There is now a definite proposal to bypass the section of the N25, which runs through the study area. It is now likely that the N25 bypass which runs from Kilmeaden in County Waterford to Slieverue, just to the north of the study area, will be constructed over the next few years. The construction of the bypass will provide environmental benefits to residents living along the N25 corridor. It is estimated that there will be a significant reduction in the volume of traffic using the existing N25 route once the bypass has been constructed. Capacity on the existing road network will be freed up to accommodate development within the study area.

The Rockshire road runs on a north south axis between the North Quays and the Rockshire area. It is a key local radial route away from Waterford city. Spurring from the Rockshire road is Mountain view road which links Rockshire with the villages of Killaspy and Ballyrobin. This road carries a significant level of traffic travelling to and from Waterford.

The road to the Christendom and Abbey Park areas is accessed from the N25 at Ferrybank. This route passes through the area known as Christendom and then opens out into the Abbeylands area. Before climbing the hill towards the Abbey Park estate the road splits and the access road to the industrial development adjacent to the river spurs off to the right.

Bus services
The area is served by two bus routes which link the abbey park estate and the Rockshire Road estate with the South quays in Waterford City.

Rail services
The area is within close proximity to Waterford railway station and has operating and disused lines passing through it. The operating line links Waterford with Rosslare Europort and skirts along the southern boundary by the River Suir. The disused line bisects the heart of the study area. The line is currently reserved and has been kept free from development.

The large volumes of traffic using the approach roads to Rice Bridge mean that non vehicular forms of transport accessing the city account from a small proportion of the transportation modes used for commuting.

A valued aspect of living north of the River is the proximity to the nearby open countryside. Consequently many people value the numerous footpaths that give people leisure access to the countryside both on foot and bicycle.

A significant investment in new infrastructure would be required to service the proposed level of development in the Suburbs. At present a 110kv line runs across the River Suir north from the distribution site on the Gracedieu road. Existing development within the study area is served from this source.

Bord Gais have a corporate aim of serving all new dwellings during the construction phase. Over the past four years Bord Gais has served all new dwellings within the study area on this basis.

In the early 1990’s, a new mains sewer was laid through the Rockshire and Abbeylands area and has the capacity to serve all development in the foreseeable future. The Newrath area of the suburbs is not serviced by a mains sewer at present. It is an objective of the Council to identify a site for the provision of a sewerage treatment plant to service the Newrath area during the lifetime of the plan.

The primary water supply is from the Mount Sion hill reservoir station which supplies the recent housing developments off Rockshire road.
Water supply will not restrict development in the foreseeable future. There are however problems in supplying housing on land above 60metres with water at appropriate pressure.

The construction of the N25 bypass will provide environmental benefits to residents living along the N25 corridor. This new link will take through traffic away from the existing N25.
It is estimated that there will be a significant reduction in the volume of traffic using the existing N25 route once the bypass has been constructed. Capacity on the existing road network will be freed up to accommodate development within the study area.

Current urban planning and design thinking advocates “sustainability as a major objective in the planning of new neighbourhoods. The approach to the development of the area is underpinned by this concept, providing places and homes that enhance the quality of life for today’s population whilst safeguarding and improving that quality for future generations.

It is essential that the development of the Action Plan be conceived as a neighbourhood or neighbourhoods and not as a series of independent housing estates.
Neighbourhoods are distinguished by having a range of facilities within easy walking distance of the centre. Most people are prepared to undertake a ten-minute walk, which prescribes a neighbourhood with a maximum radius of about half a mile.

The following principles have been applied in locating development within the Action Area:

• Landscape structure has developed hand in hand with the urban structure;
• Hedgerows and important tree clusters are retained in the public realm;
• Development boundaries are governed by topography rather than ownership boundaries;
• Streets follow contour lines and hedges wherever possible;
• Important landscapes are protected

Consideration of the key demographic trends identified in the Strategic Framework Plan together with concerns raised about access to affordable housing at the public participation stage should inform the housing mix.
Higher densities can help to reduce travel distances and promote efficient use of land and resources, but they require context specific response to site layout and housing design. Flexible built forms, which will permit change and adaptation with time, will be encouraged, as is a range of housing types, tenure, affordability and cost.

The Plan proposes a landscape structure, which will create wildlife corridors on both a north/south and east west axis and provide a transition between rural and urban areas on this important edge of settlement location.

The Plan seeks to minimise the impact on the landscape character areas of A, B and D identified in paragraph 4.1 and in particular to try and preserve their open character.

Elements of these visually prominent areas were zoned for residential development in the 1972 Rockshire Action Area Plan and that Plan was used as guidance for development in the area since that time. Public and professional attitudes to the protection of visually prominent open spaces have changed since the 1970’s and takes much greater regard of the visual impact of development and loss of distinctive landscape. This Development Plan reflects this enhanced concern for visual amenity whilst at the same time allowing development to take place.

Traditionally the northern bank of the River Suir was characterised by large dwellings set within extensive grounds. To protect this important visual amenity the Action Area Plan proposes to establish an Arcadian Residential Development Policy which preserves this tradition and ensures that visually prominent land is not intensively developed. The policy is in line with commercial house building thinking. It permits development of exclusive, higher value housing which can justify higher house prices by offering low densities, mature landscaping and spectacular views over the city. .

Proposals for residential development within these areas should achieve the following criteria:

Densities of 15 dwellings per hectare or lower.
Buildings shall be of a domestic scale generally two storeys in height and set well apart.
Existing landscape features such as mature trees and hedgerows must be maintained. Where identified on the plan, existing hedgerows should be ‘planted up’ to screen development.
In all cases extensive landscaping should dominate within the site and along all boundaries. Schemes for structural and site landscape should be an integral requirement of development proposals.
Building and parking areas should be well concealed from public view.

The Plan proposes the establishment of “country parks” between the new neighbourhoods. The Plan proposes parks in the following areas seeking to protect visually sensitive areas while at the same time allowing development in certain visually sensitive areas by way of the Arcadian Residential Development Policy.

The areas to be protected are:
• Rockshire Hill Ridgeline and
• River Suir setting.

The parks would occupy the most strategic landscape setting of Waterford City and would comprise the following -

• working farmland where owners wished to continue farming
• community woodland, particularly along the skylines and as a backdrop to new development
• Sports pitches and recreation areas
• Public access walkways and cycle routes along the axis of each area.
• Small formal parkland where adjacent to new development.
The boundaries on the zoning map between the residential and park areas are not intended to be rigid. They are intended to be flexible to allow for innovation of design and interaction between the housing areas and the country parks.

Four new centres are envisaged in addition to the existing local centre on the Ross Road in Ferrybank.
A district centre is proposed at Ferrybank East in accordance with the retail strategy for Kilkenny City and County while new local centres are envisaged at Rockshire Belmont and Rathculliheen/Abbeylands.

Ferrybank East
The lands zoned for residential purposes in this Development plan will accommodate approximately 4,400 dwellings bringing a population in the order of 12,000 people. In 1996 the area had a population of 1,615. The combined end population will be over 13,500 which is of the order of 20% of the planned population of 70,000 for Waterford City. A total population of the size envisaged requires a greater range of goods and services within close proximity than Neighbourhood centres would provide. A district centre at this location will reduce the need to travel to centres in Waterford City and south of the City and this meets the RPGs test of efficient, equitable and sustainable standards. The site at Ferrybank East is central to the area with ready access to public transport and thus best meets this test. The construction of the N25 bypass will provide the opportunity to enhance the environmental quality of the corridor through the area and into the heart of Ferrybank.

Rockshire Hill
Much of the area is within 800 metres of the existing neighbourhood centre on the Ross road and it is expected that the neighbourhood centre for this area will be these existing services. However the dramatic topography of the area means that a local centre, probably consisting of a post office and local convenience or general store and other small shops serving a small-localised catchment population will be required.

Belmont
The Belmont centre will serve a population of approximately 4,000. The neighbourhood should comprise of a small supermarket /general grocery store, sub post office with other small shops and services of a local nature serving its local catchment population.

The location of the disused railway line effectively means that there would be two distinct halves to the neighbourhood linked by the existing footbridges and a new vehicular link across the cutting. The main vehicular access to the neighbourhoods would be from the Ross Road to the North and Abbey Road to the south.

Rathculliheen/Abbeylands
In the longer term similar considerations will apply to Rathculliheen/Abbeylands whose population will also approach 4,0000. In the short term recent and new housing will continue to look to Ferrybank for local services.

The size of a neighbourhood is partly determined by the distance that people walk in their everyday lives and therefore establish the range of facilities that can be supported by that community.
In the Plan, facilities have been located as close as possible to the centre of “pedestrian sheds” represented by an 800 metre radius which is the equivalent to a ten minute walk.

In the Rockshire Hill the neighbourhood will be of smaller scale with mixed uses such as local surgery, post office and convenience shopping proposed at the local centres.

At the centre of the Belmont Abbeylands Neighbourhood community uses such as primary school, health centre, library, retail and service trades would be required.

More compact forms of development are located around the neighbourhood centres, possibly catering for ancillary businesses and smaller households.

The neighbourhoods will have two distinctly different characteristics by virtue of their context, position and local topography. The Rockshire Hill and Ferrybank East areas are conceived as more urban being closely linked to the existing city and in close proximity to existing residential and industrial development.
The second neighbourhood is envisaged as more of a village character, with the local centre arranged around a village green and square.

Part V of the Planning and Development Act 2000 (the Act) requires that housing strategies be drawn up by planning authorities and integrated into their development plans. The strategy is to have regard to the proper planning and sustainable development of an area and will be concerned with the overall supply of housing within the administrative area of the Local Authority.

1. It is an objective of the Council to implement the housing strategy contained in appendix A of the County Development Plan Vol.1.
2. The Council will require that 18.7% of the land zoned for residential use or for a mixture of residential and other uses be made available for the provision of social and affordable housing.

With the construction of the Waterford bypass and the down grading of the existing stretch of road between Slieverue and Rice Bridge the opportunity exists to enhance the environmental quality of this corridor. The development of new neighbourhoods in the eastern half of the study area will afford the opportunity to do this.
A central part of the strategy for the east of the study area is the preservation of the railway route through the area. In the longer term it is a central part of the action area plan that the route is reinstated as a commuter route.

Throughout the study area the Plan proposes a number of “green-ways”. The green - ways are pedestrian and cycle routes which will interlink new neighbourhoods. The majority of these routes will be used for leisure and recreation purposes and are intended to form the spine of the country park areas. A key green-way will be along the line of the disused railway route.

The following objectives are of priority along the existing N25.

• Frontage development facing onto the road.
• Creation of a tree lined avenue along the route;
• the designation of cycle lanes on either side of the road,
• The construction of controlled crossing points increasing pedestrian permeability on a north south axis.

Other transport objectives of the Council for the area include:

R1) To develop a roundabout at Belmount on the Ross Road and a local distributor road in order to serve proposed housing development lands at Belmont north and south of the N25. (R1 on the zoning objectives map)
R2) To realign the Mountain view Road to form a new junction with the Rockshire road and to cul de sac the cut off section of the Mountain View Road. (R2. on the zoning objectives map).
R3) Re instatement of the disused railway line through east of the study area as a commuter line
R4) To reserve a site for a park and ride facility.
R5) To establish a green - way along the line of the disused railway line. The green - way to be established alongside the railway line at the same level of the adjacent fields but not within the cutting.
R6) To support and facilitate the establishment of a new ferry link from the North quays to the City centre.
R7) To establish a park and ride facility which would be available for local people as well as Park and Ride customers.
R8) To provide a vehicular link across the railway line cutting between Belmount and Rathculliheen/Abbeylands.

In the longer term, as the Waterford suburbs develop, additional road infrastructure may be necessary. Along with other options the possibility of locating a relief road from Belview Port to the Rockshire road along the New Ross railway line will be investigated provided that existing and future transportation objectives for rail links and pedestrian and/or cycle links for the existing corridor are not compromised.

Kilmacow can be looked upon as two distinct villages Upper and Lower. The Upper and Lower sections are approximately one kilometre apart, each of which forms an independent built up village core. They are separated by farmland with a scatter of houses. Both village cores have remained essentially unchanged over the years except that many of Lower Kilmacow’s buildings have been abandoned whereas Upper Kilmacow has a more prosperous and cared for appearance.

To the north of Upper Kilmacow are the areas of recent housing development, which have been the basis of the village’s dynamic population growth. The recent housing developments have taken place in an unplanned manner almost completely unrelated to the village core or to any concept of urban development.

As part of the review of the 1994 County Development Plan a Kilmacow Village Plan has been prepared.

For detailed development objectives for Kilmacow the Kilmacow Village Plan amended draft 2002 should be consulted.

The village of Slieverue has a reasonably compact form. It also has a linear development of houses along adjacent roads. The village is physically delimited along its south-east to north east side by the by pass and has definable edges to both sides of its main street, with only the linear spread to the northern side creating a weak edge.

Immediately south-west of Slieverue is Milepost village, a small independent cluster which, like lower Kilmacow, is also in need of improvement.
Infill development around Milepost will assist in consolidating its existing village form. The cluster between Milepost village and Slieverue will be confined within the development limits shown in order to keep the expansion of the two villages physically and visually independent in the interests of retaining and enhancing compact village form and scale.

1. To ensure that future development within the Slieverue area is contained within the development limits set for Slieverue, Milepost village and ancillary housing areas as shown on Map 6.2.
2. To prepare a local area plan for Slieverue in a partnership and participatory manner with the local community during the period of the plan.
3. To have a good social mix in new residential developments providing a range of unit types/sizes
4. To ensure a high quality of building design and open space in all proposed housing, industrial, commercial and other developments and to preserve where possible existing hedgerows, trees and habitats.
5. That all developments within the village are of a high quality and use ecologically sustainable materials and construction details.
6. That all developments in the expression of form should relate to its context and scale.
7. To have a high quality of public lighting and dwelling houses in all developments appropriate to the area.
8. To ensure adequate amounts of recreational open space within all new developments.
9. To connect Slieverue to the proposed waste water treatment plant at Belview.

The Belview area is located approximately 3 miles from Waterford City. The Belview Portal and Industrial Area Action Plan was adopted in 1994, but reviewed in 1997-8. It has been reviewed again as part of the making of this County Development Plan. The Action Plan sets out all of the development strategy, policies and objectives of Kilkenny County Council for this area.

The port at Belview offers an opportunity for port related industrial development alongside it as well as offering scope for industrial development at a national strategic level. It is likely to become one of the most important ports nationwide and it could in combination with the proposed industrial area, develop into a significant employment centre for the whole south east region. The Belview area readily meets the requirements for strategic industrial development having locational advantages that include:

• Close proximity to a modern port
• Excellent transport links
• A planning framework which provides for development within an attractive agricultural and woodland setting
• Proximity to a major urban centre with established industries, an available workforce, third-level educational facilities and a full range of other industrial, commercial and social facilities
• Potential availability of water, waste water treatment, natural gas and industrial electricity supplies

It is a policy objective of the Council to seek the designation of Belview Port as a strategic Industrial Zone under the provisions of the Planning and Development Act 2000.

For a detailed appraisal of the Belview port area the Belview Action Area Plan 2002 which forms part of the County Development Plan should be consulted.

The rural areas have dispersed farms and houses, and other commercial, industrial and community uses, plus further suburban style linear road frontage housing developments most notably at Smartcastle and Drumdowney.
However, the unchecked spread of urban generated rural housing especially in linear road frontage development form, could totally change the appearance of the rural areas surrounding the city, as well as leading to water pollution problems and road traffic hazards.

The areas likely to come under pressure will require special policy measures to curtail the further spread of urban generated housing.
The rural housing policy detailed in Chapter 7 of the County Plan will apply for the control of housing in the rural areas of the Waterford Environs.

The Planning Department commissioned consultants to compile a retail study on Co. Kilkenny.
The retail policy adopted by Kilkenny County Council is set out in detail in Chapter 3 Vol.1 of the County Plan section 3.4.

Waterford City’s central shopping area acts as the major centre for a wide catchment population including the Environs area, which, although close to it, has only one bridge access across the river. The Environs area is poorly served by local and neighbourhood shopping outlets at present.

The Retail Planning Guidelines state that -
“Normally, the provision of additional centres (district centres) will be based on major growth in population or a clear proven level of existing underprovision.”

On the basis of the planned major growth in population in the Waterford City Environs and the lack of easily accessible quality retail floorspace north of Waterford City Centre, it is recommended that there is a need for a District Centre within Waterford City Environs. The RPGs state the following in respect of purpose built district centres:

“They are usually anchored by a large foodstore and contain a range of unit shops and non-retail service outlets (such as banks, post office or hairdressers).”
The lands zoned for housing in the County Development Plan in the Waterford City Environs will accommodate over 4,000 residential units bringing a population of some 12,000. At 1996, the area had a population of 1,615. The combined end population will be over 13,615 which will be nearly 20% of the planned 70,000 population of Waterford City. A total population of the size proposed requires a greater range of goods and services within close proximity than Neighbourhood Centres typically provide. The District Centre will reduce the need to travel to centres in Waterford City Centre and south of the city and this meets the RPGs test of ‘efficient, equitable and sustainable’. Of the potential locations the site on the N25 adjacent to Ferrybank East is the most central to the area with ready access to public transport and thus best meets this test.

The District Centre will be multi-functional to ensure a range of community needs are met within easy travelling distance by foot, bicycle, car and public transport.
It will provide both convenience and comparison floorspace with the greater balance being towards the former.
The maximum size of supermarket to be developed shall not exceed that permitted in the retail planning guidelines.
The amount of comparison floorspace to be provided shall be such that the greater balance of floorspace will be towards convenience with the actual amount of comparison floorspace subject to the outcome of a retail impact assessment and based on fulfilling local need.

The shopping policy is one, which aims to facilitate the provision of sufficient retail floorspace at suitable locations to serve the shopping needs of the Environs population.
It will also ensure that the locations and Floorspace sizes can be viable in modern commercial retail terms, and that they do not threaten the continued viability and strength of Waterford City centre.

The controlled expansion of retail facilities within the Environs will serve to enhance its attractiveness and convenience as an area within which to live and is intended to provide the catalyst to get people and investment to locate north of the River Suir.

The expansion of population within the Suburbs and to a lesser extent, Slieverue and Kilmacow, will make the provision of shopping outlets more commercially viable. New shops will in turn contribute to the creation of more vibrant village centres at Upper and Lower Kilmacow and Slieverue and will build up their role as neighbourhood/village facilities and again provide for convenience shopping.

a) To facilitate the development of a District Centre at Ferrybank East on the N25

b) To facilitate the expansion of retail facilities in the Environs area, provided the proposed shops are suitably located within the development limits of The Suburbs, Upper and Lower Kilmacow and Slieverue

c) To facilitate the provision of local neighbourhood shops at convenient locations within the housing development areas of The Suburbs

d) To facilitate the provision of shops within the village centres of Upper and Lower Kilmacow and Slieverue, whether by new build or premises conversion, providing that they are suitably sited and designed to respect the scale of existing building frontages

It is the policy of the Council to engage with Waterford Corporation, Waterford County Council and Wexford County Council in the preparation and adoption of a joint retail strategy for the greater Waterford area.