Operating Environment, Sligo County Council - Comhairle Chontae Shligigh

General Context

More than anything else, it is change that characterises the operating environment of the Sligo Local Authorities at the present time. Most towns and villages throughout Sligo have undergone significant changes to the built environment together with demographic, social, cultural and economic changes. It is anticipated that significant further changes will occur during the life of this plan. Sligo Local Authorities are anxious to position themselves to meet these changes positively and to improve the quality of life of the people while securing the development of Sligo in a structured and orderly fashion.

Location

County Sligo is located in the province of Connaught, in the north-west region of Ireland encompassing a total land surface of 183,710 hectares, bordering the counties of Leitrim, Roscommon & Mayo and flanked to the west by about 200km of Atlantic coastline.

Landscape

The County is characterised by a varied natural landscape that includes spectacular limestone mountains, such as Benbulben and Benwiskin, other interesting upland terrain (e.g. the Ox and Bricklieve Mountains), numerous picturesque lakes (e.g. Loughs Arrow, Easkey, Gara, Glencar, Gill and Talt), enclosed farmland and a varied coastline, comprising low-lying cliffs, indented shoreline and sandy beaches. These topographical attributes combine to give Sligo a sublime landscape setting.

Heritage and Culture

Sligo possesses unique archaeological and historical remains with over 5,000 recorded archaeological sites dating back over 6,000 years, including the prehistoric sites of Carrowmore, Carrowkeel and Creevykeel. The beauty of the countryside coupled with a rich cultural and historical past has inspired musicians, artists and poets alike, including the Yeats family, St. Colmcille and the traditional Irish music of Michael Coleman. This has provided Sligo with strong international
recognition on which to base a thriving tourism industry.

Economic Context

Sligo serves as the administrative, commercial, service, health and educational centre for a large hinterland. It also acts as an important distribution centre in the northwest. Recent years have seen Sligo develop as a major industrial, commercial and residential centre supporting a Regional Airport, a railway terminus, a port, two expanding third-level colleges and a General Hospital. No other centre in the Northwest presents the same array of institutions and organisations, so asserting its regionally important role and function.

Important employment centres in industry that have developed in the County include Sligo City, Tubbercurry and Grange. Currently there are 47 companies located in four IDA business parks in County Sligo. Sligo City, with a critical mass of labour and skills, underpinned by its ease of access and availability of infrastructure and services, has developed as the key location for industry in County Sligo. Outside the City, agriculture remains an important part of the local economy, though its share of economic output and employment declines in proportional terms, while forestry, tourism and other rural-based economic activities emerge and continue to support the smaller towns and villages of the County.

Population

The 2002 Census recorded a population of 58,200 in County Sligo, including Sligo Borough. This represents an increase of 3,444 (6.2%) over the 1991 census figure, and 2,379 (4.26%) compared with 1996. Sligo Borough, as defined by its administrative boundaries, grew by 1.9% between1991-1996 and by 3.6% between 1996 and 2002. The town’s overspill development between 1996 and 2002 was reflected in significant growth within some electoral divisions (EDs) adjacent to, or within commuting distance of, Sligo Borough. The best example is Knockarea ED, which includes the satellite village of Strandhill and Sligo’s expansion along the Strandhill Road: the population of the ED grew by 38.6% between 1996 and 2002. More rural parts of County Sligo, i.e. the county area outside the borough, experienced a similar growth rate between 1991 and 1996 – 1.55%, but grew faster than the urban core between 1996 and 2002, gaining 4.5% in population.

Between 1991 and 2002, the population of rural areas in the central and northern parts of the county has risen consistently, while more western and southern parts of the county lost population. Certain EDs, such as Dromard East and Annagh, lost as much as 18% of their 1991 population. However, population growth over 10% was recorded in twenty-one EDs, six of them experiencing growth of over 15%. Overall, of a total of 79 rural EDs, 36 continually lost population from 1991 to 2002. Nevertheless, the pace of depopulation appears to have slowed down: between 1991 and 1996, 40 rural EDs lost population, but only 34 rural EDs underwent this process between 1996 and 2002. Many of the areas that have experienced population decline are also areas of extensive uplands and remoter rural areas of marginal agricultural value. Key issues that emerge from a review of population trends include:

The population of the County, including Sligo town, is growing, but at a rate that will have to be accelerated to achieve the critical mass for Sligo City outlined in the NSS.
The process of population decline is stabilising and reversing in many central and northern parts of the County, with substantial rates of increase in population being recorded in some areas adjacent to Sligo town.
Western parts of the County exhibit more persistent patterns of population stability or decline apart from the areas associated with particular towns, but the areas of most significant decline are generally the more mountainous and remote parts of the County.

Estimates of future population levels proposed in the draft development plan for County Sligo estimate that the population is likely to grow from 58,200 in the 2002 census to between 65,000 & 75,000 people by 2011. The Sligo City and Environs Plan suggests that the population of the borough and environs will need to increase from existing levels of approximately 18,500 to a level between 50,000 and 80,000 people over the next 20-30 years if the city is to achieve the critical mass required to realise the ambition to become a gateway city. Clearly, such increases in population will be a significant factor in the development of Sligo over the period of this plan and on into the future.

Industry & Employment

This table sets out the number of persons employed in County Sligo by industrial groups in census years 1991, 1996 & 2002.

Broad Industrial Group	1991 persons employed	1996 persons employed	2002 persons employed
Agriculture	3,568 (20%)	2,934 (15%)	1,935 (8%)
Industry	4,310 (24%)	5,339 (26%)	6,023 (25%)
Services	8,547 (48%)	10,021 (50%)	14,589 (61%)
Other Industries	1,567 (9%)	1,910 (9%)	1,387 (6%)
Total employed	17,992	20,204	23,927

This breakdown shows the growing importance of the services sector which increased from 48% to 61% of persons employed between 1991 & 2002. During the same period there was a 46% reduction in the number of persons employed in agriculture.

Infrastructure

Roads

The quality of the road network has significant economic implications in terms of attracting inward investment and has a bearing on the quality of life of the resident population and visitors. Sligo has a developing road infrastructure with significant improvements evident on a number of routes. Sligo local authorities work with the National Roads Authority to deliver our objectives for national routes. In co-operation with the Department of the Environment and Local Government the Council implements a planned approach to development on regional and local roads. The local authorities rely on funding allocations from central government to deliver their programme of work and maintain high standards on roads throughout the county.

Water & Waste Water

While the position relating to Sligo City is satisfactory, there are presently serious deficits in water and wastewater infrastructure throughout the county due to lack of investment over many years. The growth of towns and villages has placed additional demands on these services. Sligo County Council has identified these problems and a priority listing has been drawn up to deal with these deficits. It is the policy of the council to work with the private sector where possible to assist in the provision of this infrastructure

Electricity

In the past, the lack of a high voltage electricity supply in Sligo acted as a constraint to investment and employment by bulk energy users. However, this deficiency will be met by the provision of a new 220KV line from the existing Flagford 220KV station, near Carrick on Shannon to a new 220/110KV substation in East Sligo with associated 100KV line developments.

Natural Gas

The Government decided in 2001 that, in principle, the gas network should be extended to County Sligo from the Mayo-Galway transmission pipeline (from the Corrib gas field off the coast of Achill). This extension would require substantial grant aid and be subject to financial viability and the approval of the Commission for Energy Regulation. It is expected that this matter will be examined after 2006.

Regional Development

County Sligo qualifies for border status because of its proximity to Northern Ireland and the impact of conflict in the North on County Sligo. This designation enables Sligo to qualify for border related European financial development schemes and supports such as Interreg III and Peace II through the EU Programmes Body and the associated Intermediary Funding Bodies. Sligo, as part of the Border, Midlands and West Region, designated as an Objective One region, benefits from high levels of support and grant aid to develop its infrastructure and attract new industry. The BMW region has a number of key objectives in its Regional Operational Programme that will impact significantly on Sligo – including:

increasing the potential of the Region and pursue more balanced growth,
improving the quality of the regions economic and social infrastructure and its human resources,
building on the Region’s natural resource bases,
promoting rural and urban social inclusion.