2.0 Analysis of Existing Situation

2.1 Spatial Structure / Population Scale

Sligo City and Environs encompasses part of the five Electoral Divisions (EDs) adjoining Sligo Borough, an area covered by the Sligo and Environs Development Plan 2004-2010, which has a population of 19,402.

In brief:

• over 40,000 persons (circa 66% of the County’s population) live in Sligo City and EDs within 10 miles of it.
• substantial population growth in the city is projected, following construction/completion of residential developments permitted since 2004 (the year when Sligo and Environs Development Plan became operational) – approximately 500 apartments were permitted in the city centre area since 2004.

In 2002, there were 38,780 people living in the Borough and the 29 County Sligo Electoral Divisions within 10 miles of the city centre. In 2006, the population of the same area grew to 40,011, which represents 65.73% of the total County population.

Sligo Local Authorities have planned for the growth of the city. The growth strategy formulated in the Sligo and Environs Development Plan 2004-2010 (SEDP) was subsequently strengthened by the Settlement Strategy outlined in Sligo County Development Plan 2005-2011 (CDP).

The Settlement Strategy is based on three principles:

1. the promotion and development of Sligo as a Gateway City, aiming to achieve a substantial population increase in the town and its Environs – the “critical mass” necessary to support the widest range of infrastructural, cultural and community facilities.
2. careful growth management of the Sligo Sub-Region, which is the immediate commuter belt, a rural area under strong urban influence, home to Sligo City’s main satellite settlements – Ballysadare, Collooney, Rosses Point and Strandhill.
3. the development of three Key Support Towns – Ballymote, Enniscrone and Tobercurry – to serve the County’s rural areas by providing essential services and sustaining the rural economy.

In addition to the physical growth framework, the CDP formulated several complementary strategies and schemes, of which a significant one is the Housing Strategy that ensures that up to 6,446 households (formed after 2004) can be accommodated within the development limit set by SEDP – there are 458 hectares of land zoned for residential development in Sligo and its Environs.

The SEDP and the CDP provided a strategic framework for the joint development of the city and county. The detailed implementation of this framework is being achieved through the preparation of local area plans, masterplans or site development briefs including the Centre Block Masterplan, the Courthouse Urban Design Framework, the Cultural Quarter Masterplan, Quay Street, Lungy, Stephen Street and Sligo Docklands.

In 2004, Sligo Local Authorities adopted Hazelwood-Ballinode Local Area Plan, the first in a series of such documents. The lands zoned for housing under this Plan have the capacity to host up to 2,800 new homes, catering for circa 7,100 residents.

Similar plans will be prepared for the Cranmore-Cleveragh, Caltragh-Carrowroe, North Fringe and the Docklands. The development of existing greenfield areas will create a “spare capacity” of 27,800 residents within the City and Environs.

Each plan will set out a detailed framework for integrating housing with commercial, community and recreational facilities, business/enterprise parks, transport networks, pedestrian/cycle routes and the green structure of Sligo and Environs. This approach will provide for the consolidation of existing underutilised spaces and provide for more private housing.

Regeneration or redevelopment is also envisaged for a vast number of sites/areas of varying sizes, including the Docklands portion located immediately to the west/north-west of the Inner Relief Road (N4/N15) and Cranmore. The Cranmore Regeneration Project aims to completely transform what is the largest housing estate in Sligo and the North-West. The mission statement of the Cranmore Regeneration Project is “to transform the social, economic and physical landscape of Cranmore through long term strategic planning and investment of resources. The goal is to create a brighter future for the Cranmore Community through the process of urban regeneration”.

- Sligo - A Gateway City - The Vision

- Sligo and Environs Population

2.2 Economic and Labour Market Performance

Sligo serves as an administrative, employment, commercial, health, tourist, cultural, educational and distribution centre for the region. Employment in the Professional, Technical and Health areas represents 18%. Sligo is a manufacturing centre of considerable importance particularly in the tool-making industry. IDA Ireland has over 15 Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) companies of varying size, and Enterprise Ireland has over 50 companies located in Sligo City and Environs.

Two IDA business parks are located at Finisklin and Cleveragh, accommodating primarily knowledge-based industries and small engineering companies. The pharmaceutical industry within Sligo is significant with several companies producing goods for this sector, most notably Abbott (Ireland) Ltd. which is the largest private-sector employer in Sligo. In addition to the IDA business parks, Sligo has a number of private retail and industrial parks. In the City and Environs area there are three Community Enterprise Centres providing 44 office and manufacturing units and one Business Innovation Centre (BIC) providing 32 office, 20 hot-desk and 4 lab/workspaces for high-tech manufacturing businesses. The BIC (based in IT Sligo) specifically targets research companies carrying out applied research and developing products and concepts, as well
as entrepreneurs starting a new venture, or businesses who by their nature are closely associated with the Institute. These centres are a hub of enterprise and innovation not only providing accommodation for start-up and existing businesses, but also the expertise and training opportunities to grow and develop in a supportive environment.

The city has an important role for retail provision. The commercial centre is regionally significant, particularly in comparison goods shopping. The commercial area serves a large hinterland.

Sligo General Hospital establishes the city as an important regional centre in terms of healthcare. Extensive medical and specialist facilities are available at the 300+ beds Regional Hospital, which also include a training school for nursing.

An analysis of Sligo’s workforce in terms of the employment sectors, coupled with people’s educational attainment,
indicates that:

• There is considerable scope for improving the high-technology and professional skills base.
• The traditional strengths in the manufacturing areas need to be diversified.
• Increasing the capacity for learning, innovation and fl exibility and retraining is vital to sustaining and extending progress made in the past.

In support of the strategic approach being taken to achieve critical mass and deliver hard and soft infrastructure, Sligo County Development Board are preparing an Enterprise Strategy which will bolster the economic development and employment creation potential of Sligo.

- Consolidation of the City and Environs

2.3 Infrastructure and Connectivity

Sligo functions as the major transportation node in the North-West. The city is strategically located at the end of the National Primary Route N4 connecting with Dublin, via Mullingar and Longford. Other primary and secondary routes connect Sligo with Belfast, Galway, Enniskillen, Donegal, Letterkenny, Derry and other major centres within the region. Sligo also functions as the major rail and bus distributor centre for the North-West Region and has a regional airport five miles from the city centre; all important infrastructural elements in any future growth of the city.

The Inner Relief Road (N4/N15) continues to be the main artery for north-south traffic unless/until such time as a Western By-Pass is constructed. The next challenge will be to transform this busy road into an urban boulevard by softening its edges and connecting the town core with the Docklands area via pedestrian-friendly crossings and foot bridges.

Currently there are no significant North-South Linkages across the River Garvoge to the east of Sligo City Centre. The River Garvoge and Lough Gill system, despite having environmental and tourism significance, act as a barrier to communication and linkages between the areas to the north and south on the eastern side of Sligo City Centre. There is a need to open up access by road to large tracts of new housing, commercial and employment-related lands and to accelerate urban development including the Eastern and Western Distributor routes and the associated Eastern Bridge. This will improve connectivity between businesses on a north-south axis.

Sligo and Environs Development Plan 2004-2010 provides for the delivery of transport infrastructure through the Transport and Land Use Strategy, expressed as the zoning of 2,150 hectares of land for various types of development, in association with a traffic/circulation structure that includes route reservations for:

• the Inner Relief Road (opened in 2005)
• the Western Distributor Road
• the Eastern Garvoge Bridge and associated roads
• the realignment of the N15 north of Sligo City to the County boundary
• the realignment of the N16
• a Western by-Pass

The existing enhancements along Rockwood Parade, Waterlane and Tobergal Lane have provided pedestrian links to O’Connell Street, the main street in the city. However, the heavy vehicular flow from south to north through O’Connell Street created a traffic-dominated barrier to pedestrian flows between the river, the existing city core and the proposed Wine Street Centre Block developments. The closure of O’Connell Street to vehicular traffic, which took place in 2006, now provides the key to delivering high-quality, inner-urban traffic-calmed environment, a pedestrian prioritized precinct where the balance of retail shopping, recreational amenity and human exchange can take place in a safe, sustainable and accessible way.

As part of consolidating and enhancing the centre of Sligo, certain areas – which will be linked by pedestrian routes – have been designated for specific urban functions such as:

• a Central Square within Centre Block defined by Wine Street, Adelaide Street, John Street and O’Connell Street.
• a Cultural Quarter on the north side, with strong connections to the town core and the river.
• a series of public squares along the river, two of them replacing the car parks at Stephen Street and Quay Street.

In support of the above, SEDP includes provision for a traffic management/car parking strategy and a number of pedestrianisation schemes, with the common objective of discouraging or even eliminating vehicular traffic from the town centre.

- Growth potential under current development zoning

- Land use and transportation structure

2.4 Education and Skills Base

The location of an Institute of Technology in Sligo gives the town a regional educational role. The campus has a student population in excess of 5000 and has the capacity for 6500. The Institute offers undergraduate diplomas and degrees, and postgraduate Masters and PhD’s. St Angela’s College is a College of NUI Galway. Founded as a Training College for Teachers for Home Economics, St. Angela’s has expanded its education services far beyond that original remit. Today it provides a range of both full-time and part-time academic programmes at Certificate, Diploma, Degree and Masters level in Education, Food, Textiles, Fashion and Design, Nursing and Economic and Social Studies. In more recent times, the College has strengthened its links to industry with the establishment of a Food Product Development Centre to respond to the needs of food businesses in the North-West by providing innovative and cost-competitive product offerings on a contract basis for its clients. FÁS, the National Employment and Training Authority, has a Regional Training Centre providing apprentice and advanced industrial commercial skills programmes to meet the needs of employers and employees alike. Sligo is also the location of a regional Rehabilitation Training Centre.

According to the 2006 Census, 7,557 persons aged 15 and over in Sligo (both rural and urban areas) are still in education. Of that total, 5,433 are in school and university, of which 2,245 are from the Sligo town area and 3,188 from Sligo rural area. The remaining 2,124 are in other types of education. The percentage of secondary school students that go on to third level education in Sligo is 4.3% above the national average; this highlights the importance of attracting professional-related industries to the area, so as to retain graduates. With the capacity of the third-level sector in the city, Sligo has the ability to provide the workforce for many diverse industries.

Existing and planned major transit routes

2.5 Summary of Strengths and Weaknesses

Strengths

• Sligo’s strategic location.
• High quality of life.
• Sligo is a regional capital with regional services and a good support infrastructure.
• Existing strong base of service industries and regional facilities.
• Attractive hinterland which offers scope for development of high-amenity environment.
• Strong platform for development through the Sligo and Environs Development Plan.
• Local Authorities within Sligo have made provision for substantial development of the urban system formed by Sligo City, its fast-growing Environs and satellites.
• High level of co-operation and integration between Local Authorities.
• Strong commitment to deliver potential under Gateway designation.
• Sligo has a quality educational infrastructure including the Institute of Technology and St. Angela’s, which privides a highly educated workforce.
• With the capacity of the third-level sector in the city Sligo has the ability to provide the workforce for many diverse industry types.
• Sligo has considerable potential to establish ‘Centres of Excellence’ for culture, heritage, tourism and green business.
• Strong economic foundations.
• Good working relationships between the Local Authorities, agencies and the private sector.
• Strong focus on developing enterprise in the city with the development of an Enterprise Strategy by Sligo CDB.
• Strong cultural and heritage tradition.

Weaknesses

• Sligo is in a peripheral location.
• Sligo is the smallest of “stand alone” Gateways.
• Insufficient infrastructure including road, rail, air and power Infrastructure.
• Cultural and recreational infrastructure lacking.
• Traffic congestion in urban core.
• “Brain drain” from Sligo to Dublin and other relatively more affluent centres.
• Relatively low levels of research and development in the Industrial sector.
• Proximity to the Border has curtailed growth and expansion.
• Decline of traditional industries.
• High levels of local authority housing at 34%.
• Level of local development contributions are limited due to weak local housing market.

- Connectivity: The Strategic Context