A significant three-year community development plan has just been launched for Shannon town. The Shannon Community Development Plan (2022-2024) is an initiative of the Love Shannon Community Council and is the outcome of nine-months work that involved a group of local volunteers leading the planning process on behalf of the community.
“We are delighted to be at the point of launching our community plan for Shannon,” said Derek Clune, chairperson of the Love Shannon Community Council. “This is a plan for Shannon created by local volunteers who are passionate about the town. We are all extremely proud of Shannon and, through this plan, we want to contribute to the further development of our community.”
The Shannon planning process was supported by the Clare LEADER Programme under the management of Clare Local Development Company (CLDC). CLDC provided a planning facilitator to the community to assist in the development of the plan. A central feature of the project involved consulting with the community in Shannon. “Late last year we issued a communitywide survey to identify the main concerns and interests of people living, studying and working in the town,” explained Derek. “Over 2,000 people replied to our survey and their feedback provides the mandate for our plan. The plan is our best effort as a voluntary group to respond to the issues raised in that survey.”
The plan sets out to enhance the development of Shannon – socially, economically, culturally, environmentally. Actions included in the plan fall under three core pillars: maximising the potential of existing community facilities, and creating new facilities, for the benefit of Shannon; celebrating and promoting Shannon town as a great place to live, work and visit; and lobbying with relevant State Agencies to ensure that Shannon has the resources and services necessary for a town of its size and population.
“Our plan is ambitious but realistic,” highlighted Niamh O’ Callaghan of Love Shannon Community Council. “A key development of the plan is the emergence of an acting community council for Shannon, something we’ve been missing in the town for many years. A key target of this plan is to invite other community groups and associations to come in under this umbrella structure.”
Both Derek and Niamh are quick to point out that, as a plan for Shannon, its success will be reliant on voluntary input by residents from across the community. Derek noted: “A key challenge in developing any local plan is having people available to make things happen. Love Shannon Community Council will work tirelessly to get the plan off the ground, to get funding as required and oversee all elements of the plan. But we need people to come forward and help us make it a reality.”
Full details of the Shannon Community Development Plan (2022-2024) are available on https://loveshannon.ie/comdevplan while hard copies are also available at Shannon Library. Those interested in getting more information on the plan and in getting involved are invited to contact
Love Shannon Community council through the contact section of its website https://loveshannon.ie/contact
