Bere Island Conservation Plan - The Heritage Council

5. PROPOSED PRINCIPAL POLICIES
AND STRATEGIES
The principal policies and strategies which should be adopted in order to
achieve a future for the island as envisaged by the Bere Island Community are
presented here. Where possible, they are divided into the various elements of
that vision. As the elements are inter-linked, however, the division of policies and
strategies is not always clear-cut. This section should therefore be read as a
whole.
In addition, the management strategies proposed under the Bantry Bay Coastal
Zone Charter should be applied on the island where appropriate.
5.1 VISION 4: THE COMMUNITY HAS INFLUENCE OVER
WHAT DEVELOPMENTS TAKE PLACE
The most important aspect in achieving the aims of this Conservation Plan is
that the community must have a say in any development which takes place on
the island, ensuring that it is in line with their vision for the island.
5.1.1 P ROPOSED P OLICIES
1. Any future development on the island will be consistent with the Islanders’
Vision as documented in the Conservation Plan. It will:
• be sustainable
• build on (traditional/existing) island skills, if possible
• provide satisfactory work opportunities for the islanders
• not conflict with the current island culture or way of life
• not harm the island’s environment or the surrounding environment
5.1.2 P ROPOSED M ANAGEMENT S TRATEGIES
1. An Island Representative Body/Island Council which represents all interests on
the island should be formed. With members drawn from the island population,
such a council will direct/promote sustainable development on behalf of the
island as a whole and would be consulted about any proposed development by
individual developers/proposers. (See 6.1.2)
2. Cork County Council should be lobbied to adopt policies in their Local Area
Plan which have been documented in this Conservation Plan. (Local Area Plans
are to be carried out in each electoral area, with work commencing on them
within two years of the completion of the County Development Plan.)
3. A Life-cycle Analysis of any proposed development or grant application should
be carried out by the developer/proposer. Such analyses should use Figure 2
(‘Framework for assessing the sustainability of new development projects’, page 35)
and Appendix 9, and should then be presented to the proposed Island Council
for consideration. Each analysis should include an economic assessment of the
proposal as well as a social and environmental assessment, thus ensuring the
economic, social and environmental sustainability of the proposal.
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