01. Newcasle West Local Area Plan ( pdf file - 3593 kb in size)

NEWCASTLE WEST Local Area Plan 20082.1 Location2.3 FunctionNewcastle West is located 43.6 kilometres southwest ofLimerick City on the N21 National Limerick - Killarney Road,which is the main tourist and traffic route serving thesouthwest (refer Figure 2). Regional roads extendnorthwards to Ardagh and Foynes (R521), eastwards toBallingarry (R520), and southwards to Dromcolliher (R522).2.2 Physical SettingNewcastle West occupies a relatively flat plain within a largeagricultural hinterland. The foothills of the MullaghreirkMountains lie approximately 8km to the south. The mainroads through the town converge on the Square, whichforms a focal point with its fine architectural structures and16 th century Desmond Castle Complex at the south end.The extensive Castle Demesne (29.45ha), a public park inCouncil ownership, adjoins the western edge of the Square.The River Arra, the Castle Demesne, and the Square with itsradiating traditional streets, are all distinctive elements thatcontribute to the special character of the town.Newcastle West is the County Town and the largestsettlement in County Limerick. It is defined in the LimerickCounty Development Plan Settlement Strategy (2005) as aKey Service Centre for West Limerick, given the range oflocal commercial and community services, and the transportlinkages to the Limerick / Shannon gateway and through toCounty Kerry.The considerable range of shopping, amenity, cultural andeducational facilities, together with local employmentopportunities, has established Newcastle West’s position asthe Key Service Centre for West Limerick. The high levels ofaccessibility to Limerick and County Kerry provided by theN21 has further enhanced the attraction of the town as aconvenient place to live. But this has in turn led to increasingconcerns in relation to traffic congestion through NewcastleWest and the urgent need for a National Route Bypass, aswell as the consideration of alternative distributor roadlinkages to enable the continued expansion of the town.The rapid growth of Newcastle West has made the provisionof retail, employment and community facilities of particularimportance.Figure 2: Newcastle West LocationOrdinance Survey Ireland: Discovery Series Map 64Section 2: TOWN CONTEXT7