Nobber
1.0 Village Context and Character
Nobber is located in the north of County Meath along the R162 Regional route (Navan – Kingscourt Road). The village is approximately (8km to the north of Navan and 9.5km to the south of Kingscourt.
There is evidence of early bronze age settlements to the west of the village at Moynagh Lough, and the village dates from medieval times, as evidenced by high cross fragments and cross slabs in the grounds of St. John The Baptist Church CoI and Graveyard. Nobber continued to be place of importance in the 14th and 15th with its landmark Motte and Bailey to the north of the village. The development of attractive Georgian buildings occurred in the eighteenth century, including well executed townhouses, a Coach Inn, a Schoolhouse, a Police Station, a Post Office and a Church of Ireland Chapel. During the Victorian Period, existing buildings were later complemented by a Roman Catholic Church, a village hall and a railway platform, station and warehouse. The village is set in a drumlin landscape to the west, and rolling fields to the east towards Brittas Demesne. Development is contained to the west by the railway line. The resulting assembly of buildings and landscape setting, creates a very attractive environment, and legible village core, with a strong sense of place and identity.
Position in Settlement Hierarchy |
Village |
---|---|
2016 Population |
344 |
2011 Population |
357 |
Percentage Change 2011-2016 |
3.60% |
Housing stock 2016 |
152 |
Number of units completed 2016-2019 |
0 |
Committed units not yet built |
0 |
Core Strategy Household Allocation |
20 units |
Population Projection 2026 |
394 |
Education Facilities |
Nobber National School and O'Carolan College Secondary School |
Community Facilities |
8 |
Architectural Conservation Areas (ACAs) |
None |
Protected Structures |
39 |
Zone of Archaeological Potential |
There is a National Monument Service Zone of Archaeological Notification located in the central area of the settlement. |
Natura 2000 Sites |
The nearest Natura 2000 site is the River Boyne & River Blackwater SPA and SAC which is located approximately 12.3km to the south. |
Strategic Flood Risk Assessment |
Manage flood risk and development in line with approved policies and objectives as set out in Vol. 1 Chapter 6: Infrastructure. The E2 zoned lands must promote open space/water compatible use within Flood Zone A/B |
Water Services Infrastructure/Capacity |
Nobber Wastewater Treatment Plant- Limited spare capacity. Nobber Water Treatment Plant-Limited spare capacity. |
2.0 Vision
To define, consolidate and strengthen the commercial and residential village centre, and encourage development which will improve the historic character and urban structure of the village core, preserve, protect and enhance the quality of the village’s built and natural environment, while catering for the needs of all sections of the local community to ensure that the village develops in a sustainable manner, as an attractive place to live, work recreate and visit. Only natural/organic residential growth will be encouraged over the lifetime of the Development Plan in line with the Development Plan Core Strategy.
3.0 Opportunities
- Nobber benefits from sensitive medium density infill and backland development. There is potential for further consolidation and enhancement of the village core, through infill site, public realm improvements and enhanced permeability from new residential areas to the village core. This would enhance service demand within the village, to create a more sustainable settlement.
- There is also an opportunity to develop the significant tourist potential of the village, in the context of the historic sites within the village, and its location along the former Navan -Kingscourt Railway Line, a proposed Greenway.
4.0 Land Use Strategy
In order to facilitate the delivery of the vision for Nobber, a village strategy is proposed, which builds on the opportunities within the village. There are a number of key elements to the Strategy which seek to: reinforce the gateways to the village through public realm improvements and signage; to enhance the public realm of the village core; rationalizing pedestrian and parking areas; and, to create high quality finished space along the main street for residents and visitors to utilise. In addition, other elements of the Strategy include: consolidation of the historic core; integration of existing residential development with the new residential areas to the village centre; consolidation of the commercial core around the main street through the appropriate reuse of underutilised sites for commercial uses; and, to promote the tourism potential of the village including its environmental assets, its archaeological heritage, and its location along the proposed Greenway. The Strategy will ensure that the heritage of the village is protected through the sensitive protection of the setting of the Motte and Bailey at the entrance to the village from the Kingscourt Road, and to reflect the current recreational use of land in the proposed land use zoning.
4.1 Settlement and Housing
The village benefit from a variety of dwelling types with older terraced and semidetached houses that have been integrated with the village centre. There are two housing developments accessed off the Main Street, Bridge Park, to the western side and O’Carolan Park on the eastern side adjacent to the R.C. Church. Also, Cluain Beag is accessed off the Cregg Road, with pedestrian access to the village core, and Muff Crescent located off the Kingscourt Road, which is furthest from the village centre, but is connected by footpath. There has not been a substantial level of residential development aside from single dwellings in the villages existing development boundary in the past decade.
There is one potential new residential site zoned to the north east of the village to the rear of the R.C. Church and National School.
4.2 Economy and Employment
Nobber is identified as a level 4 retail centre in the County Retail Hierarchy. It has a range of retail services, including but not limited to a convenience store, butchers, pharmacy, hairdresser, bookmakers, restaurant, café, car dealership (relocated?) beauty salon, auction house, veterinary surgery, agricultural supply depot and two public houses.
There are currently a number of vacant properties and opportunities for consolidation of a retail function within the main street, through the reuse and adaptation of existing structures. This strategy also retains town centre uses along the main street, within the village main street to facilitate new commercial or mixed-use development. A site has been identified on the Navan road to accommodate employment uses, any development will require a design approach which is sensitive to the site constraints and heritage character of the village.
4.3 Water Services Infrastructure
Nobber is served by the following water services infrastructure:
Water: The village is supplied by the Nobber Water Treatment Plant. This plant has limited spare capacity, however, it is considered that there is sufficient capacity to facilitate the development and growth provided for in this County Devleopment Plan.
Wastewater: Nobber Wastewater Treatment Plant was upgraded in 2017. It is considered to have sufficient spare capacity to facilitate the development and growth provided for in County Devleopment Plan.
4.4 Movement
The regional route passing through the village of Nobber facilitates traffic, and specifically heavy good vehicles through the village. The expanse of the roadway, and lack of traffic calming, has resulted in a poor pedestrian and cyclist environment, dominated by cars and heavy goods. This strategy proposes environmental improvements to improve pedestrian and cyclist movement within the village core, and rationalisation of car parking areas adjoining commercial premises along with coherent public lighting within the village and along the approach roads connecting the community facilities to the village centre.
There are also good connections to the backlands between the main Street and the railway, these laneways are a particularly successful feature in Nobber, and they should be enhanced to improve the environmental quality, and to promote their use by pedestrian and cyclists. This typology should inform potential future backland development to the west of the village core.
This plan promotes the development of the Greenway along the former railway line, as an amenity for the community and to integrate with a wider network. It is recommended that the greenway should interconnect with the facilities within the village to enable the benefits of increased tourist activity to be enjoyed by the village as has been the case with the development of greenway infrastructure elsewhere.
In order to promote more sustainable travel, this plan will encourage the provision of improved bus service, and improved commuter facilities, including a designated bus stop and consideration of an appropriate shelter.
4.5 Cultural and Natural Heritage
Nobber benefits from a rich cultural heritage and has the potential to enhance this heritage through public realm improvements and reuse, adaptation and infill of the existing built form, including vernacular town houses, and also to maximize the tourist potential of its cultural and natural heritage. This strategy supports the creation of an identity for Nobber that reflects its rich cultural heritage, medieval past, and to connect with a potential tourist trail that could link Nobber to other towns and villages in the area.
4.6 Green Infrastructure
The landscape surrounding Nobber is characterised by elevated drumlins to the east, and rolling landscape to the west towards Brittas Demesne. Although the village and the surrounding environs hold environmental assets, none are designated at National or International level. The village does not contain, nor is it adjacent to any Natura 2000 sites. However, the River Dee which is in the International Neagh Bann River Basin District and drains to Dundalk Bay flows through the village. The River Dee is the most significant natural environmental feature in the village. Furthermore, there is a diversity of natural and semi-natural habitats in the Nobber environs including hedgerow, grassland, river and woodland habitats. There are also significant trees, stands of trees and hedgerows / stone walls which should be retained and incorporated, where possible into any development proposals. There are views worthy of protection across the landscape to the west of the village, and also towards the Motte and Baily, which setting should be protected.
4.7 Social Infrastructure
Nobber is well served by a range of established community facilities including a National School, a Secondary School, O’Carolan College, and a Montessori school. Nobber GFC is located adjacent to the secondary school, and a fire station, post office parochial hall and Garda station are all located in the village core, while a library and Health Centre are located to the north of the village off the Kingscourt Road. St John’s Church and of Ireland provides a cultural and community facility in the village core. Open space is provided in the form of the GAA grounds, and a commemorative park adjoining the Fire Station. The village would benefit from additional youth facilities and usable public open space. Community, Social and Recreational land uses have been retained in the land use strategy to facilitate potential additional facilities, adjoining the R.C Church, O’Carolan College, including the former secondary school, a protected structure.
4.8 Urban Design and Public Realm
This strategy promotes the enhancement of the entrance gateways to the village in the form of public realm improvements incorporating signage / branding for the village.
The village core is defined by the linear space in the village centre. Public realm improvements are proposed to enhance the environmental quality of this space, to include the provision of additional and improved pedestrian paths, public lighting and landscaping, incorporating cycleways as appropriate. Also, to rationalise pedestrian and parking areas and to create a high quality finished space along the main street linear space to make it a pedestrian friendly space for residents, and visitors to utilise.
This strategy promotes the creation of connections between existing communities and amenities, as part of consolidating exiting successful backland development, and to promote new backland sites that provide similar successful linkages.
The strategy also promotes the development of the former Railway line as a greenway, and potential connection between the various facilities within the village centre. A coordinated approach is encouraged, to incorporate a passively supervised pedestrian linkage between the north and south of the village.
5.0 Village Development Policies and Objectives
The Policies and Objectives set out below are in addition to those included in the Written Statement in Volume One of the County Development Plan. To avoid repetition Policies and Objectives have only been restated where they have particular relevance to the settlement. These Policies and Objectives should therefore be read in conjunction with the Policies and Objectives and Development Standards in Volume One of the County Development Plan.
Policy
It is a policy of the Council:
Settlement and Housing
NOB POL 1
Objectives
It is an objective of the Council:
Settlement and Housing
NOB OBJ 1
To secure the implementation of the Core Strategy of the County Development Plan, in so far as is practicable, by ensuring the household allocation for Nobber as set out in Table 2.11 of the Core Strategy is not exceeded.
NOB OBJ 2
To support and encourage residential development on under-utilised land and/or vacant lands including ‘infill’ and ‘brownfield’ sites, subject to a high standard of design and layout being achieved.
NOB OBJ 3
To encourage new residential development within the village centre, to complement and integrate with village centre, and where possible to connect to adjoining development, to create permeable backland development areas.
Economy and Employment
NOB OBJ 4
To promote the development of the former Railway line as a potential greenway tourism initiative, and to link Nobber with other towns and villages within that network.
Infrastructure
NOB OBJ 5
To liaise with and support Irish Water to endeavour to provide adequate water services to meet the development needs of the Village within the Plan period.
NOB OBJ 6
To man age flood risk and development in line with the Strategic Flood Risk Assessment. (Volume 5 Strategic Environmental Assessment, Appropriate Assessment and Strategic Flood Risk Assessment).
Movement
NOB OBJ 7
To encourage the development of interconnecting streets and lanes through new development areas, and new amenity walks within the village.
NOB OBJ 8
To enhance pedestrian and cyclist facilities through the rationalisation of parking areas, pedestrian zones and provision of cycle routes where appropriate.
NOB OBJ 9
To liaise with NTA to seek the provision of a dedicated bus stop and shelter at a suitable location to encourage more people to avail of public transport.
Cultural and Natural Heritage
NOB OBJ 10
To protect the setting of the Motte and Bailey at the entrance to the village, and the setting of the ecclesiastical complex of the former St. John’s Church of Ireland site, and the areas of land surrounding Nobber Bridge free from inappropriate development.
NOB OBJ 11
To support the conservation works to St. John’s Church of Ireland site and graveyard.
NOB OBJ 12
To support access, if appropriate, to the various sites of archaeological importance in Nobber, with the prior cooperation of the individual landowners and to integrate, where possible and if appropriate, sites of archaeological interest into walking trails in Nobber and/or into an interpretive display at the George Eogan Cultural Centre (former St. John’s Church of Ireland)
NOB OBJ 13
NOB OBJ 14
To support the development of linear walks interconnecting the amenities of the village.
NOB OBJ 15
To promote the preservation of individual trees or groups of trees as identified on the land use zoning map and to manage these trees in line with arboricultural best practice.
NOB OBJ 16
To protect views identified on the zoning map to the west of the village, and also towards the Motte and Baily, which setting should be protected.
Social
NOB OBJ 17
To support the development of community facilities and the adaptive reuse of existing structures for community use (where appropriate) for the residents of the village and surrounding areas.
Urban Design and Public Realm
NOB OBJ 18
To promote the enhancement of the entrance gateways to the village in the form of public realm improvement incorporating branding / signage for the village.
NOB OBJ 19
To promote public realm improvements to enhance the environmental quality of the linear village space, to include the provision of additional and improved pedestrian paths, public lighting and landscaping, incorporating cycleways as appropriate.
NOB OBJ 20
To ensure that all new development respects the scale, form and heritage character of the village.