By Dan Walsh
Courtown Community Council will shortly commence a survey to gather the views of the community on the future investment and development of Courtown, Riverchapel and surrounding areas.
The Council will put to good use all of the information gathered to help develop the Courtown Smart Village Strategy.
According to the European Commission, “Smart Villages are rural areas and communities which build on their existing strengths and assets as well as on developing new opportunities”, where “traditional and new networks and services are enhanced by means of digital, telecommunications, technologies, innovation and the better use of knowledge”.
Members of Courtown Community Council engaged in training which was facilitated by the LEADER programme 2014–2020 to learn about the Smart Village Strategy with the aim of developing a strategy for the coastal area.
Linda Sinnott from Courtown Community Council told WexfordLocal.com; “It is vital that all members of the community take the opportunity to feed into the development of this Strategy as we hope it will serve as the blueprint for future investment and development of our local area.”
Some of the topics that aim to address through the Smart Village Plan include service provision gaps; key investment projects; transport, environmental projects and challenges; enterprise opportunities and challenges.
The public consultation will launch in the coming weeks and Courtown Community Council looks to the people to “take a few minutes to share your views with us on the future of Courtown and Riverchapel,”
Timelines include; September: Draft survey for general public, organise logistics for public meetings, advertise public meetings and launch survey.
October: Host public meetings, close survey. Begin analysis.
November: Develop recommendations.
The key people the Council want to consult with?
● Long term residents
● Holiday home/mobile home residents
● Business owners
● Community groups
● Education providers – school and Courtown LTI.
WexfordLocal.com 