What is a Smart Village?
Smart Villages are communities that use innovative solutions to improve their resilience, building on local strengths and opportunities.
Courtown Community Council and Riverchapel Community Complex Trustees jointly completed a 7-weeks long Smart Village course together. The course was supported by Wexford Local Development and delivered by an expert in Rural Development, Ian Dempsey. We are creating a Smart Village Strategic Plan (SVSP) that involves the entire community, works close to nature, and follows Local, National, and EU Strategic Plans.
How Do You Imagine the Courtown Riverchapel Area in 5 years' time?
Is the community thriving, are the businesses booming? Are your kids running around in rich natural spaces and swimming in clean rivers and coasts? Are tourists flocking to our beautiful coastal home at every opportunity to make their own memories and support our Local Economy? Maybe you see it a whole other way, and we'd love to hear your views.
This Smart Village Strategic Plan is created by the people, for the people, for a sustainable future.
Our Three Pillars for a Wholistic, Sustainable Strategic Plan
Environment
Courtown's Natural Heritage and outdoor public spaces are some of the area's greatest assets. They allow residents and visitors to engage in healthy, outdoor activities, free of charge, with beautiful vistas of Courtown Woods, the Ounavarra River and out into the Irish Sea. Utilising Smart Village Strategy, we can protect these public assets to drive tourism and grow our local businesses in a sustainable, locally sensitive fashion.
Community
We have a rich cultural heritage and many caring members. However, our community has changed significantly over the past decade, and the increased residential population hasn't been matched with improvements to essential physical and social infrastructure. This Smart Village Plan will highlight the community's needs and offer opportunities to improve local wellbeing and sense of community.
Economy
Our local economy has undergone many changes and evolutions over the past few decades. We've may have lost the Ballroom, the Bayview, and the Beach, but we still have a rich, local economic fabric, with unique and attractive businesses that are all working to provide culture and service in our local area. Driven by on-the-ground, local knowledge, this Strategic Plan will set a platform to encourage beneficial business, infrastructure and services to our area.