Page 3 - Donegal CC An Rpt 19

Foreword
We are delighted to present Donegal County Council’s Annual Report for 2019 which highlights the significant advances made by the Council over the course of the year and the many improvements that benefit everyone.
In the area of Tourism the year saw the completion of the Council’s flagship tourism projects in Sliabh
Liag and Malin Head. At Sliabh Liag, the highest accessible sea cliffs in Europe and one of the most iconic points along the Wild Atlantic Way, a visitor centre/transport hub was opened in May. These essential facilities will undoubtedly enhance the visitor experience at the cliffs. Work on the development of a visitor management plan for Malin Head was ongoing in 2019. This coupled with the development of the Greenways and various local amenity projects will further improve what our County has to offer. A website www.govisitdonegal.ie was also launched during the year.
Work continued during the year on the Local Area Plan for Letterkenny which is designated a Regional Growth Centre alongside Derry City and Strabane region. A new Regeneration and Development Team was set up within the Council with the initial priorities of further developing Letterkenny and other strategic towns in the County. In tandem with this a new Economic Development Unit was established with the primary aim of driving employment creation.
In relation to roads infrastructure, the Ten-T project which comprises of three sections: Ballybofey / Stranorlar, Letterkenny to Manorcunningham and Manorcunningham to Lifford / Strabane / A5, remains the most important infrastructure project in the County. The project was advanced further in terms of design and route selection in 2019. Work continued on the section of the N56 Dungloe to Glenties project and the section of the road between Letterkenny and Kilmacrennan was completed.
The Council continues to work with Irish Water on the maintenance and improvement of water services in Donegal. Significant investment continued in 2019 which included the commissioning of a new Treatment Plant for Creeslough. Works were also ongoing at a new Treatment plant for the Letterkenny region and also in the Crolly/Frosses region.
A Climate Change Adaptation Strategy 2019-2024 was adopted in September 2019 which sets out how Donegal County Council will lead the journey to a climate ready Donegal and work to reduce our exposure to climate risks and capture new opportunities. This Strategy sets out over 100 actions to be taken as part of our commitment to tackle climate change.
Our Housing section continued to make significant progress on the delivery of Social Housing in the County. A total of 122 Social Homes were completed in 2019 and a further 114 commenced construction. Planning for future years is ongoing.
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