Did you know that……?
According to Census 2011 average household size in Co. Kilkenny is 2.8 persons per household. This is greater than the National household size of 2.7.
The average age in County Kilkenny is 37.3
years compared with 36.1 years for the State.
Census 2011 results show that Ireland’s population has continued to grow strongly since 2006, increasing by 348,404 persons to 4,588,252 persons. This represents an increase of 8.2% over the 5 year intercensal period. At a County level the population increased by 8.98 % to 95,419 persons, which was an increase of 7,861 over the same period .
The changing demographic profile of the County is illustrated on the chart above. The population has increased in all age cohorts except age group 15-24. This decrease was due to the decline in births in the late 1980’s and early 1990’s combined with the effects of migration, particularly on those in their mid-twenties. On the one hand while the graph may illustrate an ageing profile it is notable that persons in the 0-14 age cohorts has also increased. This has implications for the type of services required presently and in future years e.g. in terms of demand for school places, health services and employment opportunities and one which we will address in the new Development Plan 2014-2020.
The Regional Planning Guidelines for the South East (2010) project that Kilkenny will achieve a population of approx. 109,600 by 2020. That means an additional 14,000 people from the 2011 Census figure. The new Development Plan will guide where this population growth should go.
Questions:
How can the housing needs of all groups in our county be adequately catered for including: disabled, students, older people, travellers, homeless etc?
What, if any, particular pressures have you experienced as a result of growth in the County, how can these be addressed?
How can we ensure that we build communities and not just houses?
