Banbridge / Newry and Mourne Area Plan 2015
District Proposals: Dromore Settlement

The settlement development limit is designated to take account of the town's role as a local hub while protecting its natural setting. It has been drawn to generally consolidate the form of the town while allowing some urban expansion on the southern side of the town adjacent to the bypass.

The opportunity for outward expansion is constrained in many locations by topographic and environmental factors including high quality landscape along the river valley and elevated land associated with the town's drumlin landscape setting. The settlement development limit has therefore recognised the important contribution of these elements to the setting of the town, helping to curtail urban sprawl into the countryside.

The settlement development limit maximises the use of existing land within the urban footprint of the town. There is a substantial amount of under-utilised and previously developed land within the previous limit of development. This extensive resource of 'brownfield' land has significantly reduced the need for urban expansion onto greenfield sites.