Welcome to Bridgend, the ‘strategic town’ where no new homes can be built

A vision for the short and medium term development in the Border village of Bridgend is taking shape with a second round of public consultation now under way on its local area plan.
With a population of just 373 people, Bridgend is by far the smallest of Donegal’s six strategic towns - the others being Ballyshannon, Carndonagh, Donegal Town, Dungloe and Killybegs - to benefit from modification of the Donegal County Development Plan 2024-30.
Its designation as a strategic settlement is driven not by size, but by its location adjacent to the fourth largest city on the island. As a gateway to Derry, and positioned at the junction of the Letterkenny-Derry and Buncrana-Derry roads, more than 19,000 vehicles pass through the village each day, giving it a particular strategic importance.
However, uniquely among Donegal's six strategic towns, there is no capacity for new housing development in Bridgend. The local area plan identifies the lack of spare capacity at the already overloaded Bridgend wastewater treatment plant as a ‘key constraint’ preventing the construction of any new homes.
By contrast, housing zoning across the other five strategic towns allows for the delivery of approximately 2,000 new homes, ranging from 230 units in Killybegs to more than 800 in Donegal Town.
Uisce Éireann has no plans to upgrade the Bridgend wastewater treatment plant, either to increase capacity or to address persistent odour issues associated with the facility. A review of Uisce Éireann's five year investment plan, where it lays out the towns and villages where it intends to prioritise wastewater plant upgrades, is currently open for public consultation on the Commission for Utility Regulation website. 

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With no scope for new housing, the Bridgend local area plan instead focuses on strengthening the village core, improving transport connectivity and enhancing community life.
The plan emphasises the importance of compact, mixed-use development to support local businesses and community activity. Vacant and derelict buildings are identified as priorities for sensitive refurbishment and reuse, while Main Street - the N13 from the roundabout to the border - is earmarked for significant public realm improvements, including enhanced landscaping and place-making measures. New development will be expected to sit close to the street edge, maximise frontage and adopt a high-density, fine-grain design approach to reinforce the village’s character.
Transport and mobility form a central pillar of the plan. Support is expressed for the proposed TEN-T N13 road improvement project, which will involve a dual-carriageway bypass of the village from near the 19th Bar to the border.
The plan also references a future Derry-Letterkenny rail link - a long-shot idea appended to the All-Island Strategic Rail Review- and calls for a feasibility study on a railway station in the village, which last saw a train pass through 70 years ago. If indeed the line ever materialises, it will do well to see trains running by 2053, the centenary of the closure of the Lough Swilly railway.
Active travel is given strong emphasis, with proposals for new cycle lanes where feasible, additional bicycle parking and delivery of the Bridgend to Buncrana/Newtown greenway. Further measures include new footpaths, pedestrian crossings, traffic-calming interventions and the designation of a school zone to improve safety and accessibility.
Community amenities also feature prominently, with the plan supporting the development of a new public park for the village to include a central green space, high-quality landscaping, pedestrian access, a playground and facilities for ball and field sports.
Three ‘opportunity sites’ are identified for light industrial, commercial or tourism-related development, subject to road access improvements and the provision of wastewater treatment solutions built and paid for by the developers themselves.

The Bridgend local area plan is a variation of the County Donegal Development Plan 2024-30, with the village one of six strategic towns to receive a distinct, tailored plan. An initial round of public consultation was held last February, and the current draft has been informed by feedback received during that process.

A public drop-in information event will take place at St Aengus National School on Tuesday, 27 January, from 4pm to 8pm, where local authority staff will be available to discuss all aspects of the plan.

Plan documents are available on the consult.donegal.ie website, as well as at council offices and the local library. The public consultation period closes on 13 February.