Regional strategy (RSES) · Northern and Western Region
Regional Spatial and Economic Strategy 2020–2032
The regional strategy for the Northern and Western Region, including the Galway Metropolitan Area Strategic Plan.
Northern and Western Regional Assembly · January 2020 · 320 pages
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- The future of ICT in Ireland will be built around ‘third platform’ technologies, these include cloud computing, mobile devices and technologies, the Internet of Things (IoT), big data analytics, social technologies, artificial intelligence (AI), robotics, augmented reality, 3D printing and cybersecurity. The totality of the above will result in significant increases in the number of users, the number of devices and the number of applications. Cloud computing, Big Data Analytics, the IoT and cybersecurity are each distinct areas of ICT. They are however inter-connected and expansion or development in one area often triggers a response/ reaction in the others to maintain complementarity. They are and will continue to be part of the commercial infrastructure of nearly all companies and businesses and their continued good health in ICT terms is a pre-requisite for business confidence. The ICT sector is pivotal in growing a smart region and is pivotal in growing an entrepreneurial region. ICT prospers on ideas more than anything else and in this arena, education is the key ingredient. Nationally we are aware of this and the STEM program and bonus points in maths at second level are stimulants which ultimately provide an opportunity for more students to take on the challenge of studying science, engineering and technology careers. At third-level, there is a concerted effort to increase the number and quality of skilled people by offering conversion courses that will lead to formal ICT qualifications. This is ongoing, and its impacts will come to fruition in the coming years. To maximise the creation of ICT jobs throughout the region, the delivery and reach of the national broadband scheme (NBS) is key. In tandem with the above will be the development of the education system to facilitate upskilling and primary expertise. This could be achieved with targeted intervention for existing employees and the existence of a technological university for new entrants. CASE STUDY PRAMERICA IN DONEGAL In 2017, Pramerica opened a new €42m Campus at Lisnennan, Letterkenny. The company has had a presence in Ireland since 2000, starting off with eight staff, growing substantially over the last two decades, where it is now the largest employer in the North West with almost 1,600 employees. The company has shown how global companies can be scaled at a regional level, with the support of the IDA. Pramerica has recently set up outreach campus’s in Gaoth Dobhair and Buncrana, allowing some of their staff from the wider North Donegal area to work closer to home. The company have partnerships with LYIT, and other educational providers locally, and provide a wide range of technology and business services for Pramerica globally.Northern & Western Regional Assembly 181 4 Growth Ambition 1: Economy and Employment – Vibrant Region
- MEDTECH IN OUR REGION Ireland’s MedTech sector is recognised as one of the top 5 emerging global hubs. Ireland has a very strong sub-supply base with many companies becoming globally preferred vendors of choice for leading FDI enterprises. Medical device companies are a feature of industry throughout the country. Their presence is an indicator of a highly skilled workforce. The Northern and Western Region is to the forefront of the national picture. Galway is the most important cluster in the country and is by far the biggest centre for employment. Boston Scientific is the largest medical device employer in the country with over 3,000 employers in Galway alone. Medtronic has 1,882 employees in Galway including a large research and development element. Some of the other large companies in Galway include Merit Medical, Creganna, Crospon, Zimmer and Aerogen. There are also large multinational MedTech companies in Mayo such as Baxter and Hollister. Hollister has over 600 employees in Ballina. There are significant sites in Roscommon also which employ hundreds, such as Vention in Boyle and Harmac Medical in Castlerea. Medical device companies are also significant in Donegal and Sligo, with a series of Abbot facilities throughout both counties. There are many other well-known multinationals in Sligo. Ireland is one of the leading countries in Europe in terms of exporting MedTech products. It is ranked fifth in Europe; the value of exports is over €9 billion/P.A. with over 27,000 employees nationally. Indigenous companies account for over 60% of the companies in the sector. There is a growing emphasis on research and development in the country and it is a feature in over 50% of companies.Regional Spatial and Economic Strategy 2020-2032 182 4 Growth Ambition 1: Economy and Employment – Vibrant Region
- The MedTech industry continues to grow and there is ongoing demand for highly qualified professionals to maintain and grow Ireland’s position worldwide. There are opportunities for a wide range of engineers in biotechnology and pharmaceutical related, nanotechnology, ICT, maths, informatics and material science. This region continues to produce graduates to service the industry, and the shift towards automation will increase demand for professionals. The region needs to keep pace with these demands and the creation and development of a technological university in the region would be an obvious companion for the MedTech industry. The MedTech sector is epitomised by innovation and it is continually investing in research and development, the pace of change is incredibly high resulting in new and improved products being continually introduced. NUIG is recognised as a European hub for research and it has many departments dedicated to this area. There is a very strong partnership base between third-level institutions and the industry, and this is instrumental in maintaining Ireland’s global position. The outlook for the medical device industry is positive in the region - growth in Europe is 4% annually. Demand for products continues to grow with a combination of ageing populations, emerging markets and technological developments. REGIONAL POLICY OBJECTIVES RPO 4.38 To support the work of the IDA, Enterprise Ireland and LEOs in providing platforms for the ICT and MedTech industry thought leaders to share knowledge and to identify and advocate the delivery of critical competencies and skills needed to align with emerging business models. RPO 4.39 Target academic research, training and development of a talent pool to support industry. RPO 4.40 Encourage the convergence of MedTech with ICT to establish the region as a global destination for connected healthcare solutions. RPO 4.41 Support the development of mentoring programmes for entrepreneurs. RPO 4.42 Enable peer learning and exchange platforms to develop business links, address business concerns, exchange views and promote best practice. RPO 4.43 Support land use designation that will allow for the expansion of MedTech and Associated businesses. RPO 4.44 To support funding opportunities for indigenous start-ups and growth enterprises, together with the provision of education and research opportunities that will foster their continued success of MedTech industries across our Region.Northern & Western Regional Assembly 183 4 Growth Ambition 1: Economy and Employment – Vibrant Region
- TOWN CENTRE VITALITY AND RETAIL PROVISION Retail and Trade employ one in eight people in Ireland and remain vital to our Regional Economies. During the recession, over 50,000 jobs in the sector were lost, and since 2013, numbers are now slowly recovering. A vibrant retail sector supports busy towns, and communities, and helps make places attractive to live in, invest in, and indeed visit. Towns and villages away from the Greater Dublin Area, in particular, continue to experience high vacancy rates along their main streets, and the exponential rise of online retailing has also had an impact and is likely to greatly influence the retail offer and floor space in towns in the coming years. Nonetheless, the vitality of our Regional Growth Centres, larger towns, and villages remain critical to our societal fabric, and some recent policy documents place emphasis on place-making, town centre renewal, enabling communities to address vacancy and dereliction, and this is achieving results in communities in all counties. Documents include the following: g Regional Enterprise Plans g Action Plan for Rural Development g Project Ireland 2040 g Framework for Town Centre Renewal – DBEI The Action Plan for Jobs 2017 identifies the renewal of town and village centres as a key objective and sets out an Action Plan and a system of supports for Town Centres. In this regard, our region has many examples of Best Practice which can act as a benchmark for further advancement in counties across the region. SLIGO BID (BUSINESS IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT) The key objective of the Sligo BID team is to implement improvement in the trading environment within Sligo Town. Sligo BID is a company which is made up of local businesses and works in conjunction with the Local Authority. Funded by a levy on ratepayers, and funding from Local Authority etc. There are over 700 Local businesses in Sligo contributing to the BID.Regional Spatial and Economic Strategy 2020-2032 184 4 Growth Ambition 1: Economy and Employment – Vibrant Region
- ROSCOMMON COUNTY COUNCIL TOWN TEAMS Town Teams, with County Council staff and Roscommon Leader, work with a range of stakeholders in their towns, retailers, traders, community and voluntary groups, service providers, which set goals to renew, and restore where necessary their towns. Reporting structure goes through Municipal Districts. Action Plans are drawn up for each Town. CAVAN COUNTY COUNCIL Town and Village Revitalisation Plans were developed for 20 towns and villages in the County. The Plans were developed with local consultation at the heart and recognise the diversity that exists across the county of Cavan as each plan is tailored for each of the towns and villages individuality. The Revitalisation Plans aim to enhance the county’s town and village centres, as attractive places in which to live and work, to address the economic and social decline. Revitalisation Plans for the towns and villages in County Cavan. One of the primary recommendations from the aforementioned Report (Framework for Town Centre Renewal – DBEI) was that a coordinated approach to Town Centre Renewal and Management should be agreed across Local Authorities. There are many lessons to be learnt from the experience of practitioners in town and village revitalisation and regeneration across the region and the rollout of a peer learning programme shall be developed by the NWRA in collaboration with interested stakeholders, which will be of benefit and may assist in supporting the vibrancy and vitality of the core retail areas of town centres. This includes considerable learning from the experience of stakeholders in the region in town renewal, regeneration and revitalisation, together with significant learning gained through exemplary initiatives by the Heritage Council, including the National ‘Pilot’ Collaborative Town Centre Health Check (CTCHC) Training Programme, Community-led Village Design Statements Toolkit (for rural and urban villages) and also their Collaborative Public Realm Plan Programme (CPRPP).Northern & Western Regional Assembly 185 4 Growth Ambition 1: Economy and Employment – Vibrant Region
- RETAIL OFFER The Retail Planning Guidelines, 2012, set out the framework for plan led retail development within our towns, and villages. The sequential test remains a key component of this approach, and the facilitation of access to retail offer via public transport corridors is a further key element of future trade offer. In the intervening six years since the adoption of the latest Retail Guidelines, the dynamics influencing retail activity in our larger towns, and our villages have changed. The internet and online retail activity has brought a collision of online and offline retail, which we have never before witnessed, and emerging technology means how we shop will continue to change. Recent data (PWC, Retail and Consumer Report, 2018) show that whilst Irish consumers spent approximately €5bn online last year, 60% of this was spent outside of Ireland, and the challenge for Irish retail operators is to ensure an offer online, which rivals that of some of the Global retail giants in the years ahead. Notwithstanding online retail growth, growth in consumer spending, product demand, and population growth across the country should ensure that there remains a significant retained requirement for Town Centre stores across many areas, and growth in areas such as tourism will mean that towns and villages in many cases should strive to broaden their retail base, with food, drink and service offer likely to expand. REGIONAL POLICY OBJECTIVES RPO 4.45 To support retail in town and village centres through the sequential approach, as provided within the Retail Guidelines, and to encourage appropriate development formats within the town and village centres. RPO 4.46 To encourage new (and expanding) retail developments to locate close to public transport corridors, to enable sustainable travel to and from our Town and Village Centres, where applicable. RPO 4.47 To adopt a presumption in favour of the reuse, and restoration of town centre buildings for use as retail space, subject to satisfying other planning criteria and standards. RPO 4.48 The roll-out of a peer learning programme shall be developed by the NWRA in collaboration with relevant stakeholders. It shall be designed to benefit and be of assistance in supporting the vibrancy, and vitality of the core retail areas of town centres.Regional Spatial and Economic Strategy 2020-2032 186 4 Growth Ambition 1: Economy and Employment – Vibrant Region
- 5Growth Ambition 2: Environment – Natural Region 187
- Growth Ambition 2: Environment – Natural Region 5.1 Economic Progress and Environmental Impacts This strategy outlines how urban places should plan for additional population and employment growth. All places in the region have a role in accommodating growth, using sustainable and environmentally responsible development practices. By setting a clear strategic direction, through Growth Ambition 1, we can ensure that environmental impacts and issues are managed in a considered and holistic way. Introduced in this Growth Ambition is a unifying vision of the ways those efforts interconnect at the regional level. Justifying the integrated approach under our ‘Growth Framework’ it is necessary to consider the interdependence of population growth, economic development, resource management and environmental impacts. Growth and development in this region have caused a wide range of environmental impacts, some irreversible. The region’s abundant natural resources have been used for industry and employment. Our land, water, and landscapes have been harnessed to support the growth of national and local settlements, business and industry. A sustainable future, for the region, is one that ensures the well-being of all living things, carefully integrating human activities with larger patterns and systems of the natural world. This translates into avoiding the waste of energy, water, and raw natural resources. A unifying vision of the ways our efforts interconnect at the regional level would be a valuable contribution to environmental management activities. A sustainable approach also prevents the degradation of land, air, and water, while creating built environments that are liveable, comfortable, safe and healthy, as well as promoting/accommodating increased productivity.Regional Spatial and Economic Strategy 2020-2032 188 5
- To have a more sustainable future means that we encourage positive development trends and take action to reverse and avoid negative ones. This requires our combined efforts to achieve the region’s vision. The National Strategic Objectives (NSOs) contained in the National Planning Framework (NPF) are explicit in their commitment to sustainable development and pursuing practices aligned with a low carbon society. Moreover, the recently published Climate Action Plan, 2019 represents a whole of Government approach to adopting a new approach to a multitude of areas in moving towards low carbon. The onus is on the RSES to identify a growth pattern that accommodates future population and employment growth in a way that minimises adverse impacts on the environment and builds on the natural resources this region boasts. Our RSES provides the framework to unify the region around an environmental, growth management, economic and infrastructural strategy that is efficient, sustainable, and inclusive. There is a growing understanding of the role the environment and natural landscape plays in the quality of life indices, water quality, economic prosperity, food production, recreational opportunities, tourism visitors, sense of place, and the overall distinctiveness and differentiation. Many of our natural resources are inimitable. First, we must protect them; then leverage them. There are a myriad of initiatives across the region to improve the environment and increase sustainability. Our environmental authorities strive through education and regulation to improve all qualitative features of our environment. It ultimately, however, falls to individuals to become better resource managers and to improve our collective experience. This region is willing to harness development trends, and changes in public policy, where necessary, to demonstrate our ability to be a leader in pursuing a low carbon strategy.Northern & Western Regional Assembly 189 5 Growth Ambition 2: Environment – Natural Region
- 5.2 Environment and Heritage Communities across the region and beyond benefit from the goods and services that our environment provides, including food, renewable energy, water purification, flood mitigation and places for recreation, education, creative thinking, health and wellbeing. Protecting and enhancing this stock of natural capital, which includes our air, land, water, soil, biodiversity, Atlantic Ocean and geological resources is fundamental to a healthy and resilient economy. It supports sectors such as agriculture, forestry, fisheries, tourism, renewables, construction and many other sectors. In planning for the future, our strategy must embrace the concept of sustainable development as a key principle. It must consider how we can protect, conserve and manage our landscape and its natural, built and cultural assets so that its potential is fully realised for the benefit of all. Our region has a major opportunity to play a leading role in Ireland’s adaptation to climate change through the utilisation of our natural assets and networks. The Northern and Western Region is a natural place that contributes the least amount of CO2 emissions overall compared to the other regions and it has the highest proportion of carbon sinks, or areas which can remove CO2 from the atmosphere, such as bogs and large areas of forestry. REGIONAL POLICY OBJECTIVE RPO 5.1 The Assembly will support through CARO and Local Authorities the preparation and implementation of Local Climate Strategies which will, inter alia, address vulnerability to climate risks and provide prioritised actions in accordance with the guiding principles of the National Adaptation Framework.Regional Spatial and Economic Strategy 2020-2032 190 5 Growth Ambition 2: Environment – Natural Region
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