COMHAIRLE CONTAE ÁTHA CLIATH THEAS
SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

MEETING OF SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

Monday, October 12, 2009

QUESTION NO. 4

QUESTION: Councillor S. Crowe

To ask the Manager in view of the downturn in economic activity in the County can he give a report and outline if there is sufficient space available for the demand from small business for incubator premises in the County?

REPLY:

The Council is actively involved in the promotion of local enterprise and over the last 10 years has through its own efforts or in co-operation with other agencies e.g Enterprise Ireland has constructed local enterprise centres at Neilstown and Bawnogue in Clondalkin and at Brookfield and  Killinarden in Tallaght .

 These Centres aim to provide low cost start-up units with the necessary management supports, catering for a broad spectrum of  services and trades.  It is anticipated that as skill levels, business acumen and workforce increase in the individual businesses, the successful entrepreneurs will move on , thereby broadening the scope of start up aid and creating new business opportunities for local people.

 The Centres for the most part contain workspace, office, training ,conference and meeting rooms with no. of units provided in the main Centres as follows;

 Brookfield - 38 units

Killinarden – 48 units

 Bawnogue – 45 units

Neilstown – 6 units

 There is a proposal to extend the Neilstown Centre by provision of three additional units subject to funding being available. Planning permission has been obtained for this proposed development.

 The provision of these Centres was promoted by the Council under the EU-South Dublin URBAN Initiative and represented a significant investment of over €11m in Tallaght and Clondalkin.

 The Council also provided site/premises for two other Enterprise Centres at Bolbrook  and St. Dominic’s Road in Tallaght

 The Centres at Brookfield, Killinarden and Bolbrook are operated by Partas and the Centres at Neilstown and Bawnogue are operated by Action Community and Enterprise Ltd.

There is also provision in the Adamstown SDZ Planning Scheme for the construction of  2 enterprise centres. Each centre is to be at least 1,500 sq.m. in size. The purpose of the enterprise centres is to provide office, studio & workshop accommodation backed up by support & training facilities for local business start-ups. One of the two enterprise centres is to be an ICT enterprise centre incorporating an incubation centre, third level outreach centre & a SME education support centre.

It is also  proposed to set up a network of intellectual enterprise zones throughout the County where individuals can use the space on a ‘time share basis’ to run and operate their business and where persons on the live register can develop added value skills.  In tandem with the physical space it is proposed to develop a virtual business campus or intellectual enterprise zones where research can be carried out into the cost of doing business and innovative new technologies will be pursued with a view to creating new business opportunities.  This space will also afford participants to engage in a community of practice and network with like minded individuals.