COMHAIRLE CONTAE ÁTHA CLIATH THEAS
SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

MEETING OF TALLAGHT AREA COMMITTEE

Monday, No vember 23, 2015

QUESTION NO. 7

QUESTION: Councillor C. O'Connor

"To ask the Chief Executive if he would confirm actions open to him to improve the image of Cookstown Industrial Estate and if efforts are being made to attract new job creation opportunities to this long established Industrial Estate in Tallaght?"

REPLY:

A key issue for the County and clearly identified in the County Economic Profile in 2014 and parallel research which the Council is carrying out through analysing rates information and on the ground surveys is the need  to focus funding to give effective support to enhance the physical environment of industrial estates within the County This is particularly in the case of areas which are underutilised with higher rates of vacancy such as parts of Cookstown Industrial Estate.

In the first instance South Dublin County Council has sought to support existing business particularly through two key initiatives,

• The Sustainable Business Executive who is employed in conjunction with South Dublin Chamber to work with local business on sustainability issues, and
• the Business Support Grant (BSG) and related business supports, introduced in the 2014 budget based on the rationale that c1% of rates paid would be ringfenced to directly support business. (This is subject to the continued budgetary approval by the Elected Members.)

The primary operation of the BSG is a direct grant to eligible businesses with a rateable value of under €10,000. The Elected members set aside €880,000 for this grant in the adopted 2015 budget. In the 2016 budget €1.2m has been similarly allocated.

As the members will be aware with respect to the additional funding from the BSG, as agreed, they will be used to target industrial vacancy/underutilisation and obsolescence and to promote innovation and enterprise, on a percentage breakdown of -

•   60%- infrastructural upgrading works to be of a capital nature.
•   30%- innovation, startup advice and supports including potential incubation space
•   10%- targeted training, to be identified by targeted surveys and delivered through LEO

Following the above programme structure progress has been made across a range of measures: 

• Survey and plan for contacting local business regarding training currently initiated during April 2015 – focussing on 150-200 businesses of varying sizes across the county, carrying out an in depth survey and analysis of training needs and opportunities for the county. The resulting training is currently being programmed.
• Contacts are currently being made through the Sustainable Business Executive with local business owners in industrial estates to establish and run a number of workshops on improving our industrial estates.Direct engagement has been established and is ongoing with a group of industrial occupiers within the Cookstown Industrial estate and the JFK industrial estate with a view to establishing a programme of upgrades which will support economic development. A number of meetings have been held directly with the Cookstown Industriall estate group.  Progress is being made in co-ordinating a joint programme of upgrades to upgrade the Old Belgard Road entrance to Cookstown and to improve the permeability with the Cookstown LUAS station. Work is ongoing to prepare a further schedule of upgrade works in conjunction with operations departments and with a view to structuring local workshops with business owners.