South East Business Owners Fighting for their Share of Investment

New Research Reveals Infrastructure Priorities for South East

11,000 employees across 318 businesses in the South East want:

-          a stronger, cohesive regional voice for the five counties of the South East

-          expanded and improved direct international air services from Waterford Regional Airport

-          investment in high-speed broadband

-          a University of the South East

-          road improvement on strategic routes in the Region

INVESTMENT in infrastructure is a leading priority for business owners and their employees in the South East if industry, tourism and commerce in the region is to compete on a level playing pitch, an extensive new survey has found.

The ‘Access : South East’ survey comissioned by South East Chambers involved 318 business owners employing an estimated 11,000 people, and reveals infrastructure is a critical priority for respondents.

Those surveyed also want counties in the region working more closely together; they want broadband and air services improved and the establishment of the long-promised University of the South East.

Launching the report’s findings, Businessman and Chairperson of the Access: South East committee, Orm Kenny said: “It is clear the foremost conclusion from this research is that the people of the South East have the will and the energy to contribute strongly to national recovery to get this economy back on its feet, however it is also absolutely clear that this cannot be achieved without development of the highest quality infrastructure throughout the South East region..

The potential for the national economy to benefit from the hard work of South East based businesses is entirely dependent on having the infrastructure in place to facilitate commerce, to improve visitor access to the region and to demonstrate the area’s attractiveness for investment.

“We as a region have traditionally scored poorly on a range of economic indicators and this has been attributed primarily to inadequate infrastructure provision.  However, with a population of around 500,000, the region has significant economic potential that, if unlocked, can be a major contributor to the national economy.” Mr Kenny said.

The ‘Access : South East’ report research also reveals that a cohesive regional voice has emerged with stakeholders in the five counties, cities and towns in the region now finding new ways to  work closely together to secure adequate and equitable levels of Government investment.   

On hand to help launch the ‘Access- South East Report’ was Kilkenny resident and former Irish International rugby star Mick Galwey. Galwey instilled a “don’t panic” and professional attitude in his rugby team which became the hallmarks of Munster Rugby during his tenancy as captain. According to Mick ‘don’t panic’ is as appropriate for business today as it was for rugby in the nineties, “Throughout this research it is clear that South East business owners and their employees are operating in a  resilient frame of mind, continuing to work hard and contribute to the national economy.”

A key priority for business owners and their employees in the business and tourism sectors includes the development of Waterford Regional Airport with expanded and improved direct international air services. The importance of air connectivity to large organisations is highlighted in the online survey which found that 24% of businesses with more than 100 employees identified this as their number one priority.

Also commenting at the report launch and on this top priority Eric Barron, Chairperson of South East Chambers said, “The further development of the airport can be achieved cost effectively this will transform the attractiveness of the region to investors and will facilitate the expansion of regional tourism to exploit new trends in travel and leisure.  Of critical significance is the fact that air connectivity was cited by survey respondents as not only vital to attracting more tourists directly to the region but also as fundamental to facilitating increased commerce and to securing FDI, which will in turn boost employment and strengthen the regional and national economy.”

Also cited as a key area of investment is the availability of high-speed broadband which needs to be enhanced; this is seen as a key factor in rebalancing the region’s competitiveness.  The enhancement of broadband is seen as a fundamental priority across all sizes of businesses and the upgrading of broadband access in the South East will continue to be highlighted as a major priority to policymakers.

Establishing a University of the South East is still top of the agenda for the region’s medium and long- term development.  However, the advancement of this objective is seen as a significant challenge during the current national economic climate; despite this, the focus group and survey results both demonstrate that the region is united in its determination to continue to exert significant pressure on government regarding the university issue and for the delivering of continued investment in higher education in the South East.

The improvement of strategic road infrastructure was highlighted as a key factor in both survey and focus group discussions.  The completion of the M9 Waterford to Dublin motorway through counties Kilkenny and Carlow is very beneficial but road improvement on strategic routs such as the Atlantic Corridor would deliver very significant benefits to intra-regional access and would support increased economic activity and enhance the attractiveness of the entire South East region.

‘Access : South East’ is an initiative by South East Chambers representing the business community in the South East region. The project is aimed at improving access to key services and infrastructure for business in the five counties of the region – Carlow, Kilkenny, South Tipperary, Waterford and Wexford.  The key objective of the project is to understand and prioritise the infrastructure needs of the region as identified by the businesses represented by South East Chambers, the umbrella organisation for the Chambers of Commerce in Carlow, Clonmel, Dungarvan, Enniscorthy, Gorey, Kilkenny, New Ross, Waterford and Wexford.