WATERFORD DEVELOPMENT PLAN 2022 – 2028

SUBMISSION FROM & WEST CHAMBER

The Dungarvan & West Waterford Chamber is committed to the planned progression of our area both in terms of commerce and community. We are keenly interested in supporting the Waterford D U

Development Plan 2022 - 2028 through each phase. N G A

The areas highlighted in our submission and presentation (via the Economic R V

Development webinar in August) are those most aligned to the interests of the A N

membership we represent and champion. D&WW Chamber is very much of the W

& view that clarity on targets and co-ordination around same are key to I

T W effectively deliver on this development plan. H E

R S E T G To support this initiative best strategically, the D&WW Chamber would like to W A A be involved from the outset with regard to the terms of engagement and R D T

perceived timelines of the Waterford Development Plan 2022 – 2028. E

T R O F O

By way of context, the D&WW Chamber has been in operation for 26 years and W R A currently represents 280 members. This is the largest business organisation in D T

C West Waterford and represents over 3,000 employees. The membership base E R H

is mainly in Dungarvan, but Chamber also represents businesses from F A O , as far east as Ardmore and north as & Lismore. M R B D E

R It is considered the voice of business in West Waterford and is an important D

E S

lobby group for issues facing local business. The Chamber’s dissemination of V U E information and resources, along with other supports, is critical to keeping B L M O

businesses alive and connected. The D&WW Chamber is a driving force behind I P S M the positive promotion of the area and welcomes the opportunity to S I E collaborate on positive initiatives. O N N T

- P The content for this submission was attained through engagement with S L E Chamber’s many stakeholders following a broad invitation for opinions, ideas, A P N T

and vision. E 2 M 0 2 B 2 E

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2 2 0 0 2 2 0 8 D U N G A R V

The D&WW Chamber wishes to acknowledge that careful planning A N

and a varied commercial base has ensured Dungarvan has thrived W

& during a variety of challenging and extraordinary times. I

T W H E

R All due credit credit must be given to Waterford Council and the S E T G former Dungarvan Town Council for this progression. W A A R D The Smarter Travel Initiative, and the creation of the Waterford T E

T Greenway has catapulted Dungarvan to a new level. This enabled R O F O tourism, food tourism and attractive lifestyle changes to develop W R

quickly. A D T

C E R The following submission is taking new and accelerated trends into H F A O account and also developing cultures such as: M R B D E

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Cashless D

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Domestic Holidays U E B

Remote Working L M O I

Different/Better use of space P S M S

Online/Digital / Click & Collect I

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Socialising - coffee culture & more stay at home nights N T

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Space is the new luxury P

S L E Slow adventure tourism is on the rise - Outdoors/ Nature A P N

orientated experiences are priority T

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2 2 0 0 2 2 0 8 PRIORITY FOCUS LIST

Retention of a Centre - The D&WW Chamber feels it is important to retain the retail boundary which has sustained the town during the recession - an area within the ambit of the N25, beyond which retail is limited to white goods, furniture and industrial items. The boundary ensures a cohesive offering that is attractive to customers, who can access a wide variety of providers within a compact, accessible, easily navigable space. This has safeguarded the heart of the town, creating a vibrant, interconnected retail community in the town centre. A dangerous sprawl was avoided, preventing the dissolution of the D

historic trading areas - this has been one of the many reasons U Dungarvan traded well during the recent recession. N G A R

Diversity - V Diversity in our offering is crucial to attracting regular and one-off A N

W shoppers to the area. It is important that a balance between high & I

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street, franchise and individually owned businesses is encouraged and W H E obvious - it is about different. Retail offerings need to be broad to R S E encourage more customers, but also more retail - a healthy retail T G

W sector attracts natural growth to fill gaps in the market. A A R D T E Investment in the North Quays Waterford needs to be counter- T R O balanced and complemented. It is important to strengthen the tourism F O

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& retail offering in Dungarvan & its surrounds, to ensure that it R A develops as a strategic and vibrant hub, providing an alternative to D T

C the over-population of and other urban areas. E R H F A O M R B D E

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S L E A P N T

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2 2 0 0 2 2 0 8 CLUSTER HUBS & HIVES

Side by side remote & digital workspaces: Dungarvan must offer these high spec spaces to compete with other towns. We have seen a shift in demand globally along with an expectation that a lot of work can be done remotely. More companies are offering and others insisting that their staff work remotely.

It is not possible for many people to work from their homes and therefore there is an increased demand for remote work spaces.

Dungarvan Enterprise Centre was at capacity again this summer. In D the era of digital, remote working offers competition and opportunity. U N

The competition is that companies can get the very best to work for G them regardless of location and the opportunity is that people can A R offer this work from Dungarvan supported by necessary V A

infrastructure and purpose built remote work spaces. N

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Enterprising hubs and hives H E

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These are successful around the country in assisting new businesses S E T

to launch and get established. These areas nurture enterprise & G

W innovation and are essential to a strong, energetic local economy. A A R D Waterford must be in this space too. It is requested that plans T E

T to create remote working & meeting hubs, use existing infrastructures R O F O are part of the Waterford Development Plan 2022 – 2028. W R

A D T Design thinking is fundamental to staying ahead in a rapidly evolving C E R market space, it is employed by the world’s leading brands such as H F A O

Google, Apple and GE and there is a gap for this service in M R B

Ireland. Waterford has a strong innovation base between TSSG, D E

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Crystal Valley Tech and the various cutting-edge businesses such as D

E Immersive VR and Nearform. There is an opportunity to develop the S V U E region as a centre for design thinking - using the iDeo (iDeo.com) B L M model, the existing capability could be used to develop a really strong O I P innovation offering where companies from across the island could S M S I E prototype their ideas quickly. The 3D printing capability at WIT could O N N

form part of this and it could be co-located with remote working in T

- P the likes of the enterprise centres or Arclabs or Boxworks. S L E A P N

Disused buildings such as those currently at Tycor in the , or the T

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hostel or ‘town centre units’ in Dungarvan being used for workspaces M 0 2 as listed above would stimulate entrepreneurship & employment. B 2 E

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2 2 0 0 2 2 0 8 Sector specific hives eg food. Expand on food projects (e.g.GIY, Ballybeg Greens) so they supply local restaurants and supermarkets. Create a destination like the English Food Market in in Waterford City - for example, cover the yard where the farmer's market is situated on O Connell Street. Build the food tourism brand in Dungarvan & West Waterford - leverage festival & existing brands like Legacy, Early Bird Eggs, etc

Food Hub This could invite opportunity just as it has in Drumshanbo Co.Leitrim.

The Drumshanbo Gin Company has developed a visitor centre which, D when restrictions get lighter, will probably be a top attraction in the U N

North West. Prior to Covid, while under construction the G

Drumshanbo Gin Company had already signed up a high volume of A R tour operators to bring overseas tour groups to the centre. V A N

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Tech Hubs & I

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Sector specific hubs where networking and information is shared can H E

inspire synergies and opportunities. An example of this is tech hubs R S E T

where the partnership of a number of businesses offering niches in G

W the areas of technology can create innovative services and products. A A R D These tech hubs would support and facilitate further growth for T E

T Waterford as a tech leader. ArcLabs , TSSG & Crystal Valley Tech are R O F O current role models for tech advancement and reputation in the area W and in the country. The potential to expand further is enormous, as R A D T the track record and templates already exist, this would be an easy C E R win for the Waterford Development Plan. H F A O M R B D E

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S L E Study Hub A P N

Having an Irish Mercyhurst campus in Dungarvan was an ambitious T

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plan and had merit. Through no fault of W&CC Council this initiative 0 2 has not materialised in full but is still warm. The D&WW Chamber B 2 E

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feels there is a lot more potential for developing a study hub having –

2 2 0 0 2 2 0 8 observed trends and demands since Covid started and remote work became so mainstream. Developing a study hub could facilitate the Mercyhurst students when they come for their spring semester and would be there when/if this agreement progresses further. The D&WW Chamber suggests a study hub so international training can occur in person or remotely to a group making it worthwhile.

Linking with local industry would result in demonstrations and courses which can be offered to specific workplaces or sectors. It could double as a small business or conference venue so business meetings can take place and it would offer those working remotely D

e.g. from home a space to meet clients or the remainder of their team. U N G

Blended Learning A R

This is likely to become more common, a study hub would pre-empt V this and offer opportunity to be noted as a remote study space. A N

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WIT has closed for 2020/21 W H E

If a smaller satellite campus was available for a pay per use basis it R S E could bring more WIT courses to the west of the county so people T G

W working day time could integrate it better with lifestyle & workday. A A R D T E

T ICT R O F O Promote entrepreneurship through expanding Coder Dojo projects - W R

linked with business to develop apps, etc for companies. Create A D T mentorship project - link in with TSSG for example - and potentially C E R commercialise projects. This opens development, it gets children H F A O

understanding commerciality and makes projects sustainable as well M R as educational. B D E

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2 2 0 0 2 2 0 8 Services Hub for Tourism D&WW Chamber is confident that the creation of a Tourism Hub is a multi-faceted way to ensure tourism needs are met, anticipated, and pre-empted. It would also support promotion of our tourism proposition year-round and secure Dungarvan as a year-round offering. The D&WW Chamber sees this hub in the town centre and recommend it would include the tourist office, act as a Greenway hub, and have capacity for more such as storing visitors’ bikes temporarily.

Presently the Dungarvan Tourist Office is not secure, both in terms of location and funding, this needs to be addressed and security given, as D

Dungarvan trades heavily in tourism and trends indicate it will U continue to do so. Having a tourist office to promote the town and N G environs is important to the development of tourism as an activity and A R

a tourism as a community. V A N

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It could also facilitate the Irish Camino route and offer stamps of & I passage and information. There would be opportunity to join it with T W H E

Deise Link as it could be the tourism & transport office performing R S E

several roles based in a common location. T G

W A A R D T E

T R O F O

W R A D T

C E R H F A O M R B D E

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E S V Create an Eco-Village U E B L Regeneration of area like Cappoquin using Clough Jordan in M O I P as an example - this shows potential for different uses for small urban S M S

centres that need a refresh. http://www.thevillage.ie/ I E O N

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Future-proof Broadband - P

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Dungarvan has excellent broadband infrastructure - Cork is E A P connected to broadband by undersea cable -why not join the two? N T

E This is a large-scale project in terms of cost but offers massive 2 M 0 2 potential as part of National Broadband Plan. This would be a shared B 2 E

project with Cork Council. R –

2 2 0 0 2 2 0 8 AREAS FOR DEVELOPMENT IN DUNGARVAN D U N G

OPW & CURRAN TOPLINE HARDWARE ADJACENT SITE A R V A N

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W A A R D T E

T R O F O

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C E R H F N25 POWER TRANSPORT (PERKS) DOWN TO COUNCIL YARD A O M R B D E

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R SHANDON - MCDONALDS LOOKING ONTO OBSERVER OFFICE –

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LINEAR PARK STRETCHING TO ALDI U N G A R V A N

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T R O F O

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C E R H F

BETWEEN MCDONALDS & LIDL A O M R B D E

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R O’CONNELL STREET STRETCHING TO THE PLAZA –

2 2 0 0 2 2 0 8 EDUCATION & LABOUR FORCE

University The D&WW Chamber supports a University for the South East with its headquarters in Waterford City. As outlined in the study hub item earlier in this submission, Dungarvan could also offer satellite courses and remote learning opportunities.

Steppingstone Career Path Dungarvan & West Waterford can champion a steppingstone career path. Promoting apprenticeship partnerships between the WWETB & D U

local employers shows clearly to our local population that there is no N necessity to leave the area to be educated and upskill. G A R

Trends towards upskilling and continual education while in the work V A N force are putting less of an emphasis on the importance of needing a W

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basic or generic university degree. Students can leave school, start an I

T W apprenticeship, or trade and move forward and digress into other H E

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areas easily. S E T G

W Combining the apprenticeship opportunities with our broad employer A A R D base can offer lots of opportunities to employers for a sustainable T E

T workforce, and reassure successive generations in the area that they R O F O will be empowered to progress through education toward a rewarding W and unlimited career path without having to leave the area. R A D T

C E R Upskilling opportunities for the workforce H F A O

Without repeating the previous paragraph, continuous education is M R B

becoming increasingly common. D E

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E Using local education and training agencies such as the WWETB, S V U E South East Regional Skills Forum, Skillnets, Springboard and more, B L M combined with progressive local businesses, careers in the area can O I P S M be unlimited and diverse and offer a very attractive and healthy place S I E to consider for career satisfaction and advancement. O N N T

- P Study Hub Opportunity S L E refer please to earlier section on Study Hub A P N T

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2 2 0 0 2 2 0 8 TOURISM

Slow adventure tourism is gaining in popularity and is sustainable. Dungarvan & West Waterford can offer this in abundance. The D&WW Chamber notes the following: D U N G A R V

Cycle & Walking Routes A N

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Continued development must be made into cycling & walking routes & I including coastal cycling routes. T W H E

R S E Develop Coastal Leisure Opportunities T G

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D&WW Chamber suggests a feasibility study to look at development A A and access of coastal leisure & recreational activity from The Gold R D T E

Coast to Western Bay. The potential for a Marina or Sluice Gates T R O needs to be investigated if full potential of marine leisure is to be F O

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considered in this area. This type of development would deliver R A D

unlimited promise and grant a much more vibrant sea sporting T

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destination and attraction. R H F A O M R

Continued Development of Year-Round Festivals B D E

The importance of festivals and events in terms of promotion, footfall, R D

E reputation, and economic development is well known & appreciated. S V U

Regular fresh adaptations will be needed to ensure visitors & locals E B L M

don't lose interest due to lack of variety & complacency. O I P S M S I E O N N T

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S L E A P N T

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2 2 0 0 2 2 0 8 Council Owned Land This could potentially be unlocked for tourism development for the following type of leisure and tourism attractions and activities: Driving Range Mountain Bike Municipal Swimming Pool / Ocean Pools (see below) Water Sports Hub Services Building for Tourist Information, Greenway & Transport Campervan provision & policy around same - The rise in campervans in cannot go unnoticed. Dungarvan has an D

average of 20 campervans during the off-season weekends and U

close to 50 in high season. Specific campervan spaces must be N G

identified, established, offered and policies for the parking of A campervans developed in line with the area in which they exist. R V A N

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W A A R D T E

T UK VANCOUVER FRANCE R O F O

W R A Ocean Pools D T

C There was a time when splashing in a saltwater swimming pool was E R H F merely a means to cool off during the hot summer months, Dungarvan A O M

included. Now with the aid of mother nature, new ocean pools have R B D cropped up around the world. E

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E S V This would be an ideal addition to Walton park and the town. U E B L

Dungarvan has the space and precedent for building causeways and M O I

boardwalks. We already have an appropriate area and fresh ocean P S M water. Infrastructure required to facilitate this would include S I E O pumping station, water filtration, etc. N N T

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S Utilising large roof space around this area, solar panels could be L E A P

installed to heat the pool (either electric or water pipes to heat pool N T

E from panels) depending on feasibly and cost. The large roof spaces 2 M close to the proposed area are situated at Council offices, apartments 0 2 B 2 opposite and SGC Cinema building. E

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2 2 0 0 2 2 0 8 D U N G

Case Study: Cape Town A R

Perched along the Sea Point promenade in Cape Town, the Sea Point V

Swimming Pool offers three distinct spaces: an Olympic-size pool for A N

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laps, two shallow children’s pools, and a springboard diving pool. Each & I

is fed by filtered water from the Atlantic, and hug the promenade. T W H E

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T R O F O

W R A D T

C E R H F A O M R B D E

BETWEEN RAILWAY AND N25 R D

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R BETWEEN DEVONSHIRE BRIDGE AND RAILWAY BRIDGE, DUNGARVAN –

2 2 0 0 2 2 0 8 RESIDENTIAL & TOURIST ACCOMMODATION

Expansion of all types of accommodation is needed to cope with future demands based on trends over the past number of years.

Tourism Accommodation The D&WW Chamber believes there is potential for the development of a hotel in the Dungarvan area; also for the development of apartments, further expansion of camp sites & camper vans spaces. D U

Residential Development N G

Ensure there is ample land zones for residential development to A compliment Dungarvan as an attractive place to relocate to and live. R V

Residential property is difficult to find for sale or rent. Tourism has A N

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impacted on this with the rise of Air B&B. Attracting new employees & I to the area is challenged regularly by the unavailability of residential T W domestic space. It must be anticipated that tourism growth expands H E

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the need for short term rentals which then means the housing stock E T G

needed for domestic living is being reduced. Replacement of this W A A trend with opportunity for more sustainable accommodation R D T

development must be offered for balanced growth and development E

T R of the area. O F O

W R A Leisure Activities for Residents D T

C Waterford Council supports many sporting and leisure activities E R H F throughout the county with the provision of playing fields. Many of A O these playing fields are close to city and town centres and we applaud M R B D this policy of keeping sporting activities local and urge the Council to E

R keep our current amenity zoned lands green for future generations. D

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2 2 0 0 2 2 0 8 TRANSPORT, INFRASTRUCTRE AND ACCESS

Smarter Travel & Continuation of Sustainable Transport Culture This is an important area where serious progression has been made over the course of the past decade. Going forward the D&W Chamber suggests: More town centre bike parking More parklets (on each street) which have provided attractive spaces for people to enjoy and at the same time support the hospitality sector

More off-street parking within the town core, potentially a 2-tier D

car park in Scanlan's yard U N

National Transport Authority could offer a more frequent service G

with Deise Link - more stops & bus shelters. The shelters could A R

be ‘live’ and therefore self-funding with advertising. Also if the V A

shelters had living roofs it would increase biodiversity and be in line N

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with the proposed rollout of Green Recycling in 2021. & I

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Good Access & Infrastructure R S E T

Competing with other towns & there are always ways to improve. G

W A A N25 Cork / Rosslare: link to Waterford – continued investment to R D T

ensure maintenance and development of this main route. E

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R O F O R672 Link to & : The R672 is a much-used road but a W

difficult one with narrow and winding passes. Sharing this road with R A D T

farm machinery and heavy good vehicles overtaking is very dangerous, C E R also a large part of the road has a continuous white line in the centre. H F A

This road needs to be upgraded so Dungarvan has connectivity with O M R

Clonmel and then to Limerick. B D E

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M20: Dungarvan must be able to link to M20 Corridor, without access E S V we are very isolated and uncompetitive. U E B L M O

Waterford Airport: The D&WW Chamber supports the reopening and I P S M development of the S I E O N N T

Rechargeable capacity: facilities for electric cars need to be available

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in urban centres as electric cars are becoming more popular and the L E A

requirement to charge these must be considered into the future. P N T

E 2 M 0 2 B 2 Should you wish to discuss any aspect in further detail, please E

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2 contact us on 058 45054 or email [email protected] 2 0 0 2 2 0 8