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Our Plan for Growth

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Our Plan for Growth APPENDIX 2A Our Plan for Growth Mid Ulster Local Economic Development Report and Action Plan (2015-2020) FINAL Draft Report (v1.0) – May 2015 Mid Ulster District Council Mid Ulster Local Economic Development Report and Action Plan (2015-2020) FINAL Draft Report (v1.0) – May 2015 RSM McClure Watters (Consulting) Ltd is a well-established provider of economic consultancy services with offices in Cambridge, London and Belfast. The company has a core multi-disciplinary team of over 20 professionals, comprised of economists, social policy advisers, planners and statisticians. The team specialises in advising policy makers across the UK and Ireland on local and regional economic development, enterprise support, innovation and technology transfer, inward investment, labour markets and training, social inclusion, housing and regeneration. In association with: Oxford Economics is one of the world’s foremost independent global advisory firms, providing reports, forecasts and analytical tools on 200 countries, 100 industrial sectors and over 3,000 cities. Headquartered in Oxford, England, we employ over 130 full-time people, including more than 90 professional economists, industry experts and business editors—one of the largest teams of macroeconomists and thought leadership specialists. Our global team is highly skilled in a full range of research techniques and thought leadership capabilities, from econometric modelling, scenario framing, and economic impact analysis to market surveys, case studies, expert panels, and web analytics. Underpinning our in-house expertise is a contributor network of over 500 economists, analysts and journalists around the world and our heritage with Oxford University and the academic community. RSM McClure Watters (Consulting) Limited is a member of the RSM McClure Watters Group. RSM McClure Watters (Consulting) Limited is an independent member firm of RSM International an affiliation of independent accounting and consulting firms. RSM International is the name given to a network of independent accounting and consulting firms each of which practices in its own right. RSM International does not exist in any jurisdiction as a separate legal entity. RSM McClure Watters (Consulting) Limited (No NI607634) is registered in Northern Ireland. Registered Office: Number One, Lanyon Quay, Belfast, BT1 3LG. Table of Contents Mid Ulster District Council Mid Ulster Local Economic Development Report and Action Plan (2015-2020) FINAL Draft Report (v1.0) – May 2015 Table of Contents 1 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ................................................................................................................ 1 1.1 INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................................. 1 1.2 REPORT CONTEXT ........................................................................................................................... 1 1.3 STUDY TERMS OF REFERENCE...................................................................................................... 2 1.4 KEY FINDINGS ................................................................................................................................... 2 1.5 AMBITION STATEMENT AND KEY THEMES .................................................................................... 4 2 INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND ...................................................................................... 11 2.1 NEW PEOPLE, NEW PLACES ......................................................................................................... 11 2.2 ECONOMIC CONTEXT .................................................................................................................... 12 2.3 STUDY TERMS OF REFERENCE AND APPROACH ...................................................................... 14 2.4 REPORT STRUCTURE .................................................................................................................... 15 3 SOCIO ECONOMIC REVIEW & FORECASTS ............................................................................ 16 3.1 INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................................... 16 3.2 KEY CONCLUSIONS ........................................................................................................................ 25 4 POLICY, FUNDING AND OPERATIONAL CONTEXT ................................................................ 26 4.1 INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................................... 26 4.2 NORTHERN IRELAND POLICY REVIEW ........................................................................................ 26 4.3 REVIEW OF DELIVERY BY COUNCILS DURING THE PREVIOUS PROGRAMME PERIOD ........ 31 4.4 EMERGING EUROPEAN FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES .................................................................. 33 4.5 CONCLUSION .................................................................................................................................. 34 5 FINDINGS FROM STAKEHOLDER CONSULTATION ............................................................... 35 5.1 INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................................... 35 5.2 STAKEHOLDER/PARTNER AND BUSINESS INTERVIEWS ........................................................... 35 5.3 THEMATIC WORKSHOPS AND MEETINGS WITH TOWN FORA .................................................. 37 5.4 BUSINESS SURVEY RESULTS ....................................................................................................... 38 5.5 CONSULTATION ON DRAFT ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT PLAN (APRIL 2015) ......................... 38 6 SWOT ANALYSIS AND EMERGING PRIORITIES ..................................................................... 40 6.1 INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................................... 40 6.2 SWOT ANALYSIS ............................................................................................................................. 40 RSM McClure Watters (Consulting) Limited is a member of the RSM McClure Watters Group. RSM McClure Watters (Consulting) Limited is an independent member firm of RSM International an affiliation of independent accounting and consulting firms. RSM International is the name given to a network of independent accounting and consulting firms each of which practices in its own right. RSM International does not exist in any jurisdiction as a separate legal entity. RSM McClure Watters (Consulting) Limited (No NI607634) is registered in Northern Ireland. Registered Office: Number One, Lanyon Quay, Belfast, BT1 3LG. Table of Contents Mid Ulster District Council Mid Ulster Local Economic Development Report and Action Plan (2015-2020) FINAL Draft Report (v1.0) – May 2015 6.3 IDENTIFICATION OF AMBITION STATEMENT AND THEMES ..................................................... 42 6.4 DESCRIPTION OF THEMES ............................................................................................................ 54 7 ACTION PLAN .............................................................................................................................. 61 Appendices APPENDIX A: REVIEW OF EMERGING STRATEGIES APPENDIX B: REVIEW OF PREVIOUS PROGRAMME ACTIVITY APPENDIX C: SOCIO-ECONOMIC REVIEW APPENDIX D: CONSULTATION FINDINGS APPENDIX D1: INTERVIEWS AND CONSULTATIONS APPENDIX D2: MID ULSTER FOCUS GROUP FINDINGS: KEY QUOTES/THEMES APPENDIX D3: COMMUNITY PLANNING - SUMMARY FROM 12 EVENTS ACROSS MID ULSTER APPENDIX D4: SCRIBES RECORDING FORM APPENDIX D5: SCRIBES RECORDING FORM APPENDIX D6: SCRIBES RECORDING FORM - POMEROY - ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND TOWN CENTRE - 10.11.14 APPENDIX D7: SCRIBES RECORDING FORM - BROUGHDERG - ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND TOWN CENTRE APPENDIX D8 SCRIBES RECORDING FORM - BALLYRONAN - ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND TOWN CENTRE APPENDIX E: BUSINESS SURVEY APPENDIX E1: BUSINESS SURVEY QUESTIONNAIRE APPENDIX E2: MID ULSTER LED SURVEY RESULTS BY SECTOR RSM McClure Watters (Consulting) Limited is a member of the RSM McClure Watters Group. RSM McClure Watters (Consulting) Limited is an independent member firm of RSM International an affiliation of independent accounting and consulting firms. RSM International is the name given to a network of independent accounting and consulting firms each of which practices in its own right. RSM International does not exist in any jurisdiction as a separate legal entity. RSM McClure Watters (Consulting) Limited (No NI607634) is registered in Northern Ireland. Registered Office: Number One, Lanyon Quay, Belfast, BT1 3LG. Table of Contents Mid Ulster District Council Mid Ulster Local Economic Development Report and Action Plan (2015-2020) FINAL Draft Report (v1.0) – May 2015 1 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 1.1 Introduction RSM McClure Watters and Oxford Economics were appointed by Cookstown District Council, Magherafelt District Council and Dungannon and South Tyrone Borough Council to deliver a Local Economic Development Report and Action Plan in preparation for the merging of the three Councils to form the new Mid Ulster District Council. The new Local Economic Development Report has been prepared to address the opportunities arising from representing new people/new places and delivering new administrative powers. 1.2 Report Context New Local Government
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