Athlone: A Regional Centre Submission to the Northern and Western Regional Assembly on the Draft Regional Spatial and Economic Strategy February 2019 Prepared by I Contents Executive Summary II 1. Introduction 1 1.1 Overview 1 1.2 Destination Athlone 1 2. Athlone: At the Heart of Ireland 2 2.1 Context 2 2.2 Profile 3 3. Ireland’s Spatial Policies 13 3.1 National Planning Framework 13 3.2 National Development Plan 2018 – 2027 15 3.3 Regional Spatial and Economic Strategies 16 3.4 Athlone Development Plan 17 3.5 Local Area Plans 20 3.6 Midland Region: Action Plan for Jobs 2015-2017 22 4. Athlone: Regional Centre 25 4.1 The Criteria for Growth 25 5. Recommendations 40 6. Concluding Remarks 42 II Athlone: A Regional Centre Submission to the Northern and Western Regional Assembly on the Draft Regional Spatial and Economic Strategy Executive Summary Athlone as a Region Centre: A Statutory Designation Pursuant to National and Regional Policy The Planning and Development (Amendment) Act 2018 provided insertions into planning code which have allowed for a new way forward and effective regional development. It firstly provides for the insertion of a National Planning Framework (NPF), a spatial strategy setting out national objectives and significant matters to be addressed. Within this, a designation for the creation of Regional Spatial and Economic Strategies by the three Regional Assemblies is also presented, of which section 23(1)(a) is especially relevant, which states: “The objective of regional spatial and economic strategies shall be to support the implementation of the National Planning Framework and the economic policies and objectives of the Government by providing a long-term strategic planning and economic framework for the development of the region for which the strategies are prepared which shall be consistent with the National Planning Framework and the economic policies or objectives of the Government”. The significance of this is that it emphasises that the RSES’ shall be developed and implemented as a means of reinforcing the objectives as set out in the NPF, through a major new policy emphasis on renewing and developing existing settlements, rather than continued expansion and sprawl. It is stressed that Ireland’s regions, and in particular the north and west and Midlands, would be developed to better harness their potential for focused investment. Within this new vision for building stronger regions and critical to this submission, Athlone has been designated as a Region Centre, assigned as part of the newly developed NPF hierarchy, which is exhibited through National Policy Objective 2b, illustrated below: ‘’The regional roles of Athlone in the Midlands, Sligo and Letterkenny in the North-West and the Letterkenny-Derry and Drogheda- Dundalk-Newry cross-border networks will be identified and supported in the relevant Regional Spatial and Economic Strategy.’’ Athlone: A Regional Centre Submission to the Northern and Western Regional Assembly on the Draft Regional Spatial and Economic Strategy III It is therefore critical to reaffirm within the NWRA RSES that Athlone is a Region Centre, of significant importance when considering the successful implementation of the NPF. Accordingly, it should be recognised that Athlone possesses a strategic location with influence that extends into all three regional assembly areas, which for the purposes of this submission is critical to the success of the Northern and Western Region. This cross-regional influence means there is anecessity to develop a cross-boundary Joint Urban Area Plan (UAP), to be prepared by Westmeath County Council and Roscommon County Council, to provide a coordinated planning framework and identify and deliver strategic sites and regeneration areas for the future physical, economic and social development of Athlone. This is an important point as it makes clear the level to which Athlone must aspire to and act as an economic driver for the Region, and should therefore, not be undermined by the apparent impetus of primarily progressing the development of the two other Region Centres of Letterkenny and Sligo. It is stressed that the incentive to develop the three key settlements should be done so with equal enthusiasm. Athlone should be acknowledged as a strategic focal point in the centre of the country, further reinforced under regional priorities. Athlone as a Region and its potential to act both as a catalyst for cohesion between the east and west of Ireland, and a self-sustained Region capable of counteracting the dominance of Dublin and Galway, is an opportunity that is yet untapped. It is therefore considered that there is merit of the status of Athlone to be heightened and prioritised in this regard, facilitated through appropriate funding upon adoption of the final RSES, and the delivery of a subsequent UAP of appropriate depth and rigour, bolstering its inter-regional role and acting as an exemplar to the hierarchy of settlements to be developed elsewhere. Athlone: An Opportunity to Attract Enterprise and Foreign Direct Investment – Developing a Place where People want to Live, Work and Play There are very few regions outside Dublin that are fortunate enough to possess an agglomeration of significant industry groups and enterprises such as those found in Athlone. An enviable collection of indigenous and international companies and corporations, working in the manufacturing, pharmaceutical, R&D, medical devices, telecommunications and software development sectors. This clustering of specialist industries collectively employs in excess of 5,000 people, the majority of whom are well-educated and highly skilled. This affords Athlone with a skilled workforce and a strong base of specialised employers. The potential for enhanced clustering of industries is significant, as companies operating in these sectors regularly seek out co-location opportunities where a suitably skilled workforce and the required logistical parameters are met. However, even with these valuable ingredients in place, a strategic and long-term vision for the Region Centre should be adopted, striving to see Athlone grow sustainably, facilitating a test bed for future urban centres of growth. The aforementioned industry in the Region should be valued, recognising the potential for existing clusters to generate growth. Key are the three potent sectors located in Athlone which include ICT, MedTech and Pharma, each with their own contributions to a newly developing economy. For instance, Medtronic, KCI, Teleflex and Utah Medical all have a significant presence in Athlone with manufacturing, global innovation centres of excellence and corporate headquarters located in the town. In terms of the Pharmaceutical Industry, Athlone has also become a hotbed, which merits a stronger mention within policy objectives for the Northern and Western Region, allowing for this trend to be built upon. IV Athlone: A Regional Centre Submission to the Northern and Western Regional Assembly on the Draft Regional Spatial and Economic Strategy These organisations are supported by indigenous companies and the Athlone Institute of Technology (AIT) with level 8 qualifications specifically designed to support the growing sectors. Further initiatives include the two Technology Gateways developed by AIT, COMAND (Software development) and APT (Polymer Technology), both of which have coverage across the Northern and Western Region. APT (Applied Polymer Technologies) for instance, is an Enterprise Ireland funded technology gateway hosted by the Materials Research Institute at AIT and provides an easy to use access point to all its facilities and expertise, as well as the greater Technology Gateway network to all industrial and academic collaborators. ESA Space Solutions Centre Ireland, for example, facilitates access to their programmes, promotes the adoption of space solutions and supports the development of Irish companies, new and existing, in space and downstream sectors. The centre also incorporates the ESA Business Incubation Centre (BIC) for Ireland. The centre opened in September 2016 and is led by Tyndall National Institute in Cork in partnership with AIT, Maynooth University, and MaREI Centre for Marine and Renewable Energy, and funded jointly by ESA and Enterprise Ireland. ESA Space Solutions Centre Ireland operates across the four partner locations. These facilities are supported by the fact that logistically, Athlone is also perfectly located in close proximity to national ports, airports, and rail connections. Furthermore, Athlone offers access to a large talent pool with approximately 130,000 people within a 45-minute catchment area, with access to the major urban areas of Galway, Limerick and Dublin achievable within 90 minutes. Evidently, these factors have all contributed to Athlone becoming a location of choice for industry sectors and groups, however, the importance of town centre development, and the creation of Athlone as place, a place to live, work, and play must be established within the RSES to allow for continued benefits that will attract and retain the skills and human capital needed to staff the opportunities that these clusters create. It is therefore critical to exploit available brownfield sites and build desirable mixed-use office, residential, retail and leisure facilities, in order to allow for the growth of population allocations. If this is not to be the case, Athlone and its ability to grow as a Region Centre will be limited, stunting the expansion of industry. It should be noted