Western Development Commission WDC 2002 Annual Report Launch

Western Development Commission WDC 2002 Annual Report Launch

galway.net , 07 July 2003

The Western Development Commission (WDC) has responded enthusiastically to a request from Éamon Ó Cuív, TD, Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs to take on a new proactive role in co-ordinating a spatial strategy involving towns in the seven western counties. A Strategy for Towns on Radial Routes in the West, to be developed by the WDC, was announced by the Minister when he launched the WDCs Annual Report 2002 in the Sligo Folk Park. The Minister said that it is vital that infrastructure and development go together that each should make the other happen. Developing towns as attractive locations for investment and decentralisation necessitates county strategies which build on their strengths, and targets them for further infrastructural investment. The WDC is ideally placed to spearhead such an initiative, according to the Minister.

Speaking at the launch, WDC Chairperson Michael Farrell said: Our Annual Report shows that the WDC has been very proactive in highlighting transport, telecommunications and power infrastructure needs in the West. We have always stressed the importance of the network of small towns in the western counties and their role in regional development. Now, by developing strategies to maximise the development potential of towns, the WDC can help to ensure that there is the strategic link between location and infrastructure. This is crucially important for spatial planning.

Lisa McAllister, WDC Chief Executive, spoke enthusiastically about the WDCs role in working in coordinating a planned approach to spatial development in the West. The WDC is ideally placed to work with planning authorities to develop a meaningful spatial strategy for the region west of the Shannon. We work at a strategic level in the region. We have a good track record in developing blueprints that are coherent, realistic and practical, and that build on the Wests considerable resources. Our work in rural tourism is a good example. We have consistently emphasised the role of smaller towns in regional development. People want to work to close to where they live and not have to commute long distances.

We are delighted at the Minister Ó Cuívs request to the WDC to work positively to strengthen the Wests towns, she continued. This is exactly the type of work that we were set up to do and which we consider critical to tackling the problems of population decline and urban congestion. We appreciate the Ministers commitment to tackling such problems and we look forward to working closely with him and his Department on this exciting project, she said. Speaking about the WDCs Annual Report, Mr. Farrell said that in 2002, with a full staff complement, the WDC began to see substantial results from its work in its early years. For instance, the WDCs blueprint for rural tourism has spearheaded an innovative and environmentally creative programme based on low-impact sustainable tourism. Exciting work on organic agri-food and renewable energy is building on the Wests resource advantages and based on the strategies in the WDCs Blueprint reports.

The Western Investment Fund is only now beginning to reach its full potential. A change of strategy in 2002 to make the WIF more flexible and efficient has resulted in approvals in 2003, to date, of €3.4m funding for 17 projects in fields as diverse as software, medical devices, leisure facilities and social care. 70% of these are based in rural areas. The WDC is building on the analysis in the National Spatial Strategy to develop rural development and employment strategies for the West. This will complement and support its work on towns and give it a solid base, said Mr. Farrell. We are acutely aware of the challenges faced by the West, but we are also enthusiastic about its strengths and about the leadership role that the WDC can play in developing and promoting development strategies for that part of Ireland west and north-west of the Shannon, he said.

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