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Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Tuesday, 1 Jul 2003

Vol. 570 No. 2

Written Answers. - Industrial Development.

Trevor Sargent

Ceist:

106 Mr. Sargent asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the measures her Department has undertaken for the development of industrial estates in line with the principles of sustainable development; and the cases in which IDA Ireland's property division has established new town centre industrial estates which are easily accessible by pedestrians and by public transport. [18596/03]

IDA Ireland has statutory responsibility assigned to it by the Oireachtas for the attraction of foreign direct investment to the State and its regions, with the exception of the Shannon free zone, and maintains a property portfolio to advance this objective. Enterprise Ireland does not have a property remit, however, it supports the development of community enterprise centres, incubation centres in third level colleges and Webworks, which involves the provision of high-class office facilities and a management structure for technology-based companies. Shannon Development is responsible for both the attraction of foreign direct investment and indigenous enterprise development in the Shannon free zone and for indigenous enterprise development in the remainder of the Shannon region. It maintains a property portfolio to advance these objectives. The management of these property portfolios are day to day operational matters for the agencies and not matters in which I have a function.

IDA Ireland has a long-standing policy of master planning its business and technology parks to comply with the highest planning and environmental standards. In developing policy guidelines for the sustainable development of IDA business parks, the IDA's aim is to ensure that the design of its business parks incorporates the guiding principles of sustainable development which have been adopted both at national and international level.

IDA Ireland's policy framework for designing business parks in line with the principles of sustainable development is being implemented on a phased basis. The framework is working towards achieving the following principles: protecting the environment for future generations; protecting the environment for significant economic benefits; sustainable use of natural resources; education of waste; wise use of energy; and marketing of safe products and services.
To adhere to these principles, IDA Ireland approved policy guidelines set out appropriate actions to be incorporated into the work of its property division under a three stage model, covering the following: site appraisal and selection; site construction and design; and site operation and management. It is IDA Ireland's intention to work progressively towards incorporating all aspects of the model over time.
The majority of new IDA Ireland business parks are located on the outskirts of towns where the master planning incorporates elements such as pedestrian walkways and facilities to enable public transport to service the parks. Examples of recently completed parks that incorporate such facilities include Letterkenny, Castlebar, Carlow, Tuam and Galway – Parkmore East. These facilities are also incorporated into existing IDA Ireland business parks which are or have recently been upgraded – examples include Athlone, Tullamore and Sligo.
For all IDA Ireland parks in excess of 15 hectares, the planning and development process involves IDA Ireland in the preparation of environmental impact statements, EISs, and in many cases also requires the preparation of mobility studies.
Throughout its existence, Shannon Development has constructed a range of industrial estates/business parks throughout the Shannon region. In recent years, however, it has tended towards the development of individual multi-tenanted centres, with knowledge based activity as the focus, rather than large, traditional estates with a number of factories focused on manufacturing.
The Shannon Development Knowledge Network, which is a major initiative in recent years, represents a good example of the newer type of development referred to. In any case where Shannon Development itself commissions development or enters partnerships with the private sector, these are in compliance with all planning guidelines, including accessibility and availability of public transport.
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