Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 20 February 2025
5. Deputy Rose Conway-Walsh asked the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment for an update on the programme for Government commitment to develop strategic development zones; and how this will relate to additional supports for the strategic development zone at Knock Airport. [6595/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraI welcome the commitment in the programme for Government to develop strategic development zones, SDZs. What will this look like for Ireland West Airport Knock? What timescales will be on that? There is huge untapped potential in our region, which has 95,000 sq. m of commercial enterprise space that can be used for economic development. I welcome the appointment of a manager specifically for this, but we need to know what it will look like. Will the Minister drive it and make it a priority?
I thank Deputy Conway-Walsh for raising this important matter. I look forward to working with her in delivering the SDZ at Ireland West Airport Knock. Balanced regional development is a key focus of this Government. My Department contributes to this objective through the work of its enterprise development agencies, Enterprise Ireland and the IDA as well as through the network of 31 LEOs which have a presence in every county. It is the responsibility of the nine regional enterprise plans which focus on initiatives to deliver growth in each of the nine regions of Ireland. The programme for Government commits to considering the development of economic SDZs for the regions. An SDZ, as it has been until now, is a planning designation and is typically followed by the development of a planning scheme for the SDZ by the relevant local authority. The Department has engaged with the SDZ at Ireland West Airport Knock, including through the provision of more than €200,000 per year over a two-year period to Mayo County Council for the development of a roadmap for the development of the SDZ. A project manager for this work, who was appointed in August of last year, is developing a roadmap setting out the process for the development of the SDZ, for example by identifying the infrastructure required to advance the site, identifying the challenges facing the development, facilitating access of funding to deliver on specific project elements, and supporting the communication of the vision of the SDZ at a local level and to other interested parties. The work of the project manager is overseen by a steering committee chaired by Mayo County Council and includes representatives from key stakeholders including the IDA, Enterprise Ireland, the Western Development Commission, the Northern and Western Regional Assembly, Atlantic Technological University, Ireland West Airport Knock and the Department. The most recent meeting of the steering committee took place in December, with the next meeting expected in March. Officials from the Department have also liaised with relevant Departments and State bodies on issues of relevance to the SDZ.
Comhghairdeas to the Minister of State on his new role. We share an interest in Knock Airport and its development. We have talked about it for decades since Monsignor Horan was brave enough, against all the odds, to build the airport. It is obvious that it has not fulfilled its potential. In 2022, the EU downgraded the north and west as a lagging region with a GDP of only 71% of the EU average. Last year, the Northern and Western Regional Assembly published research showing that since 2016, the north and west region has received just 5.7% of investment in infrastructure projects worth more than €20 million. The facts speak for themselves. We have a unique opportunity but it is not going to happen unless we all work together. That is why I want to see this roadmap. I want to see that it will be measured along the way to ascertain exactly who is responsible for moving it along and how and when that will be done.
I think we are all in agreement that this is a critical piece of enterprise-enabling infrastructure for the west and north west. We have support from the Minister, Deputy Burke, and the Minister of State, Deputy Smyth, who also have regional responsibilities. The development requires focus and commitment. I welcome the appointment of Dominick Healy in August last year. He is a very competent project manager. The roadmap will build on the consensus of the steering committee stakeholders which comprise a number of State agencies and key local authorities. The completion timeline of two years has been set by the SDZ development roadmap. We have a timeline of August 2026, two years after the appointment of the project manager. We want to see, following that, a number of initiatives to ensure that there is investment in that strategic land bank to ensure it has critical services and utilities and that we have a plan to attract investment.
It is important that people's expectations are not raised. Before elections, there are nonsensical announcements and all that. It is a ten-year period before this will be done with utilities and all of that which needs to be done to develop this zone. Things can be done in the meantime but people's expectations need to be managed. There is a critical opportunity here. In 2021, Sinn Féin wrote to the European Commission seeking a total exemption from state aid rules for regional airports such as Ireland West Airport Knock due to the challenges of Brexit and Covid-19. Will the Minister of State consider pursuing this objective to enable Ireland West Airport SDZ to reach its full potential? There is no western rail corridor and the all-island strategic rail review was grim reading for the north west. These issues are interconnected but they present a unique opportunity that we cannot wait to have implemented.
This Government has been steadfast in its support for Ireland West Airport Knock through the regional airports programme. More than €20 million has been invested in key infrastructure, safety and security projects at the airport. There were record passenger numbers again. The trajectory for that airport is important. Work is being done with the board of Ireland West Airport Knock to attract investment. Aircraft maintenance companies have set up there already. This work is important. The former Taoiseach, Leo Varadkar, and the former Minister, Simon Coveney, moved this on to ensure there was a feasibility study. The Minister of State at the time, Deputy Calleary, was also supportive in the Department. We need to work collectively to ensure it reaches its full potential. The SDZ has the potential to open up the Atlantic economic corridor. As the Deputy said, key infrastructure projects like the western rail corridor are critical to its viability.
