Greenways and start-up hubs in the works for Cork by 2024

Minister of State for Business, Employment and Retail Damien English at the RDI Hub in Killorglin to launch the South-West Regional Enterprise Plan to 2024. Included from left, Patricia Quane, chair, Regional Enterprise Plan; Fexco CEO Neil Fosty; Regional Enterprise programme manager Jonathan Hoare; and Jerry Moloney, Department of Enterprise. Picture: Valerie O'Sullivan

Fáilte Ireland has said it will develop an international standard greenway network in Cork City, harbour, and East Cork by 2024.

This is one of several goals outlined in the newly published Regional Enterprise Plan to 2024 for the south-west. The plan is made up of short-and long-term objectives by Enterprise Ireland, the IDA, Government, and other partners, for the south-west region.

“Our plan will go beyond the traditional approach of counterbalancing the growth of Dublin and will instead foster all that is great about the region from an enterprise perspective in its own right,” said the chair of the South-West Regional Enterprise Plan, Patricia Quane.

"With a city of scale in Cork as well as a multitude of entrepreneurs and economic assets across Kerry and Cork County, we have the most diverse and dynamic region in Ireland."

Another objective of the plan is the creation of a shared workspace with a capacity for 40 student- and graduate-led start-ups which will be developed in UCC and also open at the end of 2024.

The aim of the workspace is to create a pipeline of companies led by experienced founder teams that create local jobs, generate sales, and raise investment for the region.

Regional Enterprise Plans, though the State body Enterprise Ireland, has made €126m in funding available to assist locally led projects since 2018.

Over €19.3m of this funding has been approved for the south-west under the Regional Enterprise Development Fund and the Regional Enterprise Transition Scheme. This €19.3m is currently being spread across 15 approved projects mainly in Cork and Kerry.

New funding of up to €180m will be made available for the development and implementation of other enterprise projects.

Under this plan for the region, IDA will deliver an advanced building solution in Tralee over 2021-2024, while continuing to work closely with the private sector in the south-west to secure the provision of cost-effective building and property solutions for client companies.

IDA is also targeting 118 investments for the south-west  in  2021-2024, focusing on manufacturing, innovative technology solutions, international services, and RD&I opportunities.