Many Cork regions lost Celtic Tiger years ago
In 2002, then environment and local government minister Noel Dempsey announced that Mallow and Youghal were among towns to be included in the Government’s RAPID programme, a scheme designed to heighten the identity of large towns and deal with areas of disadvantage within them.
However, it is largely felt that those two towns and many others like them have gained nothing from the designation.
Mallow
Mallow had the additional designation of hub town status assigned to it under the National Spatial Strategy. In spite of that, more jobs have been lost than gained over the last five years.
John McDonnell, chairman of the Mallow Development Partnership, says designation as a hub town has been “a very, very serious disappointment so far”
“Nothing has happened as a result of it. In fact there is a Catch 22 situation – because Mallow is a hub town it doesn’t get leader funding for new employment projects. Yet, at the same time, nothing is given to it as a hub.
“Dairygold, Irish Sugar and Rowntree Macintosh have all been practically lost and thousands of jobs with them. The only replacement industry in the last 10 years was Kostal which, while has its own question marks, is at least still viable.”
In 2003, a Goodbody report predicted Mallow would need 3,300 extra jobs and 4,000 new houses to meet demand by 2020. However, in terms of employment it has gone the other way. In April 2008 there were 1,046 people in Mallow claiming the dole. Just one year later, the figure had risen to 2,203.
“It is at national level we have been let down,” said John McDonnell. “We are going to continue to fight for the future in spite of the disappointment of the last five years. In the Mallow Development Partnership we have been working on a whole new marketing strategy for the region. The traditional industries are practically gone and we are looking at what might be there in the future.”
One of the areas where the partnership will be pushing is for implementation of the Government’s decentralisation programme.
“We would argue that if there was a proper decentralisation programme, instead of the shotgun effort, then Mallow would benefit from being a hub location because under the spatial strategy the town would be a key location.”
Furthermore, Mr McDonnell wants the Government to press ahead with the creation of the new Atlantic Corridor between Cork and Limerick, which would make Mallow a major hub at the centre of the route between the two towns and make it attractive to external investors.
Cobh
The harbour town has had its fair share of closures in major employers such as IFI and Irish Steel in only the last eight years yet, job losses as a result, no replacement industries have been brought into east Cork.
Cobh harbour and Chamber of Commerce president Joe MacCoitir said: “There has been nothing at all which would compare with what was lost. We are now depending on the harbour area, Ringaskiddy, Carrigtwohill and Little Island for employment. We are trying to get a community enterprise centre up and running but it is extremely expensive.
“Unemployment has virtually doubled in Cobh both due to the loss of industry there and due to companies closing in Cork where workers travel to from their homes in the town.
“Amgen was a major loss in a lot of ways. The people of Cobh had been hoping to provide services both in the construction of the facility and in supplies when it was up and running.”
In Bandon, local councillor Andrew Coleman said the main job sources in his town had traditionally been construction and the services sector.
However, there has been a marked decline in both regions leaving Bandon in deep trouble. The loss of staple sectors is like the loss of a single major employer.
It has had a startling effect. The numbers on the live register in Bandon have almost tripled from 697 in April 2008 to 1,445 in April 2009.
Mr Coleman puts that down to the failure at national level to put in key infrastructural investment into the town.
For example, as in Cobh, the town does not have universal, quality broadband nor there has been insufficient investment in the road network which would make it more attractive to international companies looking for somewhere to base themselves.
Mr Coleman has proposed that a network of third level training bodies be set up in the town. He said that Bandon has four high-quality secondary schools yet in terms of developing their talents, all must travel to Cork or beyond to learn crucial skills.
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