Shaping our Advocacy Agenda for 2023

In our first session of the year, held in early February in the River Lee Hotel, housing and apartment delivery, talent attraction, sustainability, transport and connectivity emerged as key priorities.

As a discussion session to help guide our advocacy strategy for the year ahead, it opened with a panel discussion moderated by Fiona Corcoran of Healy Communications with a diverse range of leaders from different sectors including TJ Hunter, Senior Director of Operations and Development Onshore Ireland & UK, Ørsted, Nicola Quinn, Tax Partner, PwC Ireland, Conor Galvin, Chief Executive, Dairygold, Andrew Flynn, General Manager, Janssen Pharmaceuticals Sciences and Garrett O’Keefe, VP, Customer Success and Ireland Site Leader, Solar Winds.

There was a lively discussion on the outlook for the year ahead, both at a national and international level for each of the sectors, and on what that meant for Cork and setting the Chamber’s priorities.

There was a positive outlook across the panel on growth in all sectors, but all the panellists also referenced the impact that housing shortages were having on recruitment and retention of talent, and the rising cost that rents were imposing on staff.

The discussion set the context for an interactive and lively workshop, where the whole range of issues from integration of new talent and connectivity from Cork airport, to the cross-cutting impact that delays within the planning system are having across industry and society by slowing the delivery of key infrastructure and housing in Cork featured strongly.

Some of the main interlinked themes and insights discussed on the day included:

Housing continues to be the number one concern for our members and was consistently highlighted throughout the workshop as a key economic enabler, specifically, high density apartments in the city centre. It is also intrinsically linked to the fierce global competition to attract and retain talent in Cork.

A number of key blockers were identified by our partners including the viability and affordability challenge of building apartments in the city centre, delays in the planning systems and high and rising rents.

Problems with the planning system and delays came up over and over again and while planning reform is underway, it is clear that more targeted measures from government will be needed to deliver the scale of urban homes and the transport, energy and water infrastructure needed to ensure investor confidence, attract and retain talent and contribute to a lively and vibrant city region.

Cork’s economic opportunities are all linked to the need for skills both in terms of skills building to fulfil future needs for example as we transition to an energy system run 100% on renewables, and to ensuring we can continue to attract and retain high quality and diverse talent. Stronger links between industry and universities on R&D, and creating degree courses that produce more agile graduates were among the recommendations from the discussions.

Opportunities exist to build on the already strong business academia relationship to further develop key skills. However, how we integrate newcomers also came up as a key point for action to ensure integration and diversity and building an internationally competitive talent pool. Ultimately, ensuring Cork continues to remain attractive to investment and talent will require more housing, real action to combat climate change, and a good quality of life for those who chose to do business in and make Cork their home.

Energy security, sustainability and deployment of renewables were very prominent in discussions and will be key to Ireland and Cork’s ability to take climate action. Delivering on these key objectives will depend on a number of key factors, from encouraging & facilitating public and active travel, taking advantage of our renewable energy potential, reversing the biodiversity crisis and creating green spaces and pushing sustainability down supply chains. With Cork’s designation to be a climate neutral city by 2030, it was clear that faster change and diverse leadership is needed to drive this agenda forward.

It was highlighted across the room that there is a distinct opportunity for Cork to utilise its natural wind resources, the facilities at the Port of Cork, and the strong energy cluster to drive forward renewable energy development and enhance our energy security. While there are regulatory and human resourcing challenges, the opportunity for Cork to be a hub are immense and there is great positivity and momentum in the industry. Ultimately, the deployment of renewables will be a key deciding factor for future FDI choosing Cork.

Getting people out of the cars and onto public transport is one of the easiest ways to decarbonise our city region, decongest our roads, improve air quality and attract international talent who expect to have a comprehensive public transport system to get around. The delivery of strategic roads including the M28 and N25, connectivity to the Port of Cork, and more routes out of Cork Airport to key business locations were identified as key priorities on the day.

Cork Chamber is consistently pushing for the accelerated delivery of the M28 to open up the docklands to housing and enable the port to reach its potential and fortunately, Cork is well placed and on the way to achieving public transport goals with the Cork Metropolitan Area Transport Strategy, the planned electrification and expansion of suburban rail to the East and North of the city, and BusConnects Cork.

Parallel to this is improving our regional, national and international connectivity.

We are fortunate to be part of a vibrant business community where innovation is fostered, collaboration is championed, and business leaders are focused on viewing the glass half full of the opportunities that await us. We at Cork Chamber look forward to working with all stakeholders and government to drive this business agenda forward.