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Ken Tobin.
KERRY’S representative organisations have united to ask the Director of the Southern Regional Assembly for an extension to the March 8 deadline for receiving submissions to the Draft Regional Spatial and Economic Strategy (RSES) Plan.
The plan, which is a new framework for economic development and planning for the Southern Region, will set out how Government policies and objectives are delivered for the region until 2031.
It will set the parameters for the County Kerry Development Plan during that time which will have implications on the future development and growth of Kerry.
On behalf of the Chambers of Commerce in Kerry, the Managing Consultant with Tralee Chamber Alliance, Ken Tobin, said: “We are concerned that the business community in Kerry were not fully informed of the critical work the Southern Assembly have been undertaking in drafting the RSES. As a consequence of this low awareness and subsequent lack of input from the business community, the Southern Assembly could not have been expected to be fully informed. Hence the RSES document is lacking in critical detail specifically relating to Kerry’s economic needs. In the opinion of the above group of organisations, and its members, the document as drafted significantly undervalues the role Kerry must play in the Region’s economic development.”
The Chambers collectively welcome this document and recognise the significant responsibility of the Southern Assembly to create a regional level strategy (RSES) as detailed in the NPF, in order to provide the framework for how ‘Government policies and objectives will be delivered for the region’.
The President of Tralee Chamber Alliance, Aidan Kelly, said: “Kerry was under-represented in the National Development Plan. However, Kerry County Council have been forthright in their submissions to the RSES on behalf of the people of Kerry to attract increased investment into the county. Tralee Chamber Alliance is the key business representative body in Kerry’s largest town and capital, and shares Kerry County Council’s ultimate vision for the towns of Tralee, Killarney and Killorglin to develop as the ‘Knowledge Tri-angle’ for Kerry.”
The Chambers of Commerce in Tralee, Killarney, Listowel, Castleisland, Dingle, Killorglin and Kenmare support the collective approach to promoting greater investment in infrastructure, job creation, increased connectivity and community services in the Kingdom.
The RSES Plan effectively dictates where Government investment will go over the next twelve years and if someone asks in future years why our County has not be given its fair share of investment to grow and develop, the RSES Plan will be the reason.
Businesses and the community representatives in Kerry are being encouraged to review the RSES Plan and submit their views to rses@southernassembly.ie or send them to ken@tralee.ie to support the Kerry Chambers’ submission ahead of the Friday 8th March closing date.
Full details of the RSES Plan can be found at https://www.southernassembly.ie/regional-planning/regional-spatial-and-economic-strategy.
