The President of Little Island Business Association, Michael Mulcahy, gave the following address at The President’s Dinner 2024 & The LIBA Awards 2024 on Friday, October 18th 2024.
THE PRESIDENT’S DINNER 2024 & THE LIBA AWARDS 2024
Cathaoirleach of Seanad Eireann Senator Jerry Buttimer, Guest of Honour, the Minister of State at the Department of Health Colm Burke TD, Padraig O’ Sullivan TD, Councillors, members of Little Island Community Association, Guests and Friends joining us this evening, on behalf of Little Island Business Association, I welcome you all to our annual President’s Dinner and awards night.
Firstly, I want to thank sincerely our past President’s for their great work for the business associations over the past 12 years since it was established. As a not for profit association looking after, supporting and promoting the Little Island area, the remit of the association is to advance the brand of Little Island in every way possible, make the area attractive to inward investment and ensure that we have a community that works for everyone.
They say that a year is a long time in politics, and it is…..a year in the life of Little Island is a very short time, as so much progress is being made here each month and especially with so much investment announcements, new business openings and so much more.
So much investment has been made by our more than 1,000 companies that are based here and the more than 12,650 permanent employees that work here now. That number is expected to grow to over 15,000 by 2026, and all in an area where more than 21,700 people live, work and visit each day.
Our infrastructure here in Little Island has improved dramatically in recent years, and the new Dunkettle Interchange has made a significant difference to our area. It has as could be expected with a plan that was developed almost two decades ago also brough some issues because or the volume of traffic now using certain parts of this network. Lane merging issues at peak time going from East to West are an issue. However, Transport Infrastructure Ireland have been assessing possible modifications that can be made to alleviate these issues and we continue to press them on the matter.
As well as all that is happening currently, all that is planned for Little Island is without doubt exciting and significant. In the Cork County Development Plan 2022-2028, we previously spoke of the provision for 500 new homes in the area, a new village centre, new bus lanes and cycle paths, new public realm works and much more. This is without doubt a significant vote of confidence in Little Island and its future from the elected members and the executive of Cork County Council, and the fact that the first major housing project in Courtstown is currently before the planners is hopefully an indication of the progress we will see.
This proposed development is a residential led scheme consisting of 172 residential units to comprising a mix of 2, 3 & 4 bed, detached, semi-detached and terraced houses, two blocks of apartments and four commercial units. Little Island Business Association has clearly signalled its support for this development.
While Little Island is the largest business district in Cork and in all of Ireland South, this new plan will see Little Island address some of the imbalance of residential living versus business living and Little Island has for over a decade called for this to be addressed.
We welcome all engagement with Little Island Community Association and Little Island Business Association is delighted to work in partnership with the Community Association and support them in everything that they see the need for in the area. Little Island was first and foremost a residential area, ever before a commercial enterprise was opened here, and while Little Island is now designated as a business district, Little Island Business Association believes in supporting an overall community model for the area. Our residential community of Little Island is the corner stone of this area, as it has been since the very beginning.
As the residential community grows with the new housing planned for the area, so too will our support of the civic elements of Little Island and we continue to ask every business and every employee in this area to come together to support the community, build on the great community spirit that exists here and enhance the civic amenities and civic spirit of Little Island, in a way that will be a showcase for every other community in Ireland when ‘business meets community and business supports community’. This is for the benefit of everyone that calls Little Island their home, be it their residential home or their business home.
With so much commercial development in place and planned for the area and so much more possibilities for development on the Eastern corridor of Little Island, it is crucial that residents and businesses can co-exist here in a way that works for everyone.
Cork County Council has appointed a new Chief Executive. Moira Murrell has taken over role from Valerie O’ Sullivan who held it on a temporary basis since Tim Lucey retired left the role. Valerie O’ Sullivan has now been appointed as the new Chief Executive of Cork City Council, and I congratulate both Moira and Valerie on their recent appointments.
We have recently written to Moira Murrell setting out the case for a discussion on the appointment of a Community Engagement Officer for Little Island. Little Island is as we have said, a unique case as Cork’s largest business district, and we believe that for future commercial progress to be achieved in the area, and for the much needed residential community to grow, that a dedicated officer would serve the interests to the community so that all sectors of the community can utilise that officer in seeking to achieve progress and positive development for the area.
Of course, there is much that remains to be done here in our area, much of our infrastructure in the older part of Little Island dates back more than 60 years and is as we know not fit for purpose today. Having achieved a significant result in the redevelopment of the Courtstown/Harbour Point road last year, we are actively working on other areas also that need the same level of input and progress. When you have senior business leaders from all over the world visiting our area and considering investment in their plants here of hundreds of millions of euros, an incident, which unfortunately is not an isolated one, of their car suffering tyre blowouts as it hit deep craters on one of the business park roads is not an image that benefits any of us. This too regrettably is the case on so many days for too many employees of certain areas in Little Island. It is unacceptable and a legacy issue that we still have to find a solution to.
With an estimated €13.25m this year that will be paid in commercial rates by businesses in this area, and as the largest business district in Cork, the expectations that we all have and want for this area must be delivered on by all of us and it is in working together in a strategic way that benefits this area and in turn, all of Cork.
Each year Little Island Business Associations hosts many visiting business people looking at locations in Cork to locate their businesses. These could be small independent and indigenous businesses or could be global brands seeking an Irish or European base. We do our very best to promote the area to these groups and have been very successful in attracting new projects to the area.
This year is seeing capital investment in projects in Little Island of over €350m, following announcements of over €400m last year. That is without doubt confidence in abundance for all of us.
The future is certainly bright for Little Island, and with the support of you our members, the difference that this support makes in batting for an area is key to the results that are achieved.
As I have consistently said, Little Island Business Association has a holistic view of what works for this area and in listening to you the members, our drive and ambition for the area is inclusive and wide reaching and will not stop, and our mission includes delivering on the following objectives –
- The enhancing of the existing infrastructure and in particular the infrastructure in the older parts of the island.
- Seeking a better balance between residential and commercial development for the area with a focus on wanting to see 1,000 new homes for the area by 2040
- Creating a stronger community support network for the residential and civic community by their corporate neighbours.
- Enhancing the strong relationship between the Little Island, Glounthane, Fota, Carrigtwohill and Glanmire communities.
- Seeking to progress the necessary third access route to enter and exit Little Island.
- Seeking a greater contribution for Little Island of the commercial rates that the commercial community pays.
- Enhancing the marketing and promotion of the Little Island & District model so that more local and global businesses see it as their preferred location to base their operations.
- Seeking the appointment of a Community Engagement Officer for Little Island.
To conclude, with over 46,000 businesses in all of Cork employing 270,000 people, and with a current population of 540,000 citizens that is expected to grow to over 1m by 2040, Cork has the capacity to offer far more than many other regions in Ireland to national and international companies and citizens seeking a place to call home and to do business in. Little Island will do its part to continue to progress this vision, and with the great support of each of you, be you residents or businesses of this great area, we all have a role to play in that future vision, and Little Island Business Association stands ready and able to work with you and for you in progressing your vision for anything that you want to do and achieve here in Little Island.
Thank you