Dublin's green way

DUBLIN CITY COUNCIL:An economic development plan for north Dublin looks set to deliver great benefits to local communities, the economy and the environment

THE ECONOMIC development plan for the greater Dublin region envisages the development of three “innovation corridors” radiating from the city core. These corridors are designed to be engines of economic growth and job creation over the next decade and beyond. To the south there is a corridor taking in TCD and UCD; to the west a corridor stretching across the Naas Road to Citywest and the surrounding area.

Perhaps the most exciting of all three, however, is the northern corridor, specifically focused on the emerging green economy. An tSlí Ghlas – the Green Way – has been initiated by an alliance of businesses, academic institutions and local authorities including Dublin Institute of Technology (DIT), Ballymun Regeneration Ltd, Dublin Airport Authority, Dublin City University (DCU), Fingal County Council, Dublin City Council and North Dublin Chamber of Commerce.

The proposed corridor runs along the route of the proposed Metro North and takes in DIT’s new campus at Grangegorman, the DCU campus, the Ballymun area and Dublin Airport. “The vision for this project is to create an internationally recognised green economic zone where innovation in various aspects of the green economy will be promoted by the partners,” says Michael Stubbs, assistant city manager with Dublin City Council.

“It is a natural corridor,” he points out. “We will have Luas line BXD connecting beside the Metro at Grangegorman and there is already a strong relationship between DIT and DCU, which are working closely with each other on a range of research projects. Also, both have very good entrepreneurial programmes that deliver start-up companies. Ballymun Regeneration has been very focused on the whole green economy and cleantech (clean technology) area and the Dublin Airport Authority is also looking to this area for the future development of the airport lands. Fingal County Council has included the corridor in its development plan – it is now part of the overall economic action plan for the region.”

The Green Way was originally conceived in response to the 2009 report of the Government’s High-Level Action Group on Green Enterprise which stated that Ireland needed to “develop one or more green zones in order to create an environment that can support the development of green enterprise and be used to market Ireland overseas”.

“We wish to create an internationally recognised green economic zone and position Ireland as a leader in the world’s most exciting and rapidly growing sector,” says Tony Boyle, chairman of the Steering Committee for An tSlí Ghlas. “The potential of this project, which builds on our existing assets and infrastructure, is that it can assist in the transformation of our economy.”

According to Boyle, the project had its genesis in co-operation between Ballymun Regeneration Ltd – the company created by Dublin City Council to lead the social and economic regeneration of the Ballymun area – DIT and DCU.

“My involvement came about through my role as president of North Dublin Chamber and a member of the board of Ballymun Regeneration,” he explains. “Ballymun has been looking at green developments and has been [named] Green Community of the Year for the past two years. We had been working with DIT on a number of issues, such as retraining unemployed people who had formerly worked in the construction industry to give them the skills needed in the new green economy. We had also been working with DCU in various areas and our next-door neighbours in Dublin Airport had already decided to establish a cleantech campus on the airport lands.”

These four organisations became the founding partners of what has become An tSlí Ghlas. “The ‘Your Country, Your Call’ competition really galvanised us into doing something,” says Boyle. “We wanted to take [advantage of] the excellent work that was happening in the two third-level institutions and in the community. We had the nucleus of an idea and we formed a project team around that earlier this year. Dublin City Council and Fingal County Council joined us and this helped make a very powerful group incorporating industry, academia, local government and the community.”

A number of projects are already under way. “We have 5,000 square metres of designated wetlab space for cleantech industries on the lands next to Ikea at an advanced planning stage. The DIT Dublin Energy Lab with Ballymun Regeneration Ltd is providing training and re-skilling of building trade workers for the cleantech industries. The Dublin Airport Authority is regenerating the airport central area as a hub for cleantech inward investment.

“Ballymun has seen the establishment of the Rediscovery Centre initiative, which encompasses all elements of waste management and currently employs 20 people in sustainable design, research and enterprise development, while DIT is working on the establishment of an Energy Product Innovation Centre on behalf of Green Way partners in collaboration with the University of Houston, Texas.”

One of the key aims of the project is to foster the growth of a cluster of green and cleantech enterprises. “There is already strong business incubation capability within the project partners,” Boyle points out. “DIT has its Hothouse facility, DCU has the Invent centre and the two councils have the Enterprise Boards. The Green Start programme will kick off in Ballymun shortly and will provide mentoring and training for eight cleantech start-ups. We already have a strong line-up of green entrepreneurs and we would like to hear from others .”

“We are hoping to see the establishment of what might be termed a ‘Green IFSC’ with a strong focus on job creation in the area,” adds Stubbs. “The social perspective is also very important to Dublin City Council. The project will promote sustainability in the community, while society will benefit from the new jobs.”

These sentiments are echoed by the academic partners. The initiative will create a set of international synergies that will help to drive economic development in Ireland according to Professor Brian Norton, president of DIT. “By harnessing existing economic assets, both public and private, An tSlí Ghlas will support the creation of indigenous SMEs as well as attracting foreign investment. With collaboration between DIT and DCU, the Green Way will facilitate economic regeneration, but also social and physical regeneration from Grangegorman to Ballymun.”

DCU president Professor Brian MacCraith agrees. “We are very confident about the success of this exciting venture for many reasons,” he says. “The key constituents and assets are already in place, and we are ready to do business with a team of partners all sharing a common goal and vision. DCU and DIT have a long established tradition of engagement with industry and our links with business are well regarded both in Ireland and overseas. An tSlí Ghlas, drawing on our collective research expertise, will become a focused, internationally recognised hub for Cleantech businesses.”

Speaking at the formal launch of An tSlí Ghlas last month, EU Commissioner Máire Geoghegan-Quinn pointed to the broad scope of the project. “We need innovation in every walk of life, not just in the laboratory or the factory; not just in the most prosperous regions, but in cities and rural areas across the whole European Union; not just research-driven innovation, but innovation in business models, management structures and processes, design and marketing,” she said.

“Why shouldn’t Ireland, the country of 40 shades of green, become a ‘green-tech’ hub, with 40 shades of innovation? Irish people are among the most resourceful, dynamic and creative in the world.”

Boyle sees exciting times ahead. “We have approval from our principals for our seed budget for the first year and are about to appoint an interim chief executive and operations director. I really do believe we can take a global leadership position in the green-tech sector and deliver enormous benefits to the communities here, as well as to the Irish economy.”