3.7 Economy & Employment

3.7 Economy & Employment

Listowel Town is a designated Regional Town with a tradition as a vibrant market town with a strong local economy and is well positioned geographically as the central town in North Kerry supporting the satellite towns and villages of the wider district. The town is well served in terms of physical connectivity through a national and regional road network and in terms of digital connectivity through the fibre broadband network.

Listowel has a strong history in nurturing business and industry. The primary source of enterprise has traditionally been agriculture and related services.  The positioning of Listowel as a regional economic driver is a priority and will be achieved through boosting the supply of high-quality employment spaces, the development of an excellent quality environment, smarter travel connectivity and improvements to the public realm and leisure and amenity areas. This will help to maximise its potential for remote working, business/enterprise start-ups and linkage with the Listowel Food Hub.  

3.7.1 Listowel Economic Strategy

To promote employment creation and skills development in Listowel - in alignment with the Listowel Economic Strategy 2019 – 2021 - Kerry County Council will:

• Reposition and develop Listowel as a Business centre and destination for inward investment drawing on Gas Network and broadband connectivity in line with NPF National Strategic Outcome 3 Strengthened Rural Economies and Communities
• Provide infrastructure and opportunity to enable the redevelopment/repurposing of existing buildings and opportunity sites including the Mart Yard and derelict buildings in the town in line with NPF National Strategic Outcome 1 Compact Growth.
• Focus on facilitating the development of alternative workplace solutions such as co-working, e-commerce and home working services to underpin economic growth in the Town as an integral component supporting the Kerry Hub Knowledge Triangle.

Listowel has an opportunity to develop as a regional centre for co-working spaces enabling local entrepreneurship. With support, Listowel can develop a fresh “eco-system” of enterprise based on e-commerce, home working and a Digi-hub for nurturing sole-traders, remote workers and growing businesses.

Furthermore, efforts to attract inward investment, support for indigenous industries and the continuing improvements to the environmental tourism product will also be actively pursued to enhance Listowel’s role on the Atlantic Economic Corridor, Wild Atlantic Way and Shannon Estuary. In particular, the Council will support the sustainable development of key economic sectors by facilitating:

1. The N69 Listowel by-pass of the town to reduce congestion and improve access within both the town and the wider North Kerry area.
2. The provision and sustainable extension of infrastructure including roads, telecommunications, energy, sanitary services, housing and amenities (and also, Sustainable transport measures through the Active Travel Programme).
3. The protection and development of the town’s natural heritage and associated recreational activities to improve the public domain and realise the environmental and quality of life strengths of the town.
4. The zoning of sufficient lands for industrial and commercial development to cater for future demand.
5. The zoning of lands for residential development required by the labour force and the implementation of the Housing Strategy to ensure adequacy of supply specifically in line with the strategic plans of Irish Water; and
6. Investment in the public realm to improve the external environment in which to live, work and visit.

3.7.2 Listowel Business Park, Clieveragh

Listowel Business Park in Clieveragh consists of ca 15ha’s of land zoned for commerce enterprise and employment. It contains a strategic Economic site and as such is a very important resource for Listowel and offers a strategic asset for attraction of external investment to North Kerry. Kerry County Council acknowledges the importance of supporting and strengthening the Business Park as an economic driver for the town and the region.

3.7.3 Digital Hub

Listowel is well placed to nurture e-commerce, remote working and a centre or “hub” for promoting enterprise and innovation. Affording excellent quality of life opportunities Listowel is located within 30 mins of Munster Technological University and 60 mins to the University of Limerick and Limerick Institute of Technology. It is an objective of this plan to facilitate and support the development of a sustainable cluster of businesses in a collaborative environment within a Digital hub.

3.7.4 Listowel Food Hub

The Council will continue to support and strengthen The Listowel Food Hub project. The Hub is part of a much wider initiative to stimulate and support a local food industry in the town and surrounding area. Locating the Food Hub in Clieveragh will also sustain and create a critical mass of food related activities and services.

3.7.5 Local Food

As well as the health and local economic benefits, Kerry County Council recognises the community cooperation and interaction fostered by local food production and therefore encourages local food production as an important element within its overall social inclusion strategy. The development of the Food hub in Listowel will strengthen this network and enhance its economic sustainability.