The background
Sligo is a hidden gem nestled on the stunning northwest coast of Ireland. This vibant and creative place holds immense potential as a regional hub and growth centre, a city of the future. With its main urban centre and secondary towns of Tubbercurry, Ballymote and Enniscrone, Sligo is an affordable and lively destination. It offers easy access to educational and recreational facilities while serving as a hub of services and employment in Northwest Ireland.
Following changes in the EU Cohesion Policy, the northwest region of Ireland is now in EU terms a “region in transition”, the only region in Ireland to be classed as such. However, as unenviable as this tag may be, it has resulted in many new opportunities for the region, one in particular being support from ESIF funds.
In addition, through the Irish Government’s own strategic national growth plans up to 2040, “Ireland 2040, the National Planning Framework”, Sligo has been designated as a Regional growth centre, a recognition of its potential as a driver of economic development, growth and job creation for the northwest region.
The challenge
Sligo 2030: One Voice Once Vision: a Local Economic and Community Plan (LECP).
In the development of its own economic development policies, Sligo County Council seized these opportunities in the preparation of its Local Economic & Community Plan (LECP); a vision based on smart and green principles for the future development of Sligo, “Sligo 2030”.
Sligo 2030 is a collaborative transformative plan aimed at maximising the opportunities of Sligo and developing its growth centre potential. One of its main objectives is to attract skilled individuals and new enterprises with a focus on the jobs of the future in the digital and green areas. Sligo County Council wants to do this in a “sustainable” way while also maintaining Sligo’s high quality of life. Additionally, it seeks to support its local small and medium-sized enterprises, promote its beautiful natural surroundings, invest in digitalization, and further develop its services.
The action
Smart city principles:
The concept of smart development in Sligo aims to showcase the integration of technology, sustainability, and innovation. It also seeks to promote highly innovative companies and jobs and to empower local business communities and clusters to capitalise on their successful solutions.
The Sligo 2030 One Voice One Vision Plan proposes an integrated framework that covers all aspects of Sligo's development. It is the result of the joint efforts of the Council, all service-providing agencies within the county, and the community of Sligo itself. The Plan will guide the economic, social, community, and spatial growth of the town and county of Sligo for the next seven years. To achieve this, Sligo aims to be a leader in using smart technology.
Guided by the principles of being smart, green, sustainable, and inclusive, Sligo 2030 identifies strategic investments in selected areas using a thematic approach that considers over 40 strategies and policies across all levels (local, regional, national, and international). It highlights key needs identified through policy reviews, socio-economic analyses, and consultation.
@Sligo County Council
@Sligo County Council
@Sligo County Council
Support from JASPERS:
Our JASPERS experts in innovation and urban design advocated and advised the Council in ensuring that the green and digital city ambition would be at the heart of the new plan. JASERS put forward and supported relevant key strategies, including the digitalisation strategy 2020-2023 which formed a baseline for Sligo’s smart city development.
JASPERS also highlighted the importance of key demonstration projects, which should have the ability to be replicated and/or scalable and using innovation as the main driver.
Finally, JASPERS recommended the development of a wide programme of smart development projects focusing on innovation across the region as well as the establishment of smart cities and innovation districts to attract the driving industries that will create jobs and business prospects in the region.
The results
Sligo 2030 sets out six main objectives supporting the smart and green vision aiming to boost sustainable economic development, harness smart technology, address climate change, enhance community well-being and inclusivity, promote heritage, and foster collaboration and innovation in Sligo.
Within the last year, two new technology focused centres of excellence have been completed and are now open for business. The New Advanced Innovation Manufacturing Centre (AIM Centre) focuses on research and development into new emerging digital technologies necessary to advance future manufacturing processes and supply chains for businesses. A new Digital & Technology space for creative industries has also been completed. The Atlantic Technological University (encompassing IT Sligo) is also operational.
These objectives and projects serve as the foundation and support for future initiatives. With this new strategic vision and plan in place, the effects should become evident in the coming years through the implementation of smart city projects throughout the county.
@Strand Campus
@Sligo County Council
@AIM