‘Grade A’ office space a must for New Ross
‘SEXY’, ‘COOL’ OFFICE SPACES IN ATTRACTIVE TOWN CENTRE NEEDED TO BOOST INTEREST FROM YOUTH
CLONGEEN native Ed Murphy, who is Senior Economic Adviser with Wexford County Council CEO Tom Enright, spoke of the need for ‘sexy’ Grade A office spaces in New Ross town centre to increase footfall.
Mr Murphy outlined his business background running Snap Printing and Home Instead Senior Care, which employs several thousand staff. He currently heads up Invest Wexford.
Mr Murphy said he is working to get inward investment into Co Wexford. Among his successes are attracting Grandpad to Gorey by stealing a march on the IDA. He spoke of the need for advance factory premises in Butlersland and for more office spaces in the town centre.
Mr Murphy: ‘I really believe this has to happen from the ground up,’ he said, adding that the IDA go along with wherever foreign companies say they want to locate, which is usually Dublin.
‘We have to create the environment that makes it attractive for companies to come to. We have to develop the leads ourselves.’
A Transforming New Ross event for positive businesspeople who have ideas to contribute is taking place in the Brandon House Hotel on Thursday, March 5. The meeting will help with forming a New Ross team comprising CEOs and business leaders from the area, he said.
Mr Murphy said he was very impressed with the presentation Wexford director of services Eamonn Hore gave about the €270m investment in the town and area over recent weeks. ‘I am blown away by what Eamonn has done and I think New Ross has a fantastic future, but only to the extent that you take the bull by the horns and do it yourselves. It will not happen unless you stand up and start the process. Whether it’s politicians, the IDA or Wexford County Council they tend to support the people who make the effort themselves.’
He urged business owners to work more closely with Wexford County Council.
He said in New Ross an advance factory and some buildings that offices can be accommodated in. ‘When a company say they want to come they want to come in three months time. Good, Grade A office space is needed because when companies are trying to get young, energetic people they need sexy premises. I would love to see some of the old buildings in New Ross done up so they can be really cool. The county council are working hard in terms of creating incubation spaces, enterprise spaces and small property solutions to help young companies come there, but some of those ideas need to come from the ground up as well.’
He said people were talking very negatively about Enniscorthy for years but after the recent Transforming Enniscorthy event many people have come forward to be on the team.
‘All of a sudden people are starting to think positively about what Enniscorthy can do. There is a lot going for Enniscorthy but there is a lot going for New Ross too. I think New Ross people and Enniscorthy people we need to drown out negativity and people who are negative. I have tried many times in business to turn people who are negative into positive and it’s just not worth the effort.’
He said negative people are followers and they will eventually come along to the right way of thinking.
Mr Murphy said: ‘ This is a time to take things one step at a time. Let’s get the first company and the second one. Let the positive momentum drown out the negative people. You have Integer which is the biggest employer in Wexford. Can you imagine if you had two or three more Integers what it would do for your businesses and housing in the town. We are nearly starting to miss a generation, people aged 20 to 40 are not walking around our towns, going to the pubs etc. We need to create incubation spaces, innovation spaces in the centre of the town – not two miles out of the town. We need to get those young people working back in the town and we need to bring youth and energy and we do need to have young people who are working
WE ARE NEARLY STARTING TO MISS A GENERATION, PEOPLE AGED 20 TO 40 ARE NOTWALKING AROUND OUR TOWNS, GOING TO THE PUBS ETC.
and living in the town. It’s good for retail and for everybody as well. We can only do that if we create businesses. We are going to have to chase down companies and incentivise them to come into the town but it’s going to take a huge sales effort. Invest Wexford are a sales organisation.’
There is only one grade A office block in Wexford and that is in Gorey so the county needs more of those, he said, adding that one can be created in New Ross in the next six months. ‘If we decide to do it it can be done.’