IB PARTNER PROFILE LOUTH COUNTY COUNCIL
A County Open for Business Joan Martin, Chief Executive, Louth County Council talks to InBUSINESS about the county’s pro-business policies and its council’s relationship with PayPal. Q. What is enticing businesses to locate in Louth?
A. Situated mid-way between Dublin and Belfast, Louth has a strategic advantage when it comes to ease of access to key markets. The Council has developed pro-business policies and infrastructure and it works with entrepreneurs to help them succeed. Our economic development team partners with businesses to remove obstacles that might deter or slow them down. Start-ups and growing enterprises in the county can also take advantage of affordable property solutions and a competitive operating base. Louth has excellent infrastructure, and with the ongoing development of a number of substantial housing initiatives, and the impressive campus at Dundalk Institute of Technology, Louth is an enticing location for businesses looking to set up or to expand. Furthermore, the Louth Economic Forum helps to inform policy at Council level and gives businesses the opportunity to contribute to the economic wellbeing of the county. Louth’s decision to invest
in pro-business policies has been rewarded by the decision of leading companies such as Glen Dimplex, Irish Life, Digiweb, Kerry Group, Boyle Sports, PayPal, Coca-Cola, Xerox and State Street to locate here. Since 2016, IDA and Enterprise Ireland client companies have announced more than 1,400 jobs in new investments in the county.
Q. Tell us about the Council’s relationship with PayPal.
A. The Council’s probusiness and pro-jobs approach has been the basis of a healthy business relationship with PayPal. We worked closely with [PayPal’s Vice President of Western, Central and Eastern Europe, Ireland, Middle East and Africa] Louise Phelan and her team from the outset to ensure that PayPal’s expectations were met – from its property search, planning and infrastructural requirements, to helping it integrate into the community. In turn, PayPal is an excellent example of a local company that proactively engages with the local community. It is also an
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active member of the Louth Economic Forum.
Q. How does the Council encourage business development within Louth?
A. New property developments can avail of reduced commercial levies alongside reductions and exemptions for developments in the town centres of Dundalk, Drogheda, Ardee and Dunleer though the revised Development Contribution Scheme. Qualifying investments by IDA, Enterprise Ireland and Local Enterprise Office clients can avail of a 50 per cent discount for property development contributions. There are also incentives to help make key retail areas more attractive to shoppers, including shopfront improvement grants and design guidelines. Q. Tell us more about the Louth Economic Forum.
A. Louth Economic Forum was established in 2009 to facilitate collaboration across sectors to drive economic growth and job creation. It is made up of representatives of the business community, State/ development agencies, and Louth County Council.
Joan Martin, Chief Executive, Louth County Council
The Forum has identified nine areas to be addressed for the sustained economic development of Louth, and it has already developed action plans around broadband, tourism and heritage, indigenous industry, sustainable energy, agriculture, food and fisheries and foreign direct investment (FDI). This approach is proving to be successful. For example, the FDI strategy set a job creation target of 3,000 new jobs in Louth over a 10-year period to 2020 – more than 2,100 jobs have already been created. For more information, visit www.louthcoco.ie or call 1890 202 303.
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