S Granahan Castlebar Town Council, Tom Canavan Castlebar Chamber, Peter Glynn Chamber President, Padraic Mc Guinness PMG Consult, Seamus Bree Entrerprise Ireland

2020 Vision Launch Nov 08

Castlebar Vision 2020

VISION STRATEGY PROJECTS

This vision will be realised through strong business and community networks, inter-agency

partnership and continuous investment in key infrastructure and quality services”

Why does Castlebar and the Chamber need a vision?

A vision captures an organisation’s values, beliefs, desires and abilities, considering its environment

and its resources. A vision:

• Is essential to establishing long-term priorities and direction for the Chamber

and its stakeholders

• Provides common purpose rather than disparate views, and confused messages

• Allows for strategic and pro-active planning, rather than reactive response

- after the horse has bolted!

• Allows the Chamber to analyse options, arrive at position and focus its activity

• Castlebar needs to find its niche and play to its strengths or USP’s

in context of its competitors

• Castlebar Chamber needs to provide leadership for the local business community

- all leaders have vision

“Vision 2020 sees Castlebar as a vibrant and

progressive commercial and leisure hub where:

• Business investment and innovation is supported

by educational excellence and quality

business support services

• It becomes a national retail and leisure

destination supported by a quality product in

culture and entertainment

• It is a centre for investment in environmental

technologies, renewable energy, cultural tourism,

outdoor pursuits and the creative industries

• The natural and built environments are protected

and developed to their full potential and where

a revived town centre is unique in bridging the

old and the new

Building the Vision

At our first Castlebar Vision 2020 event last December, PMG Consult helped the attendees through

an analysis of the factors that are likely to impact on Castlebar in the years ahead to 2020. This analysis

used a Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities & Threats (SWOT ) framework. The findings of the SWOT

set the scene for the subsequent research and consultation Panel work that was conducted throughout

the spring and summer of 2008. The summary findings are presented below.

Alongside the four Panels, PMG Consult carried out a number of other strands of research and

consultation. This looked at other successful town based strategies and Chambers including Ennis

and Dundalk in particular. Operational models for town centre regeneration were also explored and

consultations and reviews around enterprise and development policy, strategies and programmes

were also conducted. All of this has been used to provide essential background and context for a

Castlebar Vision 2020.

From the outset it was the conviction of Castlebar Chamber that the endeavour would need to be

underpinned by a strong sense of partnership and integration if there was to be any chance of success.

This priority became the driver for discussions with the local authorities, key developers, Enterprise

Ireland, the IDA and other agencies in the field. We received a tremendous level of support and buy-in

from practitioners in these organisations. The flavour and content of the emerging vision was on track

and our partners wanted to work towards the same end game.