Sligo 'showing considerable promise' as a gateway city according to new report
Sligo is showing considerable promise as a Gateway centre, according to a major new report which measures the extent to which the designated gateways are progressing as drivers of regional economic development.
The report on the development of the country's nine National Spatial Strategy Gateways is the first of its kind focusing solely on the effectiveness of the regional development strategy. Known as the Gateway Development Index, it has been prepared in close co-operation with the Spatial Planning Unit within the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government.
Commissioned by the Border, Midland and Western (BMW) and Southern and Eastern (S&E) Regional Assemblies, the index takes account of the current level of development and trends across a common framework of key indicators which include population, enterprise, environment, economic, employment and social factors.
A public awareness survey was also conducted to capture residents' views of the quality of life and the impact of Gateway designation in each Gateway city/town.
Sligo's overall index score is given as 5.0, just on the national average. In the urban core and the wider catchment environment and performed strongly.
The social issues score was especially high, and reflected a positive performance in relation to both crime levels and social participation, according to the report.
Enterprise and transport were at the national level. Population, knowledge and affluence were the weaker issues in Sligo. However, even these were not greatly below the national average.
Reporting on trends, the index noted that the wider catchment area had been consistently above the national average over time, whereas the urban core was just below it, and was marginally losing ground over area, social health, issues time in comparison to the average position.
The report said the perception of the Gateway among its residents was high, in particular awareness of its Gateway status. The perception of Gateway quality was akin to the national average, and Sligo was perceived by residents as improving.
Perceptions were particularly positive in relation to education and transport access, although actual performance in these areas was not especially strong.
"Sligo is showing considerable promise as a Gateway, and has held its position at the national average GDI score during a period when that average rose. Its urban core is somewhat weaker than its catchment," the report concludes.
- JIM GRAY
