DCBA Chairman's speech to DCBA AGM
Monday the 26th of March 2007
City Manager, Ladies & Gentlemen welcome today to our 33rd AGM. I am sure I speak for most of you when I say this is an upbeat and
positive era for trade in Dublin City Centre currently and moving
forward.
Access / Transport
In the last couple of years we have seen significant
improvements in access into the city centre from the introduction of
the Luas, extended DART, more commuter trains and an increase in buses
and Quality Bus Corridors. Most recently the opening of the Port Tunnel
and HGV restrictions in the city centre has meant that there will be
around 8,000 less trucks in our city streets freeing them up for our
city shoppers and visitors. We as businesses, have to adapt but we
welcome these developments and their positive impact on improving
access in and around the city centre.
Dublin City Council has done a great job in
facilitating the increase of car usage on our Capital's streets. As a
direct result of investment and effective traffic management in
changing road layout, traffic on the city's main streets is now moving
easier than ever before. There are still opportunities for improvements
in the way of joining the Luas lines and usage and introducing the
Metro. The success of Luas has been founded on a 5 minute clean and
reliable service. The bus service needs to deliver the same standard
and Government needs to consider the funding implications to achieve
this.
In recent years we have seen unprecedented investment
in the landscape of the city centre by Irish retailers, Dublin City
Council and national Government. We welcome the
forthcoming development of Arnotts and Carlton site development and the
National Conference Centre. We believe the IAPs have worked very well
and we welcome further streetscape improvements and believe there is a
need for further pedestrianisation particularly in Talbot St area.
Dublin City Council Partnership
I would like to take this opportunity to welcome our new City Manager, John Tierney and wish him luck during his term.
We would like to give praise to the two area city
managers who are here with us today, Charlie Lowe & Eileen Brady
and look forward to continuing a productive and effective relationship
between city ratepayers and City Council.
We welcome the current trend of commercial rates and
are eager that they do not exceed the rate of inflation - we would
encourage the City Council to look at expanding the rates base to
provide increased revenues while restricting rates rises to an
acceptable level and below inflation.
The partnership between the members of the DCBA and
Dublin City Council in marketing the city centre continues to have a
positive and tangible impact on the image of the city centre and on
increasing footfall and business for our members. Within the last year
alone we have developed new television and radio brand advertising for
the city, published 100,000 copies of a high quality 'Dublin City
Magazine' and for the first time the cultural and business
organizations worked together to launch to the media Magic of Dublin at
Christmas highlighting everything the city has to offer at what is our
most important trading period.
The City Centre's cultural, leisure and retail
offering attracts an annual footfall of 260 million and a daily
footfall of 660,000 - people shopping, working and enjoying their
Capital City.
Our marketing however needs to be reviewed in terms
of international business and I am sure you will find it interesting to
learn that New York City is now advertising on Dublin buses targeting
our very own customers.
BIDs
In relation to Business Improvement Districts (BIDs)
I am happy to advise you that the BIDs enabling legislation has been
passed and that we are now in the early stages of developing our
referendum campaign.
This is a big challenge however the end result of
Clean, Green and Friendly Streets in our city centre will be worth the
efforts. It will help to deliver against international competition and
provide an attractive shopping environment - ultimately increasing
footfall and trading performance for those in the BID area.
I would encourage everyone here to come out and vote YES at the referendum and to encourage their neighbours to do the same.
Long-term
For the long-term with the introduction of BIDs we
see a very positive trading environment for our city centre. There is a
need for a new Vision for our city that includes more residential
accommodation as people are the life blood and essence of the city
centre but we need residential accommodation, particularly good sized
and high spec properties for families that improve quality of life and
is linked into transport infrastructure. Higher apartments could be
granted in selected areas but only when they are well above legal
regulations in terms of size. Dublin Port should be used as residential
and office accommodation to build the city centre of the 21st Century that is a world-class city. We also see opportunities in
increasing residential areas in Dublin in the areas of Mountjoy Square,
Phibsborough, Drumcondra and Grangegorman. We hope Dublin City Council
will urgently develop framework plans for all of these areas to
maximize their potential as
desirable places to live.
We welcome the City Council's investigation into
developing barriers in Dublin Bay to protect the city from flooding of
global warming. The continued threat of rising tides is ultimately a
threat to the city centre which we need to be prepared for. Barriers
should be built from Portmarnock (or Malahide) to Dalkey (or Dun
Laoghaire) similar to that in Afsluitdijk
in Holland and roads built on top of the barriers to improve traffic
flow around Dublin. This infrastructure project is likely to take
several decades to complete and should start soon.
We face the challenge of dealing with drugs on the
street. We believe that Local Authorities have a responsibility to
their residents and call on those of the Greater Dublin Area in Fingal,
South Dublin, Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown to provide drug clinic treatment
centres and appropriate services to people requiring such care in their
respective areas. Their drug addicted residents travel daily to the
city to receive their treatment - this is an unsatisfactory situation.
In relation to our community courts project we hope to be able to inform you of progress in the coming months.
We welcome bi-lateral air agreement between EU &
US. As the DCBA is the founder of the 'Fly Dublin Direct' committee in
1998, we see this decision as long-overdue. It has the potential to
benefit Cork, Shannon, Knock Airports as well as Dublin Airport.
Conclusion
Finally I would like to thank the DCBA members for
their commitment to the well-being of the city centre and their
commitment to finding projects that benefit the city and in working
proactively and in a positive manner with Dublin City Council. We
welcome all ratepayers in the Central Business District who wish to
participate in Civic Good projects that promote the city as a place to
work, live and visit.
It is vitally important that city businesses all work
together to face the challenges I have spoken of and if we do we'll
have one of the best cities in the world by 2010.
City Manager, Ladies & Gentlemen welcome today to our 33rd AGM. I am sure I speak for most of you when I say this is an upbeat and positive era for trade in Dublin City Centre currently and moving forward.
Access / Transport
In the last couple of years we have seen significant improvements in access into the city centre from the introduction of the Luas, extended DART, more commuter trains and an increase in buses and Quality Bus Corridors. Most recently the opening of the Port Tunnel and HGV restrictions in the city centre has meant that there will be around 8,000 less trucks in our city streets freeing them up for our city shoppers and visitors. We as businesses, have to adapt but we welcome these developments and their positive impact on improving access in and around the city centre.
Dublin City Council has done a great job in facilitating the increase of car usage on our Capital's streets. As a direct result of investment and effective traffic management in changing road layout, traffic on the city's main streets is now moving easier than ever before. There are still opportunities for improvements in the way of joining the Luas lines and usage and introducing the Metro. The success of Luas has been founded on a 5 minute clean and reliable service. The bus service needs to deliver the same standard and Government needs to consider the funding implications to achieve this.
In recent years we have seen unprecedented investment in the landscape of the city centre by Irish retailers, Dublin City Council and national Government. We welcome the forthcoming development of Arnotts and Carlton site development and the National Conference Centre. We believe the IAPs have worked very well and we welcome further streetscape improvements and believe there is a need for further pedestrianisation particularly in Talbot St area.
Dublin City Council Partnership
I would like to take this opportunity to welcome our new City Manager, John Tierney and wish him luck during his term.
We would like to give praise to the two area city managers who are here with us today, Charlie Lowe & Eileen Brady and look forward to continuing a productive and effective relationship between city ratepayers and City Council.
We welcome the current trend of commercial rates and are eager that they do not exceed the rate of inflation - we would encourage the City Council to look at expanding the rates base to provide increased revenues while restricting rates rises to an acceptable level and below inflation.
The partnership between the members of the DCBA and Dublin City Council in marketing the city centre continues to have a positive and tangible impact on the image of the city centre and on increasing footfall and business for our members. Within the last year alone we have developed new television and radio brand advertising for the city, published 100,000 copies of a high quality 'Dublin City Magazine' and for the first time the cultural and business organizations worked together to launch to the media Magic of Dublin at Christmas highlighting everything the city has to offer at what is our most important trading period.
The City Centre's cultural, leisure and retail offering attracts an annual footfall of 260 million and a daily footfall of 660,000 - people shopping, working and enjoying their Capital City.
Our marketing however needs to be reviewed in terms of international business and I am sure you will find it interesting to learn that New York City is now advertising on Dublin buses targeting our very own customers.
BIDs
In relation to Business Improvement Districts (BIDs) I am happy to advise you that the BIDs enabling legislation has been passed and that we are now in the early stages of developing our referendum campaign.
This is a big challenge however the end result of Clean, Green and Friendly Streets in our city centre will be worth the efforts. It will help to deliver against international competition and provide an attractive shopping environment - ultimately increasing footfall and trading performance for those in the BID area.
I would encourage everyone here to come out and vote YES at the referendum and to encourage their neighbours to do the same.
Long-term
For the long-term with the introduction of BIDs we see a very positive trading environment for our city centre. There is a need for a new Vision for our city that includes more residential accommodation as people are the life blood and essence of the city centre but we need residential accommodation, particularly good sized and high spec properties for families that improve quality of life and is linked into transport infrastructure. Higher apartments could be granted in selected areas but only when they are well above legal regulations in terms of size. Dublin Port should be used as residential and office accommodation to build the city centre of the 21st Century that is a world-class city. We also see opportunities in increasing residential areas in Dublin in the areas of Mountjoy Square, Phibsborough, Drumcondra and Grangegorman. We hope Dublin City Council will urgently develop framework plans for all of these areas to maximize their potential as desirable places to live.
We welcome the City Council's investigation into developing barriers in Dublin Bay to protect the city from flooding of global warming. The continued threat of rising tides is ultimately a threat to the city centre which we need to be prepared for. Barriers should be built from Portmarnock (or Malahide) to Dalkey (or Dun Laoghaire) similar to that in Afsluitdijk in Holland and roads built on top of the barriers to improve traffic flow around Dublin. This infrastructure project is likely to take several decades to complete and should start soon.
We face the challenge of dealing with drugs on the street. We believe that Local Authorities have a responsibility to their residents and call on those of the Greater Dublin Area in Fingal, South Dublin, Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown to provide drug clinic treatment centres and appropriate services to people requiring such care in their respective areas. Their drug addicted residents travel daily to the city to receive their treatment - this is an unsatisfactory situation.
In relation to our community courts project we hope to be able to inform you of progress in the coming months.
We welcome bi-lateral air agreement between EU & US. As the DCBA is the founder of the 'Fly Dublin Direct' committee in 1998, we see this decision as long-overdue. It has the potential to benefit Cork, Shannon, Knock Airports as well as Dublin Airport.
Conclusion
Finally I would like to thank the DCBA members for their commitment to the well-being of the city centre and their commitment to finding projects that benefit the city and in working proactively and in a positive manner with Dublin City Council. We welcome all ratepayers in the Central Business District who wish to participate in Civic Good projects that promote the city as a place to work, live and visit.
It is vitally important that city businesses all work together to face the challenges I have spoken of and if we do we'll have one of the best cities in the world by 2010.