DUBLIN Chamber of Commerce is to lobby the Government to extend designation to several streets around Smithfield market as part of a plan to upgrade and refurbish the area.
The chamber has targeted the Smithfield area on the North Quays which it says could generate more employment if it was upgraded through tax breaks and investment. It believes the area is ideally suited to tourism and "niche retailing".
The area which the chamber has earmarked contains many fruit and vegetable wholesalers and is bounded by King Street North on the north side and Ellis Quay and Ormond Quay Upper to the south. Capel Street is to the east, Blackhall Place and Benburb street to the west. Some, but not all of the streets are already designated for tax breaks.
Chamber president, Mr John Donnelly, says the balance of development on the north quays, compared to the south quays, needs to be redressed. He says the area has a long history of traditional small businesses, but needs fresh investment.
Mr Donnelly says a plan which includes incentives such as tax breaks, rent rebates, grants and soft loans would help attract investment and increase employment in the area. He says Smithfield is ideally located for redevelopment as it is beside the new £50 million Jervis Street Centre and near Henry Street.
The chamber commissioned Deloitte & Touche to carry out a survey of the area. It found the principal commercial activities in the area were fruit and vegetable importing, distribution wholesaling and retailing.
A further 10 per cent said they were involved in manufacturing and 10 per cent said they were "professional".
Virtually all have an annual turnover in excess of £50,000 and almost two thirds own their own premises.
Because of the nature of the businesses, traffic congestion can be a major problem in the area. Mr Donnelly says a comprehensive traffic management would have to be introduced.
"We are not talking about clearing away businesses and building apartments," he says. "The people who live and work in the area are its bedrock."
Interestingly, a majority (90 per cent) of those surveyed felt that the apartment developments along the quays had or were likely to have no effect on their economic activity.
Dublin Corporation has major plans for that whole side of the quays, but Mr Donnelly argues that this plan will take a long time to progress. He says Smithfield could become a model for other areas of the city and would ultimately cost the local authority or the Government very little as new investment would eventually pay dividends through an increased rates and tax take.
Mr Donnelly says the first task would be to form a Smithfield Development Board, which would oversee redevelopment, something along the lines of Temple Bar Properties.
Tourism would be a very important component in Smithfield's rejuvenation, he says, "because it has the greatest potential for growth in Dublin."
The survey found that over 70 per cent of businesses have been located in the area for more than 10 years and that ownership of premises is a principal reason for continuing in the area.
Mr Donnelly says the fruit and vegetable operations could relocate, but any plan would have to allow for this on a phased basis, replacing the businesses with alternative employment.
Deloitte & Touche sent out 191 questionnaires. Of these 11 were completed representing a 58 per cent response rate. The businesses surveyed employed 1,505 people, with 89 per cent being full time employees and 11 per cent were part time.
