Workers would take pay cut to stay in Wicklow

SIGNIFICANT NUMBERS of commuters from Wicklow to Dublin would be prepared to accept a wage cut in order to work in Co Wicklow, a showcase event on investing in the county has heard.

The gathering, which was addressed by former taoiseach Bertie Ahern and chairman of Anglo Irish Bank Seán Fitzpatrick, highlighted lower commercial costs in Co Wicklow, alongside good transport links and recreational amenities.

The event in Leopardstown racecourse was the latest in a series held by Wicklow County Council in south Dublin business districts.

County council cathaoirleach Derek Mitchell said 60 per cent of commuters questioned in a recent survey said they would accept a salary drop to work in Wicklow.

Describing this as good news for employers, Mr Mitchell said commercial rates and development levies were cheaper in Co Wicklow than in south Dublin. He said it was significant that 73 per cent of the survey respondents claimed a third-level qualification.

He also pointed to cheaper housing, seaside and hillside facilities, public swimming pools and other recreational facilities.

Wicklow county manager Eddie Sheehy said that almost 2,000 acres of land in the county were currently zoned for commercial development. "We have a very pro-business attitude in the county," he said.

He mentioned the N11 and N81 road links to Dublin as well as mainline rail and Dart services. In the near future, he said, Bray would become one of the few transport hubs to have mainline rail, Dart and Luas as well as proximity to the M11/M50.

Mr Ahern said he was pleased to hear that housing was now cheaper in Wicklow than it was in Dublin. To laughter, he said he understood it had previously been the other way around.

He said it was important to plan strategically for the economic upturn and he commended Wicklow County Council on its attempts to attract new business.

Mr Fitzpatrick said he had grown up in Bray and lived in Greystones, but had always travelled to Dublin to work. If there had been the opportunity to pursue his chosen career of banking in Wicklow, he would have done so, he said.

Mr Ahern and Mr Fitzpatrick stressed the cyclical nature of economics and said planning and investment in infrastructure should continue.