European Partners visit Balbriggan for transnational learning exchange

EcoCore is one of 30 approved networks under the URBACT IV programme which is co-funded by the European Union. URBACT's mission is to enable cities to work together and develop integrated solutions to common urban challenges by networking, learning from each other's experiences and identifying good practices.

Fingal County Council is proud to be the first local authority in Ireland to lead an URBACT network which includes partners from Dubrovnik (Croatia), Ormož (Slovenia), Alba Iulia (Romania), Ķekava (Latvia), Santo Tirso (Portugal), Pärnu (Estonia), Villena (Spain) and Tuusula (Finland).

The EcoCore Project is focusing on accelerating the green transition in the partner cities which are all located along strategic transport corridors, as Balbriggan is located on the road from Dublin to Belfast. It aims to build the capacity of small cities in addressing climate change by promoting sustainable economic development, the green transition and helping local stakeholders, particularly businesses, in transitioning to low-carbon energy sources and promoting sustainable mobility options. Network activities will create significant momentum for a green energy transition in each of the partner cities with a special focus on the industrial areas of the cities.

Welcoming delegates to Balbriggan, Mayor of Fingal, Cllr Adrian Henchy, noted: “There is a lot we can learn from collaborating with the cities and towns represented here today and it provides a great opportunity for Balbriggan and all involved. Balbriggan is a town that we are immensely proud of and we’re significantly investing in it, the EcoCore project is part of that journey.”

Delegates of the partner cities visited the Irish Institute of Music and Song, the BEAT centre and took a tour of the town facilitated by the Our Balbriggan Rejuvenation Office. They also made a site visit to Stephenstown Industrial Park and agreed the workplan for the project for the next two years. Delegates participated in workshops on the digital innovation hosted by Smart Balbriggan with a demonstration from Manna Drones, a panel on women entrepreneurs with Fingal LEO, active travel projects in Fingal and sustainable mobility options with the Council’s Active Travel Section, how the Council is collaborating with partners through the Fingal Skills Strategy to develop the future talent pipeline and a seminar on regional collaboration with Amanda Smyth from the Dublin Belfast Economic Corridor Partnership (DBEC).

The purpose of the EcoCore project is to develop an Integrated Action Plan (IAP) to deliver sustainable economic development in each of the partner cities, generate local employment and accelerate the green transition in the cities, leveraging the best practice learned from the other cities in the network. Once the Integrated Action Plan have been developed each city will then move to implementation.

Balbriggan, having participated in a previous Urbact Project called iPlace, successfully developed an Integrated Action Plan to develop creative industry in  Balbriggan which has led to the development of a Creative Strategy for the town ‘Balbriggan A Destination for the Arts’, the meanwhile use of unused buildings for artistic purposes and the designation of Balbriggan as a Creative Place with a funding grant of €330,000 from the Arts Council over three to provide access to the arts in the community.

Chief Executive of Fingal County Council, AnnMarie Farrelly, said: “This is an exciting project for Balbriggan and we are immensely proud to be the first local authority in Ireland to lead an Urbact Project. Sustainable development is at the heart of the County Development Plan and with the EcoCore project the Council will continue to take a future-focused and climate conscious approach to the development of Stephenstown.”

Over the next two years the EcoCore Project Partners will be co-creating their Integrated Action Plans with local stakeholders and sharing best practice and expert knowledge about sustainable economic development before presenting their completed plans to accelerate the green transition in each of the partner cities.