8:00

Registration and coffee

8:40

Welcome from the morning Chair

Jonathan has been a presenter with Newstalk 106-108fm and a senior correspondent with Sky News, with his work featuring prominently on both stations. Jonathan also has experience working with TV3, RTE, FM104, The Cork Independent and Cork’s 96fm. Having conducted thousands of interviews with people from all works of Irish life, he is a skilled interviewer and proven cross-platform content creator with extensive contacts across politics, business and public relations throughout the country. Jonathan is also a proven event facilitator and engaging MC.

8:45

WELCOME ADDRESS

8:50

Delivering Infrastructure to drive Ireland’s economy

9:00

KEYNOTE ADDRESS:The importance of the southern region and its urban centres to Ireland’s economy and population

9:15

What the southern region needs to do now to win foreign direct investment…

With global names such as Apple, Pfizer and Amazon, the South West of Ireland has developed into a thriving hub of Technology, Life Sciences, Engineering and Business Services operations. It is home to over 186 multinational companies, which employ over 41,000 directly. Cork has been named the best small city in Europe for its Foreign Direct Investment strategy by the Financial Times fDi magazine. It also ranked Cork as one of the overall top 10 small European cities for inward investment. Why has Cork been successful in winning these investments and where is the focus now for FDI in the region and how will IDA Ireland maintain and develop regional balance in the area?

9:30

PANEL DISCUSSION: 2040 and its impact on the construction industry in the south

Plans that are set out in Ireland 2040 offer a once in a lifetime opportunity to change Cork and the southern region over the next 20 years. Joined up thinking and good project management is required to ensure that regional investment promises are activated to make Ireland’s southern region a viable option for business. This has a significant impact on construction and development in the southern region.

10:15

Is balanced growth and regional investment and development elusive or even delusional?

Between the censuses of 1911 and 2011, the population of County Dublin has increased by 332%, well above the state average increase in population of 46%. The population of Leinster over that period increased by 116%, with Kildare (216%), Meath (183%) and Wicklow (125%) experiencing exceptional growth. In contrast, the counties of Cork (32%), Galway (38%), Limerick (34%) and Waterford (36%) have experienced modest population increases recording growth rates below the state average. Over time, the hierarchy of cities in Ireland has stayed stagnant with a particular divergence in favour of the Capital city. For the past 100 years, Dublin has been a magnet for people, firms and wealth. The regional disparities in population, GVA per worker, GDP per capita and disposable income are wide. Will Ireland 2040 lead to more balanced economic outcomes in the Republic or is it doomed to fail?

11:00

CASE STUDY: The development of Cork Harbour

Our speaker will examine the opportunities for the construction sector and the challenges for the Port of Cork in delivering economic prosperity through trade up to 2050 and beyond.

11:15

CASE STUDY: Tall buildings for Cork

Conor will describe some of the upcoming exciting development projects for Cork. A focus will be on taller buildings, and their impact on the city’s commercial sector, as well as the innovative building techniques being used.

11:30

Waterford Quays Project Update:

The strategic development project will regenerate Waterford’s North Quays and act as a catalyst for further growth of Waterford city and it’s hinterland. An SDZ site, the development will consist of 120,000m2 of buildings and 60,000m2 of carparking, road infrastructure and public spaces. Full planning is due 4th Qtr 2019. The current projected development value is €320m.

11:50

Update on upcoming projects from Limerick 2030

Our speaker will deliver a talk on how the plan has benefited the region’s construction industry, illustrating some significant projects to date and plans for the future…

12:00

The impact of transport Infrastructure on the southern construction business

This session will include an update on the long-awaited upgrade of the Cork-Limerick road to a motorway, due for completion 2027.

1:20

Welcome back from the afternoon Chair

1:25

2:00

High Density Hold Up. Why the delay?

The market has responded resoundingly to the infrastructural commitments of Ireland 2040, making strong headway in commercial, greenfield, student & hotel development. With Cork business confidence resolutely above 90%, and business strongly endorsing the high density model it would stand to reason that residential brownfield development would be progressing apace. Conor Healy explains why business cares about density, and what can be done to accelerate it’s development

2:10

CASE STUDY: Gas Networks Ireland: Innovating for the future

Natural gas plays a vital role in Ireland’s energy mix as a reliable, versatile and competitive fuel for residential, commercial and industrial applications and is a highly flexible partner to renewable electricity generation, with over 50% of Ireland’s electricity today generated using natural gas

This presentation will highlight the importance of natural gas and the natural gas network to Ireland’s economy.  We will consider the positive impact natural gas already has on high emission sectors across the country.  Looking ahead, we will give an overview of the future decarbonisation of the natural gas grid, moving towards the introduction of renewable gas into the network.

Finally, the presentation will examine future potential projects researching the role of hydrogen in this energy mix, and the potential for Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) to further reduce Ireland’s emissions.

2:20

3:00

Closing Remarks

3:20

Closing remarks and conference close