Osberstown was one of the stops for the Oireacthas Committee for Trade Enterprise and Employment, when they visited Naas on their recent tour of towns within the commuter belt.
One of the main trends in Ireland over the past 15 years has been the growth of commuter belt towns in counties such as Kildare, Wicklow, Meath, Laois and Westmeath. These towns have witnessed an explosion in population as more people move to live in these areas while still commuting to Dublin to work.
In response to such developments a Joint Oireacthas Committee on Enterprise, Trade and Employment has been created to examine problems facing the inhabitants of commuter towns during a series of visits to these areas.
The main focus of the visits are to evaluate and compare how towns in the commuter belt zone have dealt with the common challenges facing them in promoting economic growth, local enterprise and trade.
The delegation comprising of Deputy Michael Fitzpatrick, Deputy Mary White and Deputy Damien English visited Naas on the 15th July and met with members of Kildare County Council, Naas Town Council, representatives from the IDA, the Kildare Enterprise Board, FAS and the Local Employment Service Network.
The committee then visited Osberstown Developments where they received a presentation outlining the exciting work being done by Osberstown in attracting enterprise and employment into the north–west quadrant of Naas.
Two companies who have successfully relocated to Osberstown – GEA and IFS/State Street- spoke at the event, and highlighted the advantages moving to Osberstown, Naas, has had on their business development. Ciaran Murray from The Queally Group also addressed the committee.
One of the main issues raised by the speakers, which they see as fundamental to the continued development of their companies is the construction of further infrastructure such as the M7 Interchange at Osberstown.