PARTNERSHIP
The South-East Regional Authority
IRELAND
The South-East Regional Authority is one of eight statutory regional authorities established in Ireland in 1994. The Regional Authority comprises 35 elected members nominated by the six constituent local authorities in the region. The principal functions of the Authority include: promotion of co-ordination in the provision of public services in the region; promotion of co-operation, joint action, etc. between local authorities, public authorities and/or others; reviewing the overall development needs and investment priorities of the region; and preparation of statutory Regional Planning Guidelines.South-East Region of Ireland
The South-East region of Ireland is a homogenous and compact geographical entity consisting essentially of the catchment areas of four rivers - the Slaney, the Barrow, the Nore and the Suir. The region comprises the five counties of Carlow, Kilkenny, South Tipperary, Waterford and Wexford. The region has an area of 9,406 sq. kms. which is about 13.5% of the area of the state. It has a population of 460,838 or about 10.9% of the national population.
The South-East region is predominantly rural in character with the main urban centres being Waterford City, Kilkenny City and the towns of Carlow, Wexford and Clonmel. The region has a well balanced urban structure with the main urban centre in each of its five counties having a population exceeding 17,000. In addition, it has a range of smaller towns and villages evenly distributed across the region as well as a strong rural settlement pattern. Some key socio-economic indicators include:
·· Proportion Urban Population: 44.2%
·· Proportion Rural Population: 55.8%
·· Population Density (2006): 49 persons/sq. km
·· GDP per capita of Region (State = 100): 73.4
·· Disposable Income per capita of Region (State = 100): 95.6
·· Unemployment Rate (Q3, 2010): 17.6% (State = 13.9%)
Headquarters:
1 Gladstone Street, Clonmel,
Co. Tipperary, Ireland
Tel. No: 052 - 6126200
Fax. No: 052 - 6126512
E-mail: dir@sera.ie
SERA has significant and varied experience in the participation in and management of EU part-funded projects. SERA has been involved in numerous EU part-funded projects and initiatives such as SEEDS (funded through Article 6 ESF), FINESTRA (Article 10 ERDF RECITE), E-ByGov (Interreg IIIB Atlantic Area), INTRO (FP6) as well as a number of INTERREG IIIC projects – SportUrban, Biologic@, REDETRAL, EUROPLANE and REVOS.
THE SERA was involved in the REGBIE+ project (part-funded by the EU project under the Intelligent Energy Call for proposals) which had objectives which included increased market penetration of bio-energy heating systems, removal of market barriers and stimulation of investment in biomass heating systems.
The SERA has developed a Regional Bio-Energy Implementation Plan for the South-East Region. The plan is designed to make the South-East the leading Irish region in the use and promotion of bioenergy over the coming years. The objectives of the plan are to provide a structured framework for all stakeholders in the Region to utilize for coherent development and progress in the area of bio-energy, to gather data in relation to the scope and potential for bio-energy development in the region based on the availability of resources and technology and to identify and reduce barriers to the development of bio-energy in the region.
