THE future looks bright for Bandon but there is a need for more accommodation, while a dedicated community space and a digital kiosk to advertise local events would also be of benefit to locals, a recent meeting heard.

The Bandon Business & Tourism Engagement evening took place in the Munster Arms Hotel  and included speakers from Visit Cork, Fáilte Ireland and the Local Enterprise Office.

Attendees were told about the Pure Cork website and how Bandon businesses can align with that brand for stronger regional visibility free of charge, while Kevin Curran from LEO Cork North and West outlined the numerous supports and courses they offer for both new and existing businesses.

Josephine O’Driscoll of Fáilte Ireland said co-operation and collaboration is one of the strongest things they can do and they work very closely with PureCork and the local authority in promoting West Cork and in particularly the Wild Atlantic Way (WAW).

Municipal District Manager for West Cork Nicola Radley said the timing of this is really important following the significant investment in the town including T-PREP (Transportation Public Realm Enhancement Plan) which has seen the transformation of the town’s streetscape.

‘We need for people to tell us the positives of Bandon and this needs to be driven by the people locally,’ she said.

‘Identify the USP (Unique Selling Point) for Bandon and you are the experts in that so please tell us what you would like us to highlight in regional and national strategy and in the local plans that we will be bringing forward.’

Hilary Farrell of the Bandon Business Association (BBA) said it was wonderful to have the opportunity to talk and see the potential and grow the town.

‘We’ve had huge investment which we are very grateful for but we need to move Bandon on to the next chapter hopefully by working together. Tourism is a huge element but I feel the business sector needs to be pushed forward as well and marketed and advertised.’

She highlighted the recent successful short video ‘24 hours in Bandon’ made by PureCork which highlighted the various businesses in the town.

It was agreed that Bandon was a flourishing town in the 1980s and it was suggested that it won’t take a huge amount of work to bring it back to where it was.

However, the lack of available accommodation was highlighted by several people as something that needs to be rectified as well as a permanent community space for all groups in the town.

Cllr John Collins (Ind) said the town needs something new in terms of other accommodation offerings including Airbnbs and B&Bs.

‘It needs something quite soon as there are not enough bedrooms in the town. We need people to come back to Bandon,’ he said.

Cllr Ann Bambury (SD) said she would love to see the Local Link bus service extended and said it needs strong linkage with Kinsale.

‘We also need to harness what works in other towns too. The future is bright for Bandon and there is a lot of positivity among people,’ she said.