Section 2 Consultations - Process and Analysis

2 Consultations Process and Analysis

Introduction and Context

This section consists of a brief analysis of three separate but interrelated sources of data collected on the community of Corofin. These will be used to inform the consequent findings and recommendations put forward later in this document.

The three sources of information are: 1. Analysis of the five Focus Group sessions 2. One-to-One consultations 3. Online survey

The section begins with an analysis of the results from the formal Focus Group (X 5) sessions conducted by the consultants between October - December 2021 involving a cross-section of members of the community, including: • Amix of community representatives and private individuals • Agroup of TYstudents • Representatives from the local authority and local development company and • The CCDA, the promoters of the study.

The Focus Groups followed a similar set of questions and were conducted both online and in-person (subject to Covid restrictions). For detailed results and analysis of the Focus Group sessions see Appendix 1. This is closely followed by an overview and analysis of the One-to-One Consultations with members of the community. Akey objective for the consultation process was ‘to help build and cement strategic bridges with essential partners early in the process’. This was achieved through an ongoing series of comprehensive individual phone/zoom engagements with a broad range of individuals in the community. These sessions were conducted on a private and confidential basis.

Finally, the section ends (in Appendix 2) with the results and analysis of the Online Survey. This survey was important in a post-Covid landscape where many people were reluctant to partake in face-to-face sessions. Also, the survey provided a much wider ‘reach’into the community where the feedback was private and confidential.

The purpose of both the Focus Groups and the Online Survey is to shine a light on key questions that will shape possible new investments in community infrastructure, facilities, and services over the coming decade.

Consultation platforms such as these are invaluable tools in helping develop and justify future community needs, priorities, and actions. Amore long-term strategic observation on these valuable benchmarking exercises is that they can be executed again in the medium-term to enable Corofin to compare responses at different points in time to help gauge performance, impact, and progress.

Focus Groups

In summary, the first question posed to the groups was ‘what is and what is not working well in Corofin’. There is a great deal of uniformity in the answers to this question. People believed that what was working well in Corofin were things such as: • The GAA • Community spirit • The playground • The schools.

In the second part of this question 'what is not working well,' people responded with answers such as: • Lack of services such as a GP, pharmacy, retail services and restaurants • Lack of services/activities for both teenagers and senior citizens • Lack of public transport • Dr Duggan Hall • The sewage/water treatment system.

The second question focused on asking participants to highlight what they perceived as the Opportunities and Threats in the community. The Opportunities can be summarised by the following: • The Castle • The river • Proximity to Galway / motorway • The CCDA • The large numbers of young people/children in the community. Conversely, the Threats to the community are: • Impacts of climate change • Overdependence on one or two businesses/clubs in the community • Burnout of volunteers • Anti-social behaviour because of the lack of services available to young people.

The third question posed to participants was to identify possible ideas for development in the community. Afterwards, the participants were asked to select a number of these ideas as a group and then score them individually to identify those that were most popular.

The highest-scoring ideas for development (in no order) were the following: • Walkways / recreational provision • Retail / commercial centre • Refurbishment of Dr Duggan Hall • GP/ Community Health Centre • Cafe.

For a fuller breakdown and analysis of the Focus Group sessions see Appendix 1.

One-to-One Consultations

With the advice of the CCDA, a cross-section of local people from a variety of backgrounds were engaged in One-to-One Consultations. The sessions were private and confidential and many of the specific elements in the findings and recommendations were refined through these helpful inputs. The participants (some may have previously taken part in a Focus Group session above) were drawn from the public sector, community volunteers, the business sector and special interest groups (including sports). As much as possible there was a healthy gender and generational mix.

In summary, the following represent some of the outcomes that emerged. These are in no order of priority:

• Corofin is a settled and relatively conservative community • Leisure lives are dominated by sport • There is little ‘retail glue’holding the village together with considerable expenditure haemorrhaging outwards • There could be better cohesion and cooperation between the various volunteer groups in the community • The loss of a vibrant ‘cultural life’over the last decade or two was acknowledged by many • There has been and remains a considerable amount of local fundraising, possibly fatigue is emerging • There is a considerable array of physical assets that are not being developed like the river, castle, and Dr Duggan Hall • The village has missed having a ‘local pub’over the last year • The ‘voice’of older people in Corofin is seldom heard, this needs to be addressed • Lack of facilities for teenagers (from public transport to safe meeting places) was highlighted, especially for non-sporting youth • Appreciation for the recent investment in infrastructure from road improvements to broadband provision however much more work/investment is required • The need for a new and fit for purpose water treatment facility was acknowledged by many interviewed • Greater ‘integration’of heritage and cultural initiatives in Corofin with those happening at a county level (largely through GCC) • The proportionally high density of national schools (X 5) was acknowledged • More cooperation with neighbouring parishes/villages was highlighted • Many referenced the absence of a GP/Pharmacy in the village however there was a recognition of the ‘structural and economic’reasons that acted as an obstacle. The Online Survey

The Online Survey was live for five weeks from mid-September 2021. Avariety of relevant community-orientated email contact databases were employed ensuring that all GDPR guidelines were adhered to. In total nearly 400 local people completed the survey which we are satisfied provides an adequate cross-section of the community. This is an impressive level of adult community input and certainly bolsters/justifies the emerging findings and recommendations.

In general, the results of the Online Survey reflect the findings from the Focus Groups and the One-to-One Consultations above. The community would like to see the development of both commercial/retail premises, recreational, and health facilities in the community. The survey also reflects the desire to see more services available for both the youth and the senior citizens in Corofin. The results and analysis of the Online Survey are presented in Appendix 2 so as not to disrupt the flow of the overall document.

The next section provides a strategic overview of the community which has been gained from the learnings in all the multiple consultations as highlighted above.