City Status group seeking Humphreys backing
THE Drogheda City Status Group have welcomed the recent promotion of Heather Humphreys T.D. to the role of Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation.
Chairman, Vincent Hoey said “the promotion of Minister Humphreys to a senior Cabinet position has to be welcomed by all concerned with the economic and social development of the North East, which, compared to other regions has been neglected for decades by successive Governments. Now with Government finalising the National Planning Framework, it is critical that all politicians representing communities in the North East – and especially those on the Government benches - ensure that we are not neglected this time.”
The City Status Group are concerned that in preparing the National Planning Framework, the focus of the Government to date appears to lean heavily in favour of investing in “the Atlantic Arc,” away from the Eastern seaboard.
“In her new role, Minister Humphreys has a key role to play in engaging with State agencies tasked with job creation, such as IDA and Enterprise Ireland to ensure they redouble their efforts to secure Foreign and indigenous business investment for the North East. Statistics will prove that – over the years - the cities and counties of Galway, Limerick, Cork and Waterford have secured much greater job creation through those State agencies than Cavan, Monaghan, Louth or Meath,” said Vincent, adding “There are almost half a million people in the North East and people in our communities seeking employment closer to home are just as deserving of that opportunity as those in the “Atlantic Arc. Why should they have to uproot from their own families, friends and communities to seek employment in the so called “Atlantic Arc” ?
Given the National Planning Framework is focussing on creating a small number of large national centres of development, the City Status Group see Drogheda as a suitable (and only) location for a city in the North East. Recent population data confirms that the Greater Drogheda area (which includes East Meath) now has a population of 83,000 and has become a larger centre than Waterford placing it as the fifth largest urban centre in the State.
“Recognising Drogheda for what it is - the major national development centre in the North East creates a “national economic centre of gravity” 50 Km north of Dublin. The social and economic benefits would radiate out into the North East, boosting job creation and services not just in the Greater Drogheda area, but throughout Cavan, Monaghan, Meath and Louth,’ concluded Vincent.