New city would be the way to tackle problems

Dear Sir,

One of the greatest crises facing Ireland at the moment is a shortage of housing, especially homes that are affordable and the lack of social housing and accommodation for the homeless.

Progress in tackling the various strands of the problem seems painfully and unacceptably slow. Locally, the Northern Environs Plan which is not just of local, but national strategic importance, offers the prospect of creating thousands of homes for families – yet over a decade since it was conceived, very little is underway. A key enabler to this huge housing plan – and the removal of heavy port traffic within Drogheda - is the very urgent need to develop the Northern Cross Route, as highlighted at a recent Fianna Fail meeting. Local FF representatives should exert pressure on their County Council and Dail colleagues to expedite this without delay, given the close working relationship that exists between FF and the Fine Gael/ Independents coalition.

The Plan should also focus on job creation within the Northern Environs (including the provision of an IDA Business Park) and the use of mass transport, with the ambition of opening a new Drogheda North Railway Station to create a self-sustaining “Drogheda New City” where communities can “work, rest and play” without the need for long commutes to work or study that many of our people currently endure at a huge social, financial and environmental cost. Such a “Drogheda New City” should be a model for future development as the need to respond to the growing threats posed by climate change become more apparent.

It would also facilitate a new “linear city,” encompassing an area running from – say – Gormanston through to North Drogheda, and would then be serviced by four railway stations within that “linear city,” with a supporting population to justify this. While others have advocated a “linear city” between Drogheda and Dundalk and linking Dundalk with Newry, such proposals involve either too much distance or too little population. A Drogheda-East Meath “linear city” is immediately viable with a large, densely populated catchment area with otherwise excellent infrastructure and amenities. Given the Drogheda Boundary Review directed both Louth and Meath Local Authorities to work together on matters of mutual interest and benefit for the communities of Drogheda; South Louth and East Meath, why isn’t this getting underway as a matter of urgency ?

Back in the heritage rich centre of Drogheda, few people currently reside “over the shop” as happened with previous generations. This is a shameful waste of accommodation and with proper planning, can breathe new life into the centre as families return there, and new local shops appear to service their needs. Refurbishing such accommodation provides work for smaller builders and trades from the area and any tax breaks provided to property owners for refurbishing in the short term will be more than self-financing for the long term when those owners pay tax on rental income (or the tax breaks are “clawed back” should the owners sell instead). Unlike building social and affordable housing, such a scheme entails absolutely no demand for capital expenditure on the part of the State – i.e the taxpayer.

A first step – if not already underway – would be for the Local Authority to develop a register of unoccupied accommodation above shops in the town to establish the potential of this scheme.

To his credit, former Mayor Pio Smith advocated the extension of a “Living Cities” initiative and this – or a variant – should be implemented without delay to redeem in part the housing crisis that has become “a thundering disgrace.”

Yours, B.G.Hanratty, Bettystown, Drogheda.