BOXER’S IN A CORNER OVER CAPITAL IDEA FOR ATHLONE

JUNIOR Minister Kevin ‘Boxer’ Moran had a fight on his hands last night after his triumph in getting Leo Varadkar to agree his hometown of Athlone should be the ‘capital of the midlands’.

The proposal had not been included in the National Planning Framework until the Independent Alliance minister lobbied the Taoiseach. However, his local success led to warnings about how parish pump politics had led to the failures of other national plans.

‘I wasn’t happy that Athlone and Sligo were left off the National Planning Framework. I made it clear to him I’d like to see them back in,’ he told Midlands 103 radio.

‘There has been a lot of people, particularly TDs, against Athlone being in. I couldn’t understand their reasons why, because what’s good for Athlone is good for the region. We are in the centre of Ireland, we are in development.’

However, Tullamore and Mullingar chambers of commerce issued a joint statement against the idea as Athlone does not have adequate space to grow.

They said the town does not have the ‘critical mass’ to be named as ‘capital’ of the area, as its ‘ability to grow is restricted by the Shannon wetlands’, which could ‘impact the growth potential and prospects for the midlands’.

Describing the Government’s latest plan as a ‘very serious plan for the country’, the chambers said: ‘It shouldn’t be so fragile that, as the result of one political voice, it can be tampered with at a whim, as this undermines the entire plan and highlights the fragile political environment we all live in.’

Niall Mulligan, of Tullamore chamber, told RTÉ the minister’s intervention ‘prioritised the growth of Athlone at the expense of the region’.

Meanwhile, local group Destination Athlone said the Government should designate a ‘zone of collaboration’ among midlands agencies to help foster a city in the region. Businessman and chair John O’Sullivan said: ‘It’s the third largest centre of population after Dublin and Cork. Something has to happen in the midlands.’