M1 Corridor blueprint is a prize worth winning for our future generations

DUNDALK and Drogheda had a major win this week with the official launch of the M1 Corridor.

It is not a win which will excite the masses in the same way that an FAI Cup or a Leinster Championship victory would, but it is far more significant and has the potential to be much, much longer lasting.

The M1 Corridor positions Dundalk, Drogheda and Newry as a new linear city right on the doorstep of Dublin.

Forget local rivalaries, without coming together as one, Dundalk or Drogheda would not be at the races in terms of what is being targetted by the regional spatial trategy and the larger Ireland 2040 plan.

We must accept that potential international investors look at us differently than we see ourselves.

American or Chinese investors don’t consider Dundalk before they consider Drogheda and the distance between the two is nothing in inernational terms, as anyone living an hour or more out of London or New York would easily commute into work.

The M1 Corridor is superbly equipped to offer potential investors everything that they need, from potential workforce or high-speed broadband, inernational airports and deep sea ports as well as commercial property rates a fraction of what is available in Dublin.

The study shows that there are 80,000 highly skilled people leaving this region every day to go and work in Dublin. That is a huge potential workforce and many of them would be happy to work locally, if the opportunity arose, even for slightly less money, given the gains they will receive in their life work balance.

We have heard for generations that Dundalk is ideally located on the east coast, equal distance from Dublin and Belfast.

Well this study, led by Paddy Malone in Dundalk Chamber puts the meat on those bones.

Make no mistake about it, this study is the golden egg for the region’s future. The videos, the statisical information will be seen by prospective internatinal investors in America and the Far East and China.

It does not guarantee a better future for this region, but will be a vital tool to attract further foreign direct invsetment into the region.

We have seen a big spike in IDA announcements in Dundalk in recent years and hopefully this study will lead to more coming this way in the future.

MAKE NO MISTAKE ABOUT IT, THIS STUDY IS THE GOLDEN EGG FOR THE REGION’S FUTURE