Sligo’s missed opportunities
IT was called the Centre Block Master Plan for Sligo, a supposed retail par excellence earmarked for Wine Street Car Park since 1999 but not one block was laid and the controversial Treasury Holdings project was put out of its misery after being tossed about for ten years.
It was a significant issue during Jim McGarry’s time as a councillor on the Borough Council.
It was heralded as the one project which would make Sligo stand out as capital of the North West. It was on the agenda of every monthly meeting for updates but it just never got off the ground.
Jimmy feels it was a huge loss for Sligo. Treasury simply didn’t deliver, he says.
“I don’t know if they got cold feet or what. In the end was there too many obstacles in their way? I don’t know how many times they went in for a change of planning.
“They just seemed to be coming back to the council every six months with a change in plan. In hindsight was that stalling tactics or were they not genuinely fully committed to it?
“It wasn’t just that. Just take a look at High Street where there were plans too for major development.
“That street breaks my heart now. I go past it regularly, a whole street that has been decimated. When I was a young fellow that street was such a vibrant place, a strong economic part of the town and it’s derelict now.
“We weren’t able over the line suffered ing able those over to get that project and we have from not beto get plans the line.
“We didn’t have the political clout and that was the bottom line to be able to deliver on everything in this town. What we needed was someone at the cabinet table when push came to shove We didn’t have that.
“There were business people who were prepared to put their money where their mouth was and put their money into projects like High Street and the Wine Street town centre plan but we missed the boat and we didn’t get in in time.”
Jimmy feels people need to think in terms of cabinet potential every time they vote. “They have to think of the calibre of the person and whether that person will be able to represent us nationally at a level we need in this town.
“If we can get someone in there who will be in a position to have a real say at least we will be starting to go somewhere then in my opinion. Whoever that person is, if they have the ability and the know how to get into a position to help this town that’s who we should be voting for.
“We don’t have any big clout either to create employment. Everyone is affected by that. We just cannot attract a major industry. When was the last time we attracted a major industry to Sligo? We’ve stagnated. Let’s be honest about it. All we’ve done is lost jobs over the past 15 years.”