‘Last chance’ for the town to be part of major plan

DROGHEDA is looking at a ‘ last chance’ to be recognised on a national scale with submissions for the National Planning Framework - 2020 to 2040, closing shortly.

The deadline was set for this Friday, but has been extended by a week to November 10th.

This legally binding plan will dictate where government efforts in infrastructure and job creation will be focused for the next 20 years.

The 5 cities named in the framework each have a plan set out for their future and funding to accompany those developments. By contrast, Drogheda, Ireland’s largest town, has been bundled in with towns of a population of 10,000 or more and are subject to more general guidelines, rather than specific actions.

The Northern Environs Plan allows for Drogheda’s population to expand to nearly 60,000 in the next ten years. And that’s not even counting people in the surrounding towns and villages who rely on Drogheda for services or the 6,000+ living in estates in the Meath part of Drogheda. Drogheda’s current population, plus Louth County Council plans, indicate that Drogheda is on the cusp of having a city population already.

Local people can make a difference by making their voice heard. A public consultation process is currently on-going. Local people are invited to log on to the National Planning Framework website www.npf.ie to make a submission. Alternatively, written applications can be sent to the NPF Submission, Forward Planning Section, Dept. of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government, Custom House, Dublin D01 W6X0. The