City Status needs to be taken seriously

GROUP OUTLINES ITS CONCERNS THAT DROGHEDA WILL BE OVERLOOKED IN THE UPCOMING NATIONAL PLANNING FRAMEWORK AND CALLS FOR ACTION LOCALLY

THERE are serious concerns that Drogheda and the North East will be overlooked in the upcoming National Planning Framework.

IN a presentation to members of Drogheda Municipal District last week, the Drogheda City Status Group said over emphasis on investment for cities in the ‘Atlantic Arc’ was like ‘ throwing apples into an orchard and set out the case for Drogheda to be designated the key national development centre in the North East.

Spokesperson for the group Brian Hanratty outlined the town’s central location, infrastructure and rapid population growth.

He told councillors present that the Greater Drogheda area -including suburbs in East Meath - has a population of 83,000 - resulting in Drogheda and District now being a larger centre than Waterford - and that’s forecast by RIAI members to grow to 250,000 by mid-century.

He also referred to the recent ESRI Study ‘Prospects for Irish Regions and Counties,’ which analysed jobs in foreign owned firms on a per capita basis by county, which confirms that Cork; Galway; Dublin; Limerick; Clare and Waterford have been most successful in securing such investment. In marked contrast, Drogheda and District has both higher than average unemployment and the greatest loss of daytime working population of any major centre – mainly commuting to Dublin.

‘We’re not Dublin, we’re not Rural – we’re Drogheda and we’re batting for almost half a million people in the NorthEast counties of Louth, Meath, Monaghan and Cavan,’ said Brian after the meeting.

‘All indications to date suggests the part of the country north of a line between Galway and Dublin may be ignored in the National Planning Framework – and we’re not prepared to accept that.’

The Group point out IDA studies confirm that Drogheda has 1,700,000 people within a forty mile catchment area – larger than any other urban centre on the island (including Dublin).

Last week, members of the Group along with representatives of Drogheda Chamber met Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe on a visit to the town, stressing the large skilled labour pool and unrivalled infrastructure in and adjacent to Ireland’s largest town (including Ireland’s best served airport; deep water ports; excellent rail & bus connections; M1 motorway; Ireland’s fastest broadband - all bookended by DCU and DkIT).

They stressed the potential to grow domestic visitor and tourist numbers to Minister Donohoe, who also visited The Mill, a locally created Enterprise Centre that boasts over thirty businesses, which spearheads the M1 Payments Corridor – another local initiative - which is attracting new overseas business to the area. ‘ The Government needs to urgently create jobs for the rapidly growing local population and the 750,000 people in the North East and East within an easy 25 mile commute, given the costs and congestion that are strangling Dublin and its investment appeal. For a modest investment compared to others, Drogheda can be a key solution for the National Planning Framework.’