By Andy Spearman
History of a kind was made on Wednesday of this week when the Councillors of the Borough District of Drogheda Borough and the Laytown/Bettystown Municipal District met to discuss issues affecting both areas.
Common sense would say that a town/city the size of Drogheda with the densely populated hinterland of East Meath and South Louth would have its own local authority but instead we must settle for being stuck on the periphery of both Louth and Meath County Councils and put up with the problems that this raises.
This first meeting, which was chaired by the Mayor of Drogheda, Councillor James Byrne, was held “in camera” meaning that press or public were excluded and the reasons given for this are that this was not a formal or statutory meeting but more of an information session and an exploration of how the two areas can work together.
The virtual meeting lasted just under two hours and much of that time was taken up with updates from both Councils on what is happening in the respective areas and where some of the major projects are in relation planning, design etcetera. There was also a presentation from the joint tourism officer for Louth and Meath on the Boyne Valley Tourism Strategy.
Litter and dumping was also discussed and how the two councils can respond to recent surveys by IBAL and An Taisce. A joint initiative called ‘Drogheda Spring Clean’ which is planned for the weekend of Mar 4/5 was also announced. (see separate article).
“Hopefully both districts can build on their working relationship and plan more joint initiatives like this so the people can see we are truly working together for the benefit of the greater Drogheda region” Councillor Byrne said.
“It was wonderful to be able to have an inclusive conversation on our shared interests in areas like tourism and I hope this can lead to further in-depth discussions on the many areas of concern to the people. All in all a great start. We have agreed to meet again on May 26.”
The Chair of Laytown/Bettystown Municipal District, Councillor Elaine McGinty who will be chairing the May 26 meeting, said that it was important that the new relationship be encouraged and allowed to grow.
“This is a time to galvanise people and not let it be turned into another talking shop” she said. “This has been a good start and hopefully more will come if it as the relationships develop” she told Drogheda Life.
Councillor McGinty told the meeting that she had been working with officials in both County Councils for some time and they had agreed to take part in a joint initiative to encourage residents to get out and clean litter from their areas. As a result, the Drogheda Spring Clean Weekend will take place between Friday 4th to Sunday the 6th of March.
Also at the meeting, East Meath Councillor Stephen McKee proposed the twinning of Drogheda and La Coruna in Spain to further strengthen the ties between Ireland and North West Spain as part of the Boyne Camino tourism initiative.
“There is huge potential to develop the Camino further to increase tourist numbers and help local business” he said.
“This is about working to help ensure Drogheda receives the investment for job creation and services it needs to reach its full potential. This would benefit all residents both sides of the County boundary in Drogheda and across East Meath.”
Councillor Pio Smith said that in his opinion joint meetings were not essential to getting work done.
“For example, I got a new footpath built on the Dublin Road along Five Oaks and filter lanes into Stameen through Louth County Council working with Meath County Council” he said.
“The real points of difference will come when discussions focus on how Drogheda develops. LCC want the development to take place on the Northern Environs while MCC want it to happen on the South side of town.
“Meath County Council have granted significant planning permissions on the South side which I believe are detrimental to Drogheda’s development. My focus will be to stick to the Louth County Development Plan which has at it’s core a future sustainable development plan for the town.
