The Chairperson of the Drogheda City Status Group (DCSG), Anna McKenna, has described last week’s official opening of the first stage of the Port Access Northern Cross Route (PANCR) by An Taoiseach, Leo Varadkar and Housing Minister, Darragh O’Brien, as “a welcome but overdue step on the way to achieving the City of Drogheda.”
“In the next few years, this route will enable the provision of several thousand much needed homes for families – something we have been advocating for years,” said Anna.
“There are a number of key issues that need to proceed in tandem, including the provision of new infrastructure to cope with the additional population growth which the PANCR initiative will generate, adding to the rapid population growth that the Greater Drogheda Region has witnessed for several years.”
Anna instanced the continued demand for Primary, Secondary and Third Level facilities; leisure and sports amenities and also the need to urgently create local jobs in the era of climate change when so many students and workers in the Greater Drogheda Region are compelled to travel distances for employment and Third Level education – creating a real economic, environmental and social burden on those families and their communities, as well as depriving others less fortunate due to the costs involved.
“Some people locally describe Drogheda as “an IDA jobs blackspot,” given their poor job creation performance in Drogheda, East Meath and South Louth.”
With the first stage now underway, DCSG are calling for planning to begin immediately to complete the PANCR route, which will not only provide further housing transforming the future shape of Drogheda and environs, but will also open up further local employment opportunities at; adjacent to and enhancing the attractiveness of Drogheda Port.
In turn, completing the PANCR will rid central Drogheda of the congestion, pollution and road safety risks currently created by the high levels of HGV traffic travelling to and from the port.
“The next stage of PANCR should also place the Drogheda North Railway Station firmly back on the agenda,” said Anna, adding “the new station would facilitate growth in rail traffic, displacing car usage, and would have huge appeal not just in Drogheda, but also mid-Louth. However, we all – especially those in Government Departments and State agencies – have to think much more about creating conditions for a “reverse commute.” Up to now, all the focus has been on getting people from here to Dublin.
“We need a Greater Drogheda Metropolitan Area Council as a first step that’s representative of that wide catchment area that boasts almost 80,000 people. Alongside that, a senior official at the level of Assistant County Manager, having relevant experience needs to be appointed here, supported by locally based staff especially dealing with planning, community and economic development,” said Anna.
Anna was concerned that comments An Taoiseach made at the PANCR launch in relation to the future city simply confirmed to DCSG that little commitment has been made to date by central government in planning Drogheda’s future.
“DCSG has built up evidence as to how and why Drogheda should be declared a city and are making efforts to present this evidence to An Taoiseach and relevant Ministers. Some years ago on a visit to Drogheda Mr Varadkar made vague references to “a road map” for Drogheda – but DCSG say the evidence shows nothing significant is happening.
“But it is good to know that he had some awareness of the matter, and recognised how Laytown, Bettystown and Mornington are in the Drogheda Urban area, which supports our view that what is good for Drogheda is good for East Meath and what is good for East Meath is good for Drogheda.
“Shaping the future City of Drogheda is like making a jigsaw. PANCR is a significant piece of the jigsaw, but other critical parts need to be there including community infrastructure, a new railway station, a massive focus on local job creation; the provision of Local Government structures appropriate to the size of the Greater Drogheda Metropolitan Area and above all, a robust, properly planned logical vision of the future city that we can be proud of and where we can all prosper.” concluded Anna McKenna.
