As Housing Minister Darragh O’Brien seeks to deflect the condemnation he received yesterday after he turned down the funding application for the Northern Access Route, the criticism continues to pour in from all sides.
In a letter to local Fine Gael TD Fergus O’Dowd last night O’Brien said he is “fully aware of the disappointment which his decision caused” but then he goes on about his “commitment to working with public representatives and Louth County Council to “ensure Drogheda reaches its full potential.”
He has a strange way of showing his commitment.
He has instructed officials to “re-engage” with Louth County Council to “strengthen the specific proposal to ensure it is in the strongest possible position to receive full funding in the next call under the URDF (Urban Development Development Fund).”
In the run up to the last general election O’Brien, the then Fianna Fáil Spokesperson on housing, was much more positive towards the PANCR project. In March 2019 O’Brien was the guest speaker at a special meeting on housing and homelessness in Drogheda and he was all in favour of the Northern Cross Route and its potential to eliminate the housing crisis in the town.
He returned to Drogheda on May 17th 2019 and, along with local FF party members and candidates, staged a photo-op at the entrance to Drogheda Port where he once again underlined the importance of the PANCR.
In a statement issued last night Local Fine Gael TD, Fergus O’Dowd said the citizens of Drogheda are “sick of excuses at this stage and will not put up with this situation any longer.
“… both the current Minister O’Brien and the now Taoiseach Michael Martin made clear and unambiguous promises to support this essential and key project while electioneering in Drogheda. They must honour their promises now” O’Dowd said.
“…other smaller towns in the North East were successful with their applications. The marking schemes used by the Department must be published immediately” he said.
Meanwhile Anna McKenna, the spokesperson for the Drogheda City Status Group, which has campaigned for years for investment for Drogheda as the largest town in the country, has described Local and National Government policy as: “Jobs for Dundalk; Commuters for Drogheda.”
The DCSG has called on Drogheda’s three TDs to “immediately mobilise and jointly engage Minister O’Brien” to ensure the PANCR is added to the list of approved projects.
“Every TD, Councillor and political party member in the Greater Drogheda area needs to demand that the PANCR is added to the list of projects being supported,” Anna said, and urged concerned individuals and groups to contact DCSG at droghedacitynow@gmail.com .
Drogheda’s only Fianna Fail Councillor, James Byrne says that he too is angry and disappointed with the result and that he had expressed his feelings to the Minster in a phone call yesterday.
“Minister O’Brien is fully aware of the disappointment across the town but also made it clear to me that he wants to find a solution for Drogheda, that the project isn’t dead in the water.
Byrne pointed ou that “there will be a final round of funding later in the year which could provide the Council with a third and final opportunity to apply for funding under the URDF scheme.”
