“One definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different outcome”
After three failed attempts, pretence that URDF will fund access route needs to stop
Deputy Ged Nash has said that if this government is serious about supporting the development of Drogheda, a new roads funding scheme needs to be urgently created to allow the Northern Port Access Route to be built.
“It would be easy for me as an opposition TD to expend all my time and energy pointing the finger and looking for someone to blame” he said, adding: “In the case of this failed application there is plenty of blame to go around.
“Instead I want to focus on how we pressurise the government into getting the job done, and urgently. In short this means a new government scheme to fund roads that can free up lands for shovel ready housing development like those that are ready to go under the Northern Environs plan.
“Anything short of funding this critical infrastructure and I would conclude that this government operates a policy of official neglect when it comes to Drogheda and our environs.
“The truth is that Louth County Council applied for URDF funding because it is the only major funding scheme available at the moment. In doing so the Council attempted to fit a large square peg into a small round hole. This was known after the scores were released in the context of the last application and it has been proven to be the case again.
“This fact that no other major road scheme funding opportunity is available, at a time of an unprecedented housing crisis and in a week when the State borrowed €1billion over 10 years at an interest rate of 0.1% is a massive indictment of this government. Now is the time to build infrastructure and the opportunities are immense if they can be grasped.
“For the second successive application under the URDF, the application failed miserably. Let’s not insult the intelligence of the people of Drogheda and expect the people I am proud to represent to accept the notion that an E or an F grade can be converted to an A if the Council gives it one more go. This is the equivalent of the Father Ted ‘can anything be said for another mass’ approach.
“One definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different outcome. The people of Drogheda have to be levelled with. The prospect of an appeal or a fresh application succeeding under the current eligibility thresholds is remote.
“I know how important this route is for Drogheda, for housing, sports and social and economic development and to allow for the urban centre of Drogheda to be regenerated. The Department of Housing’s URDF scheme did not have the imagination or sufficient flexibility to recognise this using as they did a very rigid interpretation of the scheme.
“This is exactly why a new scheme needs to come forward – and now – to fund this pivotal infrastructure to allow our town to reach its full potential.
Deputy Nash, who submitted an extensive Freedom of Information request to the Department today said there are some very serious questions the department must answer in terms of their administration of this application from the Council.
He asked for example;
“Why did the Department allow an application that was so obviously out of line with the grant scheme criteria to get through first screening stage in the first place?
“Did Department officials communicate with the Council and advise on any changes that could be made to make the NPAR application fit with the scheme eligibility criteria once the application was received?
“And this is the crucial question. Will the government now construct a scheme to allow the Council to fund the Port Access Route? Anything less and we can only conclude that this government has a policy of official neglect of our town and its environs.”
