“Let’s start with a blank piece of paper and imagine a new future”
A group of concerned citizens living in the Drogheda East Meath area has established a new organisation called the Drogheda East Meath Alliance to start a conversation about a plan for the area, and what kind of district its people want to live in.
“Our district is undergoing massive change, and we do not believe the current structures with regard to local government, planning, enterprise and infrastructure development are suitable or appropriate” said group spokesperson Geoff Fitzpatrick.
“We want to start a discussion on a future plan for Drogheda East Meath. Our metropolitan area is changing rapidly. We have seen some of the largest increases in population, along with some of the biggest housing projects planned or in construction in the State”, he says.
“It’s time the people of Drogheda East Meath are given an opportunity to discuss the future of our district and how it will be planned. We think this should be a big, long term plan of up to 20 years, incorporating all aspects of living, working and enjoying life.”
“We need to discuss collaboration, and how local government will work for our district in the future. We’ll discuss things like how we are going to create 30,000 jobs, so that people work and live nearby, and have short manageable commutes to work.
“We’ll consider the need to plan sustainable transport systems, road & cycle networks, bridges, parks and amenities. We’ll debate the best plan for education, training and skills development resources. Local Enterprise development for our district needs a complete rework. We need to plan energy, water and waste water resources and lots of other stuff.”
“In five years our district grew by 14%, double the National growth rate. Right now we’re growing by 3,000 new citizens each year.”
“Fail to plan, plan to fail. What is the right structure and mechanism for this to be effective? Let’s start with a blank piece of paper and imagine a new future.”
“If this is something people are interested in and want to see change, then get involved. We want to engage with as many people and local groups as possible. We’ll be doing a roadshow in the coming weeks. First discussion group meetings will be as follows:
- Barbican Centre Peter St, Drogheda 7pm Tuesday 16th January 2024
- The Village Hotel, Eastham Rd, Bettystown 7pm Thursday 25th January 2024″
Our website is www.dema.ie and we’ve set up a petition, looking for people to sign up and support our campaign. You can also follow us on social media.”
The aims of the petition are:
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To campaign for a local government, planning and economic development zone of Drogheda East Meath
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To create a movement that will bring about the change required to make Drogheda East Meath an outstanding place to live, work and play.
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To campaign for the establishment of a local government region of Drogheda East Meath – for the people and by the people of Drogheda East Meath.
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A local government that will administer a budget that puts the needs and interests of the citizens of Drogheda East Meath – front & centre.
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To campaign for a serious, deep down planning process for 5 and 10 year, in line with the demographic requirements of our growing region.
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To campaign for a plan to develop 30,000 sustainable local jobs.
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To campaign for the expansion of DIFE and University collaboration for Drogheda East Meath
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To campaign to abandon / apply brakes on all planning policies that direct the citizens of Drogheda East Meath to commute to work outside the met area.
