The M1 project now offers us the ideal platform to highlight the Region’s potential, from Drogheda to Newry says Paddy Malone at today’s launch of the MI Corridor.
The M1 Corridor website brings together in great detail the strengths of the area from our population reach, 3rd level access, connectivity, business environment and heritage. This plan is to encourage new companies, be they foreign or otherwise to consider this region first. We also wish to invite those that need a second location. This has already been successfully done by PayPal.
This is the next stage of our 2040 Plan. We, in Dundalk Chamber argued the case for the region to be recognised and in November 2017 we won that argument with the publication of the final Plan. It gave me great personal satisfaction said Paddy Malone to realise the win for Dundalk.
We then went on to work with Drogheda in developing the product. The gathering of this work showed that this region has the population, skill base, the infrastructure and the people to be a thriving area independent of either Dublin or Belfast. There are 2.3 million people within an hour of West st. or Clanbrassil st. compared to 2.1m from O’Connell st. 80,000 people commute daily from the region into Dublin, wasting time and fuel, congesting Dublin.
We made our submission to the Regional Planning Authority and were delighted with their draft Plan. We look forward to the final Plan. We would like to thank Councillor Colm Markey, the Louth representative for the work he carried out in support of the project.
Pat McCormick, President of Dundalk Chamber said that he was delighted that after 3 years of lobbying specifically on this and many years pleading for a special case we had taken the opportunity presented to put the Region firmly on the map from Drogheda through Dundalk to Newry. He stressed that he wanted all in the community to own the project and to make it work for the good of all.
Watch the M1 Corridor Launch livestream at 10.40 am today, below…
Attachments
- Press Release (pdf/17 KB)
- M1 CORRIDOR BACKGROUND (pdf/38 KB)
- Presentation at Belfast 2018 (vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.presentationml.presentation/2 MB)
- LEF M1 Marketing Initiative Update (vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.presentationml.presentation/11 MB)