Local Councillor John Sheridan met with Minister Jack Chambers in Ardee recently to discuss the inclusion of local infrastructure projects in a review of the National Development Plan.

 

"The National Development Plan is currently under review and public submissions were sought during June. I made a submission directly to the consultation and also specifically met Minister Jack Chambers about it in Ardee. Minister Chambers is the minister responsible for the National Development Plan. The Minister acknowledged he was well aware of the traffic and infrastructure issues in Ardee and assured me the matter would be taken into consideration. 

 

"I was shocked during a recent Council meeting when Council officials informed us that an eastern bypass of Ardee on the N2 was not in the current National Development Plan. Obviously, that needs to be rectified in the review of the plan and I hope it will be. While we know there has been so much focus on the N52 bypass which is currently before the Courts, there should be nothing stopping Louth County Council and Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) advancing the N2 bypass"

 

"With the news this week of the green light from An Coimisiuin Pleanála for Slane to be bypassed on the N2, the need for similar for Ardee will be required. That isn't just about infrastructure for cross-country traffic, its also about housing delivery and allowing Ardee to grow. The reviewed plan is to specifically priorities the delivery of infrastructure to boost house building. 

 

"Separately, during the Ministers visit to Ardee, I also spoke to him about Dunleer railway station. We are now two years on from the All island strategic rail review report which set about a new vision for train travel on the island. This set in place a blueprint for developing our railway infrastructure and as we all know re-opening Dunleer is the most obvious and realistic project to deliver from a rail point of view in the area."