The designation of Dundalk as a gateway centre in the National Spatial Strategy was broadly welcomed in the Border town yesterday. But there was disappointment with the spatial strategy in nearby Drogheda and Navan, neither of which was included even as a "development hub".
Drogheda's deputy mayor said yesterday was the town's "darkest day since Cromwell."
Dundalk Chamber of Commerce began a sustained campaign to have the town recognised nationally for development purposes three years ago.
"We are delighted at the designation because from the very beginning we didn't want Dundalk to develop as a dormitory town because it had such excellent infrastructure and was obviously ideal for spatial development," said its executive director, Ms Deirdre Ryan.
In 1999 the chamber retained a consultant planner to prepare a submission for the National Development Plan on why Dundalk should be developed as a regional growth centre and technology city.
The Minister for Communications, Mr Ahern, whose constituency is Louth, said the decision to select Dundalk "will bring people, employment and services closer together along the Border areas and will energise the economic and social development of the region".
The strategy allows for the gateway centre to attain "city" status and it has been identified for considerable investment in areas including housing, road, amenities and infrastructure.
However, 25 miles down the road the publication of the strategy was described as "Drogheda's darkest day since Cromwell" and a policy that "must be fought every step of the way", by the town's deputy mayor, Mr Frank Maher (Fianna Fáil).
"It is a disgraceful decision and a malevolent act against one of the fastest-growing towns in the country; it seems Drogheda will develop in spite of Government policy rather than because of it."
Mr Fergus O'Dowd TD (Fine Gael) raised the matter in the Dáil yesterday afternoon and said: "Drogheda is not a dot on a map they hope people will move to. The people are already here and have invested in the town but its infrastructure is disgraceful."
He called for Mr Ahern to resign, describing him as a "failure" because Drogheda was not included alongside Dundalk when other same-county towns such as Tralee and Killarney had been.
The chief executive of Drogheda Chamber of Commerce, Mr David Pryor, said he left the launch of the strategy disappointed but believed it had decided the future agenda for Drogheda.
"Its future is clearly linked to the greater Dublin area in conjunction with east Meath and exactly how we adopt and work at that in relation to roads, boundaries, etc, has to be worked out," he said.
"It is up to us all to come up with a new vision and strategy for Drogheda and the chamber is working with the Tánaiste, the IDA, Enterprise Ireland and other agencies to develop a regeneration programme for the town."
In Co Meath, Mr Damien English TD (Fine Gael) claimed that Navan had been "snubbed twice". He said a spatial strategy was needed five years ago, "when Meath helped solve Dublin's accommodation problem", that the town was on target for a population of 60,000 by 2012 and badly in need of infrastructure. "Will we now be bypassed again for funding in favour of other towns in the strategy?"
In Monaghan there was a broad welcome for its designation as a development hub. Mr Joe Heron, of the Monaghan chamber, said it would be looking at cross-Border links with Armagh and Dungannon as well as to Dundalk. But he cautioned: "While this is good news it will have to be translated through all the semi-state bodies, State agencies and Government departments."