A chara, – I refer to the article headlined “Cork and Limerick could be the new powerhouse region” (Business, August 24th). Yes, they could, and I wish them every economic success. However, there’s analternative to Dublin as a powerhouse and it’s right on your doorstep.
Meath County Council has initiated the “Make it Meath” project, the first of its kind by a local authority, to attract jobs and people to Meath by virtue of being like Dublin, only better.
The county boasts a highly educated workforce, many of whom reluctantly commute for work into Dublin in the mornings and come home happily to Meath in the evenings. By getting more industry to locate in Meath, we can turn that daily commuting grind while immediately taking pressure off Dublin’s creaking infrastructure.
Our initiative has seen us identify “ready to go” industrial sites; we have a dedicated economic development team that helps all major industrial projects to completion and we have a fast-track planning system for these projects.
There are four motorways giving rapid access to both airports and seaports, so you can get from Navan centre to San Francisco in around 14 hours, including the mandatory airport early check-in.
If the State’s industrial agencies, who have been very supportive of our initiative, concentrated on developing industry in Meath, then Ibec’s submission for the massively expensive Dublin outer orbital motorway and the completion of the Eastern Bypass, mentioned in the article, could well be redundant and those funds put to better use.
We have great people in Meath, a great quality of life and relatively affordable housing (like the rest of the country we will be building many more homes).
The best part, though, is that it’s all here now, and already we have attracted big names like Facebook, Alltech and Shire to set up in Meath.
Our new “Make it Meath” website goes live next month, and then we’ll be asking everyone in Meath, Dublin and beyond to tell people that Meath, Ireland’s most business-friendly county, is open for business. – Is mise,
JACKIE MAGUIRE,
Chief Executive,
Meath County Council,
County Hall,
Railway Street,
Navan,
Co Meath.