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SWORDS TRAVEL
9th April 2013 • Volume 20, Issue 13 • Leader House, North Street, Swords, Co. Dublin. • Tel: 8•400•200 • info@northcountyleader.ie
Bremore Port Project In Deep Water It appears that plans for the development of a €350 million deep water port at Bremore, just north of Balbriggan have been effectively shot down under the government’s new port policy blueprint. The proposed new deepwater port was to be developed to provide support for Drogheda and Dublin ports. A government source confirmed that the new policy indicated that “there was no need for new capacity development and that any main developments should be done at Dublin, Cork or Shannon, so it’s unlikely that Bremore will be progressed.” The news has been greeted as a blow to the local economy by Balbriggan Chamber of Commerce. It’s past President, Kevin Tolan expressed regret at the news of the Bremore project not going ahead. He My McKeon told the County Leader, “The Chamber would have welcomed the extra jobs boost that such a project would have brought, especially in the construction phase of the project. Also there would have been industrial storage and warehousing opportunities, along with other ancillary services. These would have been a very welcome boost to the local economy here in Balbriggan.” Local councillor, May McKeon however was more upbeat about the project and feels that news of the demise of Bremore Port is premature. She told the County Leader, “I’m in no doubt that the project will proceed in the foreseeable future. Naturally, with the present economic climate, there is a reluctance to speculate when this might be. The Government announcement has not specifically ruled out Bremore, which has been thoroughly researched for suitability, rock formation and deep water levels.” She continued, “My main concern is to keep this item on the agenda as a major priority for the area. The infrastructure associated with the siting of such a major facility will be of paramount importance to the economic future of Balbriggan and the surrounding area, which cries out for major investment, given the huge population, future graduates and opportunities to provide much needed employment,” she said. Her views were largely shared by Paul Fleming, CEO of Drogheda Port Company, who expressed a ray of hope that the project may proceed. He told the County Leader that he clearly saw a future for Bremore as a deep water port into the future. “It is not correct that Bremore will not be used as a
By Patrick Finnegan deep water port in the future. As you know, considerable developmental work has indicated the suitability of Bremore as a Deepwater Port Facility. Detailed discussions on the current status of the Bremore project itself have yet to take place between Drogheda Port and the Department of Transport,” he said. The planned facility, which was to have been a joint venture between Drogheda Port Company and Treasury Holdings, which has been liquidated and whose assets are now under the control of
NAMA. The port would have had a freight capacity of 10 million tons per year. It was believed that a diverse business district would have been created around the port bringing wide economic benefits to the Balbriggan area and presenting lifestyle opportunities for local people to work locally.
Unauthorised Disabled Parking Problem In Skerries By Jennifer McShane Skerries Community Association has warned motorists using the local community centre that it is adopting a ‘zero tolerance’ approach to unauthorised vehicles parking in disabled spaces. Martin Russell, Chairman of the association, said this was an issue they’ve been dealing with for some time, and that it was totally unfair to those who genuinely needed the spaces. He told the County Leader: “It is just completely unacceptable that fully able bodied persons should park in the disabled drop off zone. They have no need to. The spacing is needed by many persons in our community with mobility issues and they alone should be using it.” He said the reason this problem
arose in the first place was because St Patrick’s school (located just beside the community centre), had no suitable parking faciliMartin Russell ties themselves so parents were forced to use the community centre. “While I understand the issues parents have, this is no excuse to be using the spacing,” he continued. “We cannot continue to let the issue go. We’ve received a lot of complaints about this, and it’s those who are in genuine need of those spaces that are missing out.” “The disabled spaces/disabled drop off zone are designated for
the exclusive use of those with disabled parking permits and, given the serious nature of the complaints we’ve received, we want to let locals know that we have to take new measures to prevent unauthorised use of the spaces. ” The association has advised that it has a number of penalties in place for unauthorised vehicles who use the disabled spaces, including stickers being placed and photos being taken of the offending cars. “We don’t want to have to come down harshly on anyone, but we feel we have to take these extra measures to ensure those that need to use the spaces, will be able to use them freely, and without worrying whether they’ll be used up. We would appreciate the community’s support in this matter,” he concluded.
FASHION STORES TO SUIT ALL TASTES The Heart Of Shopping In Balbriggan
Members of Foróige Balbriggan Youth Service last week attended a film-making workshop ahead of their entry to the X-HALE Short Film Festival 2013. The X-HALE Short Film Festival is an initiative developed by the Irish Cancer Society to encourage young people to take action on the issue of smoking in their own communities through the visual and engaging medium of film. They will spend the next few months preparing their film for entry into the Film Festival which will take place this summer. Pictured getting behind the camera are, William Ellson (15), Kodie Doyle (14), and Dammy Olaniyi from Foroige Balbriggan Youth Service.