Limerick Chamber President says report recommendations could be implemented “very quickly’ if it gets support of people and key stakeholders
Local business and political reaction continues to come in following the publication of the Brosnan Report Thursday.
The Limerick Chamber called Friday for recommendations in the report, which include the merging of Limerick City and County Councils along with a city boundary extension, to be implemented “as soon as possible.”
The boundary extension would mean approximately five square kilometres in Clare, including a population of 3,000 in the Shannon Banks and Westbury housing estates, would now be apart of Limerick City.
President of the Limerick Chamber Kieran Mac Sweeny said the chamber’s number one priority was that any changes to the local government structure would deliver a City of sufficient scale that will allow it to reach its full potential.
“Limerick city has the highest commercial rates in the state and one of the highest rates of unemployment. We need lower rates to protect existing businesses and to attract investment and jobs to our city,” Mac Sweeny said.
Fianna Fail Clare TD Timmy Dooley lashed out at the report and said at a minimum the people of East Clare should have the chance to vote on any change of boundary affecting them before the plans are adopted.
“I’m very disappointed with the recommendations put forward in the committee’s report. I see no reason why any Limerick local authority should be encroaching on the people of Clare,” Dooley said in a statement Friday.
He says Limerick City Council did not listen to their party colleagues in Clare, who had made it very clear that an encroachment of the boundaries of Limerick City into Clare would be “unacceptable.”
“This is a very emotive issue locally so I hope that we will be able to prevent the encroachment from happening,” Dooley concluded.
Shannon Development has also called for the recommendations to be implemented. The orginisation had backed a boundary extension and a unification of the two councils.
Dr. Vincent Cunnane, Chief Executive of Shannon Development said it is now critical that the recommendations of the report be acted on “as quickly as possible.”
“Shannon Development strongly believes that the long term economic development prospects of the Shannon Region are best served by having Limerick City as a strong, vibrant metropolitan core fulfilling its potential as the economic driving force of the Region over the next twenty to thirty years. We view the recommendations in this report as an important step in achieving that.”
Tony Brosnan, Chairman of the reports committee, says he expects the Government to act quickly in relation to the findings and recommendations contained within the report.
