Limerick TD Tim O'Malley Slams Incompetence Of Limerick Local Authorities
The city of Limerick and its immediate environs are at a critical stage in their economic development, according to Mr. Tim O'Malley, T. D., and Minister of State at the Department of Health and Children.
Raleigh, NC (PRWEB) February 23, 2006
In an interview with LimerickBiz. com -- http://www. limerickbiz. com (http://www. limerickbiz. com) -- this week, Mr. Tim O'Malley, T. D., expressed his fears that downright bad management and a poor planning strategy could lead to the degeneration of the physical and cultural environment of Limerick and represent a waste of the opportunities supplied by the current favourable economic climate.
This, according to Mr. O'Malley is a worst-case scenario, and he intends not to let it happen by making strong proposals at local and national level in order to restore the city to the right path.
The Doooradoyle based PO's proposals include the amalgamation of the city and county councils to provide a single super-authority to govern and promote both city and county.
The halting of the current one-off, ad hoc developments in the city and its environs in favour of a clear coherent plan designed to enhance the status of Limerick City as the Mid-West's cultural and economic hub.
The rapid development of a rail link between Limerick and Shannon and the creation of the graduate medical school at the University of Limerick.
Tim O'Malley identifies these issues as the 'breakthrough' points that would move Limerick's profile to the centre of the national stage.
One recent development -- of which everyone in the Limerick business community is now aware -- is Shannon International Airport's recent granting of Ryanair hub status.
This has been made possible by the break up of Aer Rianta into three separate authorities representing the three major international airports - Dublin, Cork and Shannon - and allowing each to compete individually for business with the carriers.
''The figures speak from themselves: overall passenger growth for the first five months of last year has been 10 per cent for the three airports combined, but the breakdown of the figures is even more interesting from a local perspective”, he said.
“Dublin is up by 6.9 per cent, Cork by 14.3 per cent but Shannon has risen by 30%! The figure for May alone, when many of the new Ryanair routes became operational, is 42 per cent."
The minister argues, however, against the local business community and others seeing this as an opportunity for back slapping or resting on laurels.
"On the contrary, this huge increase in traffic represents a challenge and magnificent commercial opportunity for the region. The business community must be alive to the possibilities offered by the gain in the traffic to the region and I'm confident in the ability of Limerick and Shannon commercial concerns to grasp this opportunity” -- http://www. limerickbiz. com (http://www. limerickbiz. com)
For more business news or media contacts relating to Limerick contact:
Jae Taylor;
Tel: 00353 61 326342 | 00353 86 8518337
Web: http://www. limerickbiz. com (http://www. limerickbiz. com)
# # #
