Call for Longford County Council to purchase shopping centre site
"Buy the site, bring in businesses, develop the barracks" Donnelly
Sinn Féin's local representative in Longford James Donnelly has called on Longford County Council to purchase the derelict shopping centre site currently up for sale by Omniplex group.
Mr Donnelly, who narrowly missed out on taking a seat in the local elections for SF, said: "The site which has been derelict for years is in an area of Town that has been somewhat deprived of investment and as a result, footfall has fallen massively - now is the time for Longford County council to show some bottle, buy the site, develop a strategy to bring in new business into the town and rejuvenate that whole area."
Calling for action on the matter he said: "For decades, Councillors in the Town have been harping on about the Camlin Quarter regeneration - now it’s time for action."
"Buy the site, bring in businesses, develop the barracks into a multi-use facility (soccer pitch at the back, a base for the civil defence, interactive county museum, community space, family resource centre) and get the heart and soul back into that end of Town."
Mr Donnelly concluded by saying: "The Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage Darragh O'Brien and Longford Westmeath TD and Minister of State with responsibility for Local Government and Planning Peter Burke were both quick to announce €14 million in funding for the regeneration back in March - now it's time to start using that money."
"All it takes is some innovation, joint up thinking and the courage to do it!"