Minister Conor Murphy acknowledged that work is progressing well in relation to infrastructure development for the North West. At a private lunch organized by the City's Chamber of Commerce, the Minister outlined the main schemes in the plans.

The Chamber President urged "speedy delivery" in relation to the key road schemes that are connecting the NW to the rest of the Island, particularly Dublin and Belfast. Mr Crowe said "We are pleased to see these key plans are being progressed but the business community need to be assured that we will not have to wait another 20 years before work commences. These are key linkages for business development".

Speaking after the event Mr Crowe said he was delighted that the Minister had agreed with previous comments by the Deputy First Minister when he said we would be driving on dualling between Dungiven and Derry within the next 10 years.

Mr Crowe continued, "The Minister did outline also that if there was an opportunity for prioritizing any part of the route, consideration would be given to the Dungiven bypass based on the environmental issues. "

The Transport Strategy being developed for the city in partnership with ILEX was a key topic of discussion. The emerging proposals could mean radical changes to transport modes and the need for strategic planning from both sides of the border in relation to orbital routes round the city and bridge crossings. It will be crucial that the Department for Regional Development sees this strategy as one of the key components of the revised Regional Development Strategy. Conor Murphy indicated he would be open to hearing a presentation on the transport strategy.

The importance of the Railway connection was also presented to the Minister who gave details of current plans for upgrading the line.

The Chamber President concluded, "We are sending a message that the NW is best placed, both in terms of connectivity but also our strategic approach, to provide the best location for private or public sector jobs. This is a time of opportunity, with the Financial Services giants of Dublin looking North, we say look NW and with the current drive to relocate public sector jobs out of Belfast we say look no further."