Minister Upbeat on Roads says Chamber

A delegation from The North West Chamber of Commerce Initiative met with the Regional Development Minister, Mr Conor Murphy, to receive his Departmental up date on the progress of a number of major infrastructural issues currently in progress throughout the Region.  Representatives from Derry, Letterkenny, Omagh and Strabane were heartened to hear an upbeat Minister assuring us that the NW Region was high on his agenda. 

Ian Crowe, told the Minister "the NW business leaders want to contribute fully to the economic development of Northern Ireland in every way that they can.  The people of the region are innovative, creative and entrepreneurial, however the connectivity to the region is still exceptionally poor and until the completion on both the A6 and A5 road schemes the NW has the added peripheral hurdle when trying to attract Foreign Direct Investment."

The Minister acknowledged that key to the success of the region is the delivery of these plans to connect Derry not only to Belfast but to Dublin.  He spoke in detail about both the A5 and A6 road schemes in relation to the statutory processes, timelines and finance.  Mary McCartan, Omagh Chamber, also sought reassurances that town access would be given priority consideration during the A5 construction process.  The Minister indicated that the appointed contractors would commence work with the design teams very soon in order to ensure that access and minimal disruption would be an area of priority.

Paul Byrne, President of Letterkenny Chamber, emphasized the continued Strategic importance of the City of Derry Airport. Whilst acknowledging the economic strain of this resource members made a strong representation to the Minister that solutions must be sought in order to secure this vital access link.   

Joe Barbour, Strabane Chamber President, spoke to the Minister about the issue of town centre parking and the current difficulties being experienced by shoppers in Strabane, particularly over the Christmas period.  The Minister agreed to look at the issues raised with the appropriate bodies.