There was great news today for everyone who has been working so hard to further the plans for a bridge at the Narrow Water, over the Newry River. An Bord Planeala has granted planning permission for the bridge and following on from the granting of planning
permission by the Northern Ireland Environment Minister Alex Attwood last week,
I am delighted that the project can now forge ahead and hopefully secure the
required funding to make the bridge a reality. Louth County Council has made an
application for funding under the Interreg IV scheme to cover the cost of
approximately €18m and if successful work will commence in the near future with
a goal of opening the bridge in 2015. It will act as a gateway to the Mourne and
Cooley Mountains for tourists and allow much easier access for visitors to this
beautiful and scenic part of the north-east.
It has the potential to be a great economic and
tourism catalyst for the area on both sides of the border with jobs created during
the construction phase and increased investment in businesses and tourism in
the future. The construction of this cross-border bridge is also of
significance in that it is the most important infrastructure project in the
border region for many years. The Narrow Water Bridge will hopefully come to
symbolise the progress that has been made in North-South relations and the
optimism that exists for future cross-border co-operation.
No comments:
Post a Comment