A strong delegation of local TDs and representatives of Clones Regeneration Partnership met with Minister Deenihan in his Department offices in Dublin on Thursday the 2/Feb/12. The Minister had invited the delegation to Dublin to discuss the canal proposal. Brian Morgan and Pat Treanor, from Clones Regeneration Partnership, began the meeting by thanking the Minister for inviting the delegation to Dublin and for giving them his time and consideration. They immediately highlighted the large amount of preparation work that had already been carried out by Waterways Ireland on the canal proposal and of the momentum now created with the submission of the planning application for the proposal.
The strong economic regeneration and cross border benefits of the canal were also highlighted to the Minister by Cllr Pat Treanor. Cllr Treanor referred to the recent economic appraisals carried out by Fitzpatrick Associates on behalf of the Government and made reference to the large job creation and physical regeneration that would flow from the canal proposal. The Minister firstly thanked the delegation for the hospitality shown to him when he visited Clones for the Famine memorial and congratulated everyone for that making the day a success. The Minister re iterated his support for the Canal proposal and whilst indicating the funding difficulties that existed, he emphasised that the proposal would be a priority and that it was important to get the planning permission and the compulsory land purchase completed, so that momentum for the project would be created. The Minister indicated that he was looking at different funding options and that an inter-agency meeting of the Councils and Waterways Ireland had been set up. The local TDs from the area, Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin, Heather Humphries, Brendan Smith, Seam Conlon and Joe O Reilly all reiterated their full commitment to the proposal, emphasising the economic and cross border benefits of the proposal and reminding the Minister of the great cross border dividend from the proposal. They all thanked the Minister for meeting the delegation, listening to their views and providing a positive outlook for the future. Brian Morgan Chairman of Clones Regeneration Partnership commented on the meeting.
“I think it’s important to note that it was Minister Deenihan who invited the delegation down to Dublin, which shows his desire to keep local people informed. It is clear the Canal proposal is at the top of the Minister’s agenda and he reiterated his desire to see the project through to completion. All of the delegation left the meeting in a positive mood and I am now looking forward to the next canal milestone, which will be the provision of planning permission by this summer”
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