Urban Development
Dail Éireann — 2025-12-09
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Simon Harris (FG), Wicklow

There is so much potential in the M1 corridor, that north-east economic area. The announcement of the partnership between Dundalk Institute of Technology, DKIT, and Queen's University Belfast has the potential to be transformational. I really believe that. Coupled with the living cities initiative, that will bring much-needed Government support through the tax system to Dundalk and Drogheda to tackle vacancy and dereliction. It will be welcome.
We designate the areas - the maps - in consultation with the local authority. I am pleased to hear and know of their enthusiasm in Louth County Council. They are ready to do this. We will write to the authorities this week formally asking them to get their maps in by the end of next month. We will then have an independent third-party assessor. That is important for the integrity of the scheme. We did that previously. I would like to get the mapping process done by the end of quarter 1 and I would like applications to be able to be received over the summer period, from Dundalk and from Drogheda. I say that in the hope that the communities, the local authorities and everyone can begin to prepare for that reality.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2025-12-09/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:54:26+00:00
Sitting date: 2025-12-09