Prepared to fight every inch of the way
A BIG BANG kick-start to the building element of the city’s regeneration project is actively under consideration.
Minister Willie O’Dea is overseeing a drive to fast-track the commencement of construction work.
Just hours before the Mid West Task Force launched its interim report, Mr O’Dea told the Limerick Post that the Taoiseach, Brian Cowen, has approved his proposal to kick-start what he terms “a big bang approach” to getting building started simultaneously on all of the housing estates earmarked.
Confirming that he already has a team of professionals – architects, engineers, builders, etc, in place, the minister said he has prepared a blueprint for the Taoiseach. “I was tasked by the cabinet to come up with a plan for the regeneration process. I have a positive proposal that has
Continued on page 4.
been given the authority of the Taoiseach to proceed with, and in the next few days I will be meeting with Minister John Gormley.
“The goal would be a big bang, massive amount of construction. I’ve proposed that instead of dragging out the building process for years, that huge employment could be provided instead by rolling out an overall building programme that would get going on all of the areas included in regeneration”.
Admitting that he is having to”fight every inch of the way,” to make this possible, Mr O’Dea confirmed, but refused to go public, with details of a financial package that is being sought to kick-start the building project.
“The timetable being planned is to get this signed on by the end of this year and start on the big build in early Spring. I have my team together and now I need the guarantee to structure it, but I’m very positive for a successful outcome”.
Fine Gael’s deputy Kieran O’Donnell, says that when regeneration is implemented, it would lead to 3,000 direct jobs in the construction phase, leading on to 4,000 jobs, giving rise to annual earnings in the Limerick city area of some 128million euro, with payments to the exchequer of almost 30million euro.
“The Task Force highlights that the Mid West is facing a live register figure of 55,000 by the end of next year which will result in almost 20 per cent unemployment”.
The Tainaiste and Willie O’Dea pictured in Limerick this Wednesday.
