Feedback sought on how to invest over €500m in border counties

The local consultation event is to take place in the Carrickdale Hotel next Thursday

The European Union is seeking feedback on plans to invest over €500 million in the North and border counties of the Republic over the next seven years.

The Special EU Programmes Body, based in Belfast, is beginning a second and final intensive round of consultation on plans to invest the money before submitting plans to the Government in Dublin and the Stormont Executive.

The investment is shared between two funds – the Peace IV programme, which aims to underpin efforts to build political stability and reconciliation; and Interreg, which seeks to promote development and co-operation among the regions, including the Republic, Northern Ireland and Scotland.

Five public consultation events are planned for Dundalk, Cavan town, Belfast, Derry and Glasgow.

The local event will be held in the Carrickdale Hotel on Thursday from 10am to 1pm.

The Peace IV programme will have a strong youth element, concentrating on plans to enhance education and work training for young people. The programme will also include schemes aimed at easing sectarianism and racism “by encouraging greater levels of positive cross-community interaction”.

The special EU body is also seeking to support “civil society” projects designed to facilitate expressions of culture free from intolerance and prejudice.

The Interreg programme seeks to boost cross-Border co- operation, especially in health, where it aims to support “the more efficient delivery of services that will address health inequalities and support the move from institutional to community-based healthcare”. Interreg also has set environmental objectives relating to water quality and protecting habitats. It will further seek to support renewable energy projects and companies with export capacity.

Pat Colgan, chief executive with the Special EU Programmes Body, said all projects would also have to clearly demonstrate the difference they would make in helping the region to develop.

Feedback can also be given online here.

Kirk calls for parties to come together to get Narrow Water Bridge over the line

An artist’s impression of the Narrow Water Bridge

Local Fianna Fáil TD Seamus Kirk has called for those involved in the Narrow Water Bridge to “put their money where their mouths are” and come together to get the project over the line.

A report in The Irish Times earlier this week said that unless the EU funding that was granted towards the project was drawn down within a matter of weeks then it would have to be reallocated.

It looked like the Narrow Water Bridge – which will link Omeath and Warrenpoint – was set to finally go ahead earlier this summer when governments on both sides of the border gave it the go ahead.

However, tenders – which ranged from €26m to €40m – came back around €15m over budget leading to Louth County Council having to suspend the project.

Speaking in Leinster House yesterday, Deputy Kirk said: “The funding deficit must be tackled and it is vital that the Government take the lead in addressing the issue by meeting the councils involved and creating a new source of funding to make progress on this decades-long project.”

The former Ceann Comhairle said that the bridge would greatly assist the growth of tourism in the region and called on the government to “revise its disastrous decision not to work with the Northern Ireland Executive to provide additional funding,” adding that it would be a “tragic decision to scupper matters at this advanced stage.”

The Knockbridge deputy further argued that the bridge would provide the potential to create jobs and to bring additional spending power into the region.

Responding on behalf of Minister for Transport Leo Varadkar, junior Minister Jan O’Sullivan said that when the government agreed to commit €3.91 million towards the project one of the conditions was that Louth County Council would have sole responsibility for any cost overruns.

Ms O’Sullivan said that a funding shortfall of €15 million existed but reiterated that Louth County Council had indictated to the Special EU Programmes Body (SEUPB) when it had applied for funding that it was willing to meet any funding shortfall. She admitted, however, that this was on the understanding that any shortfall that did arise would be small.

Ms O’Sullivan said that given the “substantial funding shortfall” then “bridging the shortfall is very difficult”.

The Limerick woman said that Louth County Council had been discussing the matter with SEUPB but that “no formal proposal has been made by Louth County Council to the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport on increasing the Department’s funding contribution.”

She added though that due to funding cutbacks the department had to curtail investment on major new or improvement projects in order to focus available funds on necessary maintenance and repair work. She also pointed out that the department’s budget would be decreased by €100m at this month’s Budget, which would have been where any funding for the Narrow Water Bridge would have come from.

However, Minister O’Sullivan said that her colleague Minister Varadkar was willing to consider helping to make up some of the shortfall but only in the context that there would be significant contributions from all other parties, including the Northern Irish Executive.

Deputy Kirk has called for all interested parties to be brought together on the matter and failing the shortfall being met up, he has asked that the SEUPB be approached to extend the deadline for drawing down of the €17.4m.

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• Narrow Water Bridge project “hangs by a thread” (talkofthetown.ie)