Republican News · Thursday 20 February 2003

Sinn Féin blueprint for development of Mayo

Mayo Sinn Fein has made proposals for the creation of development hubs at Belmullet and Knock Airport and has called on Mayo County Council to draft a 20-year spatial strategy for the county.

In a wide ranging submission to Mayo County Council's Draft Development Plan, Sinn Féin has proposed an array of reforms covering the economic, social and cultural development of the county.

Sinn Fein wants Mayo County Council to ensure that the whole county has adequate broadband infrastructure and in a radical proposal, calls on the council to become a major player in the revenue generating aspects of telecommunications in order to finance the county's future telecommunications needs.

The submission also calls on Mayo County Council to become involved in wind energy projects via Public Community Partnerships and that development levies and rates arising from any future gas exploration activity should be spent exclusively in the Erris region.

On the issue of single housing in the countryside, Sinn Féin says it should be an objective of the council to encourage sustainable housing in rural Mayo in order to consolidate the existing social infrastructure and to ensure the future viability of the county's rural communities.

Sinn Féin has also called on Mayo County Council to introduce a policy of positive discrimination in favour of the people of rural Mayo by providing serviced land banks in low order rural settlements through out the county for the exclusive use of people who are indigenous to those settlements.

The submission also calls for greater cooperation between local authorities and proposes that Mayo County Council should jointly fund projects and share infrastructure when the catchment areas of those projects are within the jurisdiction of one or more neighbouring local authorities.

Sinn Féin also advocates that the council should reduce its dependency on private consultants and proposes that where there are skill deficits or skills that are rarely used, then Mayo County Council should, in cooperation with the other five authorities in Connacht, act as a joint employer and employ the necessary professionals on a permanent basis.

The full text of the Sinn Fein submission can be read on the Mayo Sinn Féin web site - www.sinnfeinmayo.com

Mayo Sinn Féin's Vincent Wood has been re-proposed to serve on Sinn Féin's ruling body - the Ard Chomhairle.

This is the third consecutive year that Vincent Wood has been chosen as a representative for the Connacht/Ulster region, illustrating a commitment from the party to continue to develop in Mayo and throughout the region.

"As the third largest party in the region, we have a responsibility to break the Fianna Fáil/Fine Gael axis that has dominated the region for decades and has failed to deliver basic infrastructure and essential services for the people," said Wood.

"Sinn Féin will meet that challenge and we are looking forward to next year's local elections where we are confident of making a significant breakthrough."