Kells is open for business

DEAR SIR - Worries that 700 jobs might be lost to Meath, due to the refusal of planning permission for a business park development at Kilbride, Co Meath, are not warranted. The good news is that Kells is open for business and can accommodate all of the development, formerly planned for Kilbride, and the 700 jobs. We have the people, the broadband, the zoned serviced land, the road infrastructure, which took considerable time and expense to put in place. Kells is one of the county"s few designated locations for growth, in accordance with the County Development Plan, The National Spatial Strategy, and the Regional Planning Guidelines, all of which policy documents were framed or adopted by Cllr Killian"s party Fianna Fail. Objectors to the Kilbride development cited the policy objectives in the aforementioned plans. Kilbride is not designated for such growth, and such development in Kilbride will be at the expense of employment and economic development in Kells, and the north Meath area. I know that Cllr Killian is anxious to secure employment for his community but it can not be at the expense of Kells, its people, or jobs in Kells. Let the message go out that any developments that undermine the prospects of jobs in Kells, such as allowing the effective spread of Dublin City into Meath, will be opposed, most strenuously. Too many people are enduring the misery and expense of commuting to Dublin and its borders for work, from Kells and the North Meath area. I have two messages, developers take note: 'Kells is open for business' and 'hands off our jobs and growth'. Yours John Callaghan Fine Gael Candidate, 10 The Cloisters, Kells.