Warnock says ‘two tier’ Longford in place over regeneration hold-up

The claims were made at a meeting of Longford Municipal District last week by Cllr Gerry Warnock.

The Independent local representative made the admission days after Housing Minister Darragh O’Brien officially cut the ribbon on a €4m Longford Connected Project.

Cllr Warnock said he spoke to Mr O’Brien directly, who revealed a revised business plan for the county town’s regeneration blueprint had been received by his department from council officials, leading the father of two to call for swift and decisive action to be taken.

“This is our flagship project for our regeneration section in Co Longford,” he said.

“It’s the biggest project we will ever undertake in our county town and it is two and a half years since the minister first came down and made the very welcome announcement of €10.5m to realise some of our objectives.”

Cllr Warnock said it was his view while rural parts of the county had prospered under Longford’s regeneration banner, the principal town in the county had floundered.

“We have a two tier Longford and I stand by that,” he added.

“We have a prosperous, growing and vibrant rural Longford but we have a county town that seems to be dropping and dropping and dropping.”

Director of Services John Brannigan said he didn't accept claims Longford's regeneration had “stalled”, arguing how council chiefs were very much confined to a “painstaking” wider, bureaucratic process.

An 'in committee' behind closed doors meeting of local politcians over the state of Longford's regeneration model is expected to take place over the coming weeks.