Louth County Council & North Drogheda Environs Group Reach Agreement on €141 Million Infrastructural Package for Drogheda Town

Port Access Northern Cross Route to Open by 2010

30 Acre Regional Sports Campus


15th October 2007: Louth County Council and the North Drogheda Environs Group, the promoters of a new masterplanned community, have successfully concluded negotiations on a legal agreement for the delivery of a €141 million infrastructural package for the Town of Drogheda.

The package includes the construction of the six kilometre Port Access Northern Cross Route (PANCR), a 30 acre Regional Sports Campus and significant upgrades to the Town’s infrastructural network with emphasis on water, waste water and surface water drainage.

The construction of the road, which under the County Council’s Masterplan is a prerequisite for any future development of lands owned by NDEG, will be overseen by Louth County Council. Detailed designs for the route have already been completed and the Compulsory Purchase Order along with the Environmental Impact Statement will be published and submitted to An Bord Pleanála in the coming weeks.

The Port Access road will incorporate vehicular, cycle and pedestrian lanes and run from the Port at Tom Roe’s Point to the existing link road connecting to the M1 Drogheda North interchange. Construction is planned to commence in 2008 and the road will be open for use in 2010.

It is expected that the Port Access road will remove 3,000 vehicles out of Drogheda Town every day which will greatly improve traffic flow and quality of life for everyone in the town.

The 30 acre Regional Sports Campus, at Newtown Stalaban will provide state-of-the-art facilities for a variety of sporting codes.

Speaking after the announcement, the Chairman of the County Council, Councillor Jimmy Mulroy, said:

“I am absolutely delighted to hear that negotiations have been successfully completed and I look forward to work commencing as soon as possible. The Port Access Route will be a great addition to Drogheda Port’s activities and will also help to remove unnecessary trucks from the streets of Drogheda. This new town, on the northern outskirts of Drogheda, represents a new way of doing things, where vital infrastructure is delivered at the same time as houses are being built. The area will contain a number of neighbourhood centres and sites are also being reserved for a number of primary schools. Council staff will be entering urgent negotiations with the Department of Education and Science to ensure that school buildings are in place when they are required. Louth County Council looks forward to a continued fruitful relationship with the promoters over the coming years as we bring this plan to reality.”

The Mayor of Drogheda, Councillor Anthony Donohoe, also welcomed the news saying that it was another important chapter in the continued development and growth of Drogheda. The new parks and sports facilities will, he said, be a great asset to the entire town and he wished the promoters every success as they commence their project.

NDEG will announce more detail of their plans to develop the masterplanned lands in the coming weeks. Development of the NDEG lands come under the County Council’s North Drogheda Environs Local Area Plan which includes a detailed Masterplan for the delivery of a self-sustaining community with infrastructure delivered in tandem with housing.

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