Athlone city plan "needs more flesh on the bone" - Taoiseach
Taoiseach Micheál Martin said a proposal to turn Athlone into a 'green city' of 100,000 people by 2040 needs more "flesh on the bone" if it's to become a reality.
The Fianna Fáil leader was asked by reporters on Thursday about the concept for a sustainable city in Athlone, which is being led by developer and founder of the Ballymore Group, Roscommon native Sean Mulryan.
And although the Taoiseach praised Mr Mulryan for his "vision", he also remarked that coming up with the concept for a new city was "the easy part" of the process.
At a meeting of Roscommon County Council last month, Mr Mulryan had put the onus on the Government to move the plans on to the next stage.
He said he had taken the ambitious project for Athlone as far as he could, and that the time had come for the State to get involved. "We need to get them to press the green button and get on with it," he remarked.
When asked about this during a visit to Ballinasloe last week, the Taoiseach said "I thought (Mr Mulryan) very neatly put the ball over the net into the Government's court."
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Members of the steering group behind the Athlone city plan are pictured with Roscommon council officials at a recent meeting, from left Professor Brian MacCraith, Shane Tiernan CEO Roscommon Co. Co., Sean Mulryan Ballymore Group, Liam Callaghan Cathoirleach Roscommon Co. Co, Josephine Feehily, Chair of the TUS Governing Body, David Killion, Developments Director Ballymore Group. Photo: Paul Molloy. Paul Molloy 2026"I have met with Sean Mulryan, and my officials in the Government. I've met with some councillors and TDs, and we've discussed it. I think more flesh needs to be put on the bone, if I'm frank about it," Mr Martin told Shannonside FM.
"I need to talk to the county councils, the executives in the councils involved, as well. Certainly I'm open to vision and to the future.
"We have a very strong core generally in Athlone, and in that entire area, because of the university, and the location and infrastructure and so on. There's great potential... but with plans like that there's bit more detailed work required."
The Taoiseach went on to say that Mr Mulryan's vision for Athlone would have to align with various Government plans and initiatives already in place.
"It has to knit into the broader developmental activity that's going on as well, be it industrial development, environmental development, or housing development," he said.
"The Government has produced a lot of plans, so this has to fit in and knit into those, and to the whole use of land as well.
"So the concept has been delivered - that's the easy part of the equation. You now have to look at how you put flesh on the bone, how you'd create structures to deliver something like that, and bring on board all of the stakeholders who would inevitably be involved.
"But I commend (Sean Mulryan) on his vision. I just spent an hour discussing it with some local authority representatives."
When asked if the aim of having a city developed in Athlone by 2040 was too ambitious, the Taoiseach said he was not prepared to comment on "timelines or anything like that".