Sinn Féin has confirmed that the rail beds connecting the three bogs that Bord Na Mona owned in Laois will now be retained for use as a Greenway.
“This is good news for the local community and will enhance the recreational and tourist amenities in the county,” local TD Brian Stanley said.
“Both I and the other Sinn Féin representatives have been raising this with Bord Na Mona for a considerable amount of time and the confirmation today is a step forward in the right direction.
“I have raised this previously with the Minister for Tourism, Catherine Martin, through parliamentary questions, and we have used the opportunity in every meeting with Bord Na Mona management, including with the CEO Ton Donnellan, to highlight this issue.
“A Greenway such as this in County Laois will be of huge benefit.“
Cllr Caroline Dwane Stanley, who is running for re-election in the Portlaoise Municipal District also welcomed the news.
“I have been lobbied heavily by constituents on this issue, who already use the old rail line from Togher to Clonkeen and Togher to Cashel as a walking route,” Cllr Dwane Stanley said.
“This is a welcome development at a time when we are trying to increase levels of outdoor activity and use of outdoor spaces.
“I look forward to this project being developed further, with cooperation between Laois County Council and Bord Na Mona.”
“Communities should not be left in the dark when it comes to solar projects,” Charlie Hackett, Green Party candidate in the Graiguecullen-Portarlington Municipal District has said.
Speaking following a public meeting in Emo, regarding a proposed solar farm in the area, Mr Hackett said: “The developer should be engaging with the community from the outset to prevent fear and division.
“It is a real shame that some of the community of Emo already fear a project which hasn’t even been properly explained yet.
“We have them for wind, we should have them for solar and I’ve called on party colleague Minister Eamon Ryan to bring these forward as soon as possible.
“Through the scheme communities can get together and invest in slightly larger projects from between 1MW to 6MW and build a small solar farm or wind farm.
“This scheme makes community scale renewable energy projects viable.
“This new scheme could result in about 140 new solar or wind projects all across the country.
“These community projects will be guaranteed a minimum price for the power they sell for 15 years of between €80 – €150 per megawatt hour generated. I hope to see Laois communities get involved.”
The Minister for Enterprise; Trade and Employment Peter Burke has confirmed that here have been 914 submissions from small and medium sized businesses owners in Laois to the Governments Increased Cost of Business (ICOB) portal, with a total of 1,019 properties involved.
Minister Burke also confirmed that Laois County Council has been granted over €2.4 million to disperse through the scheme.
Speaking after the announcement, Independent TD for Laois-Offaly, Carol Nolan said that she has been “engaging with the Department in an effort to highlight the ongoing economic shocks being felt by retailers and small businesses owners.”
Deputy Nolan highlighted what she called “the failure of Government” to reduce the 13.5% vat rate to 9%, describing the proposed reduction as “critically important by many within the retail and hospitality sectors.”
“While I am sure that the almost 2,000 small businesses in Laois and Offaly appreciate the support from the ICOB scheme the fact remains that what we need is an immediate change to the VAT rate and escalated efforts to reduce the cost of energy, which are both major drains on small enterprises with razor thin operating margins,” Deputy Nolan said.
“I am talking to small and medium size business owners on a daily basis, and they are all telling me the same thing; tinkering around the edges with schemes and supports may assist them briefly but ultimately the avalanche of costs will keep coming long after the support schemes have been closed.
“Businesses need to be able to plan. They need to know that input costs such as energy and outgoing costs such as increased VAT rates will not wipe them out.
“I have spoken to many employers who feel utterly demoralised by the cost burden of trying to operate and keep the doors open.”
