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Newry Chamber of Commerce & Trade hosted a meeting with the Minister for Regional Development, Danny Kennedy MLA in Newry & Mourne Enterprise Agency this week to discuss key items of concern for the Greater Newry Area.
The event was chaired by Dr Conor Patterson, President of Newry Chamber and was attended by over 20 local business representatives and officials from Newry & Mourne District Council including Mayor Charlie Casey.
High on the agenda was the draft Regional Development Strategy (RDS); the Chamber stressed the importance to the Minister about recognising Newry’s input as a key economic driver for Northern Ireland and as a location of strategic cross border significance.
Other important issues which were discussed included the threat posed by Out of Town developments, the devolving of Corporation Tax, the need for a Southern Relief Road and improved signage for Newry City Centre. The Chamber also called upon the Minister, as a locally elected MLA to support the lobby for a Newry City Development Office with dedicated resources to drive forward regeneration projects for the City. The Minister was also pressed on the matter of speeding up Government spending decisions on funded projects which have been in the pipeline for a considerable amount of time.
Minister Danny Kennedy thanked the Chamber for hosting the meeting and acknowledged that as a local political representative he was well aware of the opportunities and issues that face the Greater Newry Area.
