Regional towns may be in for rude awakening |
Assumption that motorway brings prosperity proved false elsewhere |
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The Bangor and Anglesey Mail marked the occasion by predicting that the road would be "the key to prosperity". Sue Essex, the Welsh environment minister, told the paper "it will spur the economic regeneration of Anglesey as a whole, and Holyhead in particular". “... Holyhead's economy has collapsed. It is now in danger of becoming "a ghost town with tumbleweed blowing down the street". A town councillor lamented that "if only 10% more of the millions of ferry passengers that travel through the port every year could be attracted into town it would be a great help". But the purpose of the new road, of course, is to keep passengers out of town and shift them on to the ferries as swiftly as possible. NAG Newsletter dated May 2001 reports from a meeting with Halcrow Barry, the consultants that “we are building an inter-urban roadway”. Let the regional towns (Kilkenny City and Carlow included) beware. |