Campaign to secure city status for State's most central town

A campaign to designate Athlone as a new midland city to counterbalance both Dublin and Galway has been initiated by Athlone Chamber of Commerce.

The "Athlone A City" campaign would see the town expand geographically and economically to achieve city status, while it and the other midland towns of Mullingar, Tullamore, Longford and Laois form a "polycentric growth gateway" to counterbalance economic growth on both the east and west coasts.

Already the committee, which is chaired by Mr Kerry Sloane of the Jolly Mariner Marina in Athlone, has met officials of the spatial planning unit in the Department of the Environment and has drawn up a strategy which it is to submit formally to the Department later this month.

The committee has already won support from Athlone Urban District Council. The local authority last week asked the Minister for the Environment to expand its boundaries, taking up an additional 633 hectares (about 1,500 acres) of Co Westmeath to the north of the town. The move is to allow planning for major growth over the next 20 years. An extension of the town boundaries is seen as essential to gaining city status.

According to Athlone A City campaign spokeswoman Ms Siobhn Bigley, the "polycentric approach" involves spreading the proposed development between other towns as part of a five-station city, with Athlone as the natural centre.

The report of the committee, which is due to be submitted to the Minister at the end of the month, says Athlone is a natural, central location for a city in the midlands with many sound economic indicators. It is in a pivotal position on the Shannon and at the gateway to the Border, Midlands and Western region.

In terms of regional development, Athlone is close enough to Dublin to be accessible but not so close as to lose its identity and independence and become a dormitory town, according to the report. Similarly, the development of a city at Athlone could tackle the growing congestion problems and urban sprawl around Galway.

Athlone is to be served by the new highway from Dublin to Galway, a toll road to replace much of the existing N6/M6. It is well served by the railway with lines to the west (Galway), north-west (Sligo, Westport) and Dublin via Tullamore or Mullingar. The travelling time from Dublin Airport via the M6/M50 is about 90 minutes. The committee also wants to see Athlone designated as a base for a national air-ambulance service, capitalising on its strategic position in the midlands.

Key lifestyle indicators, which are important to foreign investment which now has to compete with cities around the globe for workers, are also strong - with a relatively unspoilt environment around Lough Ree and good access to waterways and the countryside.

The town also has strong broadband communications' links and, crucially, is in the Border, Midlands and Western region which still qualifies for Objective-One aid from Europe. The IDA has targeted 50 per cent of all new greenfield foreign investment startups for the BMW region.

Industry is encouraged by the presence of the Athlone Institute of Technology which produces a ready supply of graduate labour and which has existing links to business and research and development.

The chamber is to set up a website so that all graduates of AIT and all people from Athlone or the midlands abroad interested in returning to work can register, listing their skills and qualifications.

This will be available to current and future employers. The chamber is currently running a car-sticker campaign, "Let's Make Athlone A City", to help raise the profile and awareness of Athlone. Regular meetings with all the other midland chambers are being held to finalise the joint submission to the national spatial strategy unit.

The chamber is currently developing a brand for the campaign with a logo, colours, a slogan and "dawning city" theme - inspired by recent comments by the Minister for Public Enterprise, Ms O'Rourke, who represents the constituency in the Dail.