Call to attend Roscrea community meeting

The February monthly meeting of Roscrea Community Development Council takes place in the Abbey Hall this Thursday, February 22nd, at 8pm to discuss current community issues.  

 

In the past week the Government has launched the National Development Plan 2040 and many in Roscrea and district, like many in most rural towns and districts, are wondering where their town and district, and indeed their very lives as they evolve, are reflected in the plan.

RCDC Chairman John Lupton says that it appears that Government have little or no understanding of rural Ireland “which almost beggars belief”.

“The Development Plan appears to be another top-down plan and the people in rural Ireland are somehow deemed to be a liability rather than a significant resource,” Mr Lupton said. “People in rural Ireland are not naïve enough to expect that they should be given a little bit of this or a little bit of that, or be handed down anything from on high! However, they do expect to be empowered through empowerment facilitation structures and to be assisted and encouraged to build rural-based industries and to develop, into the future, a rural-based way of life to which people may choose to live and aspire to, and which should be reflected to a significant extent in the economic and social climate of 2040.  

“Instead of speaking about top-down regional assemblies, there should be bottom-up assemblies beginning with community development councils in all towns and communities which, while being voluntary, would have statutory recognition and support. The co-operative structures for social and economic development must be established, proactively promoted and supported, with a bottom-up approach to balanced and holistic development, as otherwise we will see imbalance and a great injustice done to a great number of people and communities.  

“I would hope that public representatives, as well as community activists, will see it worth their while to attend this Thursday night’s meeting of RCDC to begin this dialogue and hopefully it would take place in all rural towns and communities,” Mr Lupton stated.