The closing date for submissions to the Mullingar Local Area Plan 2014-2020 is next Wednesday – March 13 and the public are being urged to get involved in developing education, infrastructure, industry and tourism in the town.

Westmeath County Council is drawing up draft proposals and on receipt of submissions from outside bodies or individuals, a final draft will be published.
At that point, the public will again be invited to make further submissions.

One of the core issues is the marriage of the three existing plans – the Robinstown Plan, the Marlinstown/Ardmore Plan and the Mullingar South/Lynn Plan – into one.

The importance of magnifying the positives in relation to the town, its existing facilities, its Gateway status, its ideal, central location with easy road and rail access and egress are critical to attracting meaningful development to Mullingar.

With a current population of almost 20,000, expected to rise to 31,000 in the lifetime of this plan, thought has been put into the need for another primary school and the possibility of a third level college.

With 250ha of land zoned for employment and enterprise, Mullingar needs to project itself as a suitable location for industry, particularly larger labour intensive companies, which were a feature of the town in years gone by.

People are being encouraged to have their say on all aspects of the Draft Plan, including any proposal for the development of the former Columb Barracks site.

Submissions should be marked ‘Mullingar Local Area Plan’, and submitted to Administrative Officer, Forward Planning, Westmeath County Council, County Buildings, Mullingar, or by email to mullingarlap@westmeathcoco.ie.