To whom it may concern;

Drogheda Business Improvement District (BID) CLG is a collaboration working together to make Drogheda an even better place for everyone. Its aim is to ensure Drogheda is increasingly known for its safe, attractive and welcoming look and feel by all those who work, study, live and spend leisure time in Drogheda.

We have been established by the local business community and are mandated to work on behalf of local business and have been tasked with delivering projects across Retail, Tourism, Environment, Jobs & Technology and Culture & Heritage. 

To assist in this, we, in Drogheda BID, believe that there is an opportunity through this forum to be fully inclusive of the town boundaries via its political representation. Currently, a portion of Drogheda hinterland is represented in East Meath constituency and are served by two separate local authority administrations. 

As per the constitution, constituencies should have a regard to ; 

• the breaching of county boundaries shall be avoided as far as practicable. 
• Each constituency shall be composed of a contagious area,
• There shall be regard to geographic considerations including significant physical features and the extent of and density of population in each constituency

We are asking that the commission endeavour to ensure that political representation is reflected via the development and expansion of the boundaries to ensure inclusive representation for the people of Drogheda’s full environs as outlined in bullet point three.

The current constituency in Louth is a 5 seat constituency  and due to the rapid increase in population and expected growth due to the development of approximately 6000-7000 houses in the Northern Environs of Drogheda that will have to change.

We ask that the ability of the urban settlement of Drogheda, the largest town in Ireland, to be governed in a coherent way, Is not undermined by splitting the urban settlement between two constituency and ask that the following configurations be considered:

1. Increase the constituency to a six seater retaining Drogheda and its hinterland intact within that constituency , however as this may conflict with 57  (2)(c) the 2022 review report therefore,
2. Split Louth/east Meath into two three seater constituencies, reflecting the differing influences on each, with one constituency centred on Dundalk and one centred on Drogheda or, if the numbers permit,
3. Split Louth /east Meath into two constituencies, a three seat constituency centred on Dundalk and a four seat constituency centred on Drogheda.

With the rapid residential population growth it would be in accordance with proper planning that Drogheda is contained in a single constituency and not split across two of constituencies.

We thank you for your consideration of our submission.

Best wishes,

Trevor Connolly

CEO, Drogheda BIDs