The campaign for Drogheda to attain "city status" has been dealt a blow, as the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage confirmed it is "not being considered at the moment".
One of the key demands of campaigners is the establishment of a city administration.
In response to a recent parliamentary question from Labour TD Ged Nash, Minister Darragh O'Brien said that provisions in legislation would be needed for a city council to be established and that "there are no plans for legislation in this regard".
Mr Nash accused the Government of giving "two fingers" to Drogheda’s quest for city status and said campaigners "won’t take this lying down".
He said he was stunned by what he called a "dismissive tone" in the response from the minister.
"Drogheda is Ireland’s largest town and city status is crucial to its future development. It cannot be just dismissed with a wave of the minister's hand", he said.
In his response to the parliamentary question, Minister O'Brien said that if a city council was to be established, it would have "significant implications for the county in which the area concerned is situation, particularly around loss of functions of the relevant county council.
"Creation of a 'Drogheda City' local authority would have a major impact on Co Louth, leaving the county council with much reduced territorial jurisdiction, population and resources", he said.
The minister added that this would be "further complicated" by the the fact the area proposed for Drogheda to qualify as a city includes part of Co Meath.
Deputy Nash said that the fact the town straddles two counties was "exactly why" Drogheda needed its own local authority.
"Drogheda needs autonomy over its own development instead of constantly finding itself falling between the two administrative stools of Louth and Meath County Councils", he said.
He said that he sought to extend the town's boundary in 2015 and that Labour was the only party to propose legislation in 2017 to restore a council for Drogheda.
Minister O'Brien said that the National Planning Framework setting out a vision until 2040, recognises the strategic importance of Drogheda, and aims to support its development and economic potential as part of the Dublin-Belfast Corridor, and "in particular the core Drogheda-Dundalk-Newry network".
He said that its role was also reflected in the "regional spatial and economic strategy" and that in 2021, both local authorities in Meath and Louth adopted new development plans that "further underline the importance of Drogheda as a key urban centre in both counties."
