Watch: Boyle votes with its feet in support of Aldi project as rally attracts large crowd
Boyle sends a loud and clear message that Aldi is welcome to the town.
The people of Boyle and surrounding areas voted with their feet this afternoon, Saturday, as they turned out in large numbers for a rally organised to show support for Aldi’s plans to build a store on St. Patrick Street in the town.
The project has been granted planning permission by Roscommon County Council but has been appealed to An Coimisiún Pleanála by a third party.
Aldi has also appealed some of the planning conditions saying that while the company is pleased to have secured permission from Roscommon County Council, it is seeking to amend or remove certain conditions to ensure the project is “viable and constructible”.
A rally this afternoon was organised by Boyle Matters “to give people the chance to show how much it means to the people and how vital it is for this progress to go ahead for Boyle to progress”.
Brian O’Sullivan of Kilcormac, County Offaly has appealed the planning permission granted by Roscommon County Council in January for the new Aldi Store, which hopes to create 30 new jobs.
Boyle Town Team is asking the appellant to withdraw the appeal, while the six county councillors for the Boyle Municipal District have also issued a joint statement backing the plans, but they were criticised at the rally this afternoon for not attending the event.
Speaking to a crowd of a couple of hundred people on the Crescent, Jane Suffin sent out a strong signal that Boyle wouldn’t sit back and be dictated to. “Boyle is a town that needs a future, a future that is not going to be dictated any more by a small handful of people,” she said to sustained applause.
“It’s our town, it’s our choice, it’s our future. The Aldi project is a lot more than a cut price supermarket. It’s about opportunity, investment, and jobs. I hope that other projects and investments would want to come to Boyle so our children and grandchildren can have a future living in their own town and working in their own town, that’s what we want. Now the people have a voice and our voice is going to be used and we want Aldi in Boyle to bring what Boyle deserves, a bright future.
“We have to fight from here on in to make sure that Boyle blooms to its full potential,” she said.
Concluding she praised Boyle Town Team for its work on behalf of the people of Boyle and urged the people to support local businesses who were behind the progress of the town.
Former Boyle postmaster Paul Forde said that it was great to see Boyle stand up for itself. He added that hopefully after Aldi would come a hotel. “Whoever wants to invest in Boyle we will stand behind them and we will support them. This is the start of a new beginning for Boyle. Boyle will prosper and grow,” he said.
* Click on the link below to hear Jane Suffin address the crowd.
