Gorey’s District Councillors voted to abandon plans to create an event centre on the site of the Market House.

All councillors except Anthony Donohoe voted in favour of the outdated 2012 Gorey Public Realm Plan, which will generate no wealth and no employment opportunities for North Wexford.

But local people can still have their say and force the issue back onto the council agenda later this year.

At stake is an €8mn investment in the heart of North Wexford which has the potential to position Gorey as a leading national destination town for conferences, concerts and major events.

€429,000 has come from the EU rural redevelopment fund and a further €5mn of government funding is available for the construction phase, with approx. €2mn from the local authority.

It is estimated that every major event in the centre will bring in the region of €500,000 into the local economy and could be worth in excess of €20mn annually.

None of this excludes the retention of the historic, artistic and community importance of the building.

As a lifelong resident of Gorey District, I refuse to stand on the sidelines and let the future of the town slip through our fingers.

A new event centre has the potential to transform Gorey for years to come, bringing up to 200 jobs, prosperity and year-round retail tourism.

Combined with our great pubs, hotels and restaurants, a new event centre would put Gorey on the map as one of Ireland’s top destination towns.

That's why I am asking the people of North Wexford to sign this petition to save the project and force the Councillors to revisit the matter.