18,600 JOBS CREATED OVER FIVE YEARS BY LEOs 
Since the Local Enterprise Offices were first established in
2014, they have distributed €81.5 million worth of direct
financial assistance to over 5000 small businesses and
entrepreneurs, stimulating job creation in communities
across the country. OPERA SITE TO TAKE CENTRE STAGE IN LIMERICK
Limerick City and County Council has lodged a planning
application to An Bord Pleanála for the iconic Opera site
– the largest inner-city commercial development outside
of the capital – which will be developed by Limerick TwentyThirty DAC over a six-year period at a total cost of around
€180 million. MEATH MARKS OUT AMBITIOUS INVESTMENT PLANS
Meath County Council has agreed its most ambitious Capital Programme ever with
a projected spend of €454 million over the next three years (2019-2021), with the
most significant investment in the area of housing, which makes up 50% of the total
programme. LONGFORD PLAYS MAJOR ROLE IN RURAL ACTION PLAN
The €230m Center Parcs holiday resort, due to open in Newcastle Wood in the south
of County Longford later this summer, forms a major part of the overall Action Plan for Rural Ireland. Launched in January 2017 in Ballymahon, Co. Longford, the plan has put
the spotlight firmly on the midlands county, placing it on the national stage. Report by
Grace Heneghan.