ULSTER BANK’S 40,000 HOUSES REMARK

By Cianna McNally

HOPES of securing an eleventh hour reprieve for the Ulster Bank branch in Clones suffered a severe setback when a representative of the bank last week suggested that one of the pre-conditions for this to happen would be the building and sale of 40,000 houses in the area!

Many of those who supported the well-attended public meetings calling for pressure to be put on Ulster Bank to reverse its decision to leave Clones will view the comment regarding 40,000 new houses as clearly absurd — especially when looked at in the context of a government report that last year predicted a need for just under 80,000 new housing units across the entire country by 2018.

Representatives of Clones Chamber of Commerce said the remark was made by Ulster Bank’s Head of Banking Jim Ryan during a meeting held on Wednesday of last week. See full story on Clones news, page 10.