Ireland West Airport Knock is looking at an annual one million euro rates bill from Mayo County Council, and some of that funding needs to be directed straight back at the development of the SDZ status in place at the facility.

That’s the strong view of Charlestown based Sinn Fein councillor Gerry Murray.

The councillor says its seven years since the government granted the sought after SDZ status at the airport in an effort to attract additional investment around it, but the reality is that not a single euro was allocated by government to provide the infrastructure required to attract potential investors to locate in the 800 acres of bog land that now has the SDZ designation.

He raised the matter at this week’s monthly meeting of Mayo County Council. Afterwards he spoke to Midwest News Editor Teresa O’Malley...