A detailed report pinpointing the major infrastructure needs of Letterkenny for the twenty years will be ready by September-October, the County Manager has revealed.

Mr Michael McLoone was speaking at Monday meeting of Letterkenny Town Council where he confirmed a team of council officials was drawing up the plan which will look at major projects needed for the development of the town in the years. These include bridges, ring roads, waste water and sewerage projects. He said this was being done as part of major review of the Town Development Plan.

The County Manager was responding to Councillor Jim Lynch who had asked the council to commission a long term infrastructure plan aimed at a population of 50,000 by the year 2020 in Letterkenny. He also asked the council to design a long term plan with the River Swilly as the focus of the town centre in Letterkenny.

Cllr Lynch said with the rapid growth of Letterkenny it was vital that such long term plans were put in place.

"I think it is vital that we have a plan that looks this far ahead so that we can identify the locations of major infrastructure projects such as bridges, fly-overs and ring roads for a the rapidly expanding town. We need to have a clear picture of how Letterkenny is going to develop as a city and start planning for a population of over 50,000 with places such as Churchill, Drumkeen and Kilmacrennan as suburbs of the town," he said.

"Without such a clear plan there is a danger of putting in infrastructure without knowing where the growth will be in the town.

Councillor Neil Clarke said the town was playing 'catch up' on the infrastructure front in comparison to the rapid growth in housing.

"If I don't leave the house at a certain time in the morning I'll be stuck at the Oldtown Bridge for over half an hour," he said.

He supported the idea of a long term plan but Councillor Gerry McMonagle said any such moves should take place in tandem with a mid-term review of the Town Development Plan. The County Manager said the 'internal plan' being drawn up as part of a bid for a multi million euro project to be funded by the new Gateway Innovation Fund would be complete by September-October and would provide a clear picture of key infrastructure needs of the town for the years ahead.

Meanwhile, Councillor Lynch said it was also time to design a long term plan for the River Swilly as the Town Centre in Letterkenny. Cllr Lynch said he was thinking along the same lines as places such as Derry, Westport, and Sligo where the river ran throughout the centre and development was built around it.

"I dream of the River Swilly as the centre of the town. We already have one bank of the River Swilly developed commercially along the Neil T Blaney and Paddy Harte Road and we need to take a serious look at how we can use the river to our advantage for the benefit of the town," he said.