BY PAUL MCELWEE
FOR the last two years Strabane has featured in one of those lists you don't want to belong to.
Channel 4's property programme Location, Location, Location has a 100 Worst Places programme every year, and for the last two Strabane has been 3rd and 8th respectively. No more. For Strabane has found its way out, not only of the top 10, but out of the top 20.
Strabane has had a horrible reputation in recent years. It has had the rather dubious honour of being the unemployment blackspot of Western Europe.
That, coupled with the fact that the amount of people in the town on Jobseekers Allowance is more than double the national average, doesn't make for good reading.
The news that Strabane has fallen out of the top twenty has been greeted with delight in the town.
Cllr Gerard Foley, Chairman of Strabane District Council was pleased, but couldn't understand why we were in it to begin with.
"It's great that we are out, but why were we in there? The people who do these lists come in and take a few photos, a few old statistics and don't speak to the people. It's great to see that we're now out of it. We have a new ASDA, the Alley Theatre and a load of new shops, bringing more to the town.
"I wouldn't say that these new developments are the sole reason we are out of the top twenty.
"Bringing these establishments to Strabane was long in development before the programme, and we have lots more happening to bring Strabane forward even further."
These new plans include two new bridges to link both sides of the town.
Cllr Foley has said that he hopes the news will help Strabane boon even more.
"I hope this will bring a bit more positivity to the town.
"It's unfortunate that people are only happy to broadcast things when they are going bad, maybe now it will change. The negativity that is usually used to portray the town should now be put away."
In closing Cllr Foley said that he would welcome any attempt by Channel 4 to come and see the town and get a feel for the real Strabane.
It's an offer the TV chiefs have declined in previous years.
Martin French, President of the Chamber of Commerce in Strabane, had this to say, "As far as I'm concerned, Strabane's as good a place to live as any.
"There is a lot of positive things about the town and we are a very up-and-coming place. There's certainly a better feeling about Strabane these days."
However, Martin was quick to point out that more needs to be done in the town before Strabane can truly be a force.
"Hopefully this will help Strabane. What we still need in the town is a lot more high-paid jobs. There are a lot of very low-paid jobs in the town. That's still a problem we need to get sorted out.
"What we need is for the multi-nationals to come into the town and compete with the businesses in the town. Hopefully this news will now show that Strabane isn't all that bad and the multi-nationals will come to our town."
n See Page 6 for our photographer's positive view of the town of Strabane.
