The local Chamber of Commerce have written to Conor Murphy’s department seeking the meeting when the consultation on the Draft Programe for Government ends on January 4th.

The President of Derry’s Chamber of Commerce, Ian Crowe says the upgrading of the A6 Derry to Belfast Road has mysteriously disappeared from the Northern Ireland Assembly’s plans up to 2018.

And business leaders are now calling on local politicians to ensure that the government deliver on commitments to upgrade the road to Belfast.

Mr.Crowe says he fears that the planned upgrade might not go ahead because it has not been included in the Assembly plans..

Mr.Crowe added:“In December 2005, Peter Hain announced the single biggest road scheme in Northern Ireland – the upgrade to Dual Carriageway of the road from Derry to Dungiven. The scheme was included in the Strategic Investment Board’s first investment strategy but has mysteriously disappeared from the NI Assembly’s plans for Northern Ireland from now up to 2018”.

Mr. Crowe suggested that the main road to Belfast in the future could be the Omagh route which is being upgraded with funding from the Irish government. “In response to our requests for clarification on the timeline of the scheme, we are told that it might be put back, or be on hold and it has even been hinted that the North West’s link to the capital city will be via Strabane, Omagh and Dungannon once the A5 is upgraded using the Republic’s money,” he said.

Janice Tracey, the Chief Executive officer of the Chamber of Commerce called on political leaders to put pressure on the government. “We need to do something very quickly to point out that this would be totally unacceptable and has the potential of setting back the current regeneration of the city. I would urge our MPs MLA’s, councillors and community representatives in the entire region to take urgent action immediately to lobby to have this scheme put back into the Programme for Government,” she said.

Foyle MP Mark Durkan supported the call and said he would be asking the government for clarity. “In recent months we have heard different statements. We need calcification on all of this. An investment strategy for Northern Ireland that isn’t clear and real about the Derry to Belfast road would not be a strategy worth the name,” he said.