N6 Galway ring road delay
Concern was expressed that An Bord Pleanála had still not decided on the N6 Galway city ring road after repeated deferrals. The Minister said the planning process was independent but acknowledged the road’s importance for traffic management.
Plans for the N6 Galway city ring road were lodged with An Bord Pleanála on 18 October 2018, 20 years after the initial application for the official application for the Galway outer-city bypass was lodged and five years after the original project was abandoned. Three years after the initial lodging of this project application there still has been no decision on whether this piece of infrastructure can go ahead. Five times, An Bord Pleanála has deferred making a final decision, the latest being last Friday. It says the case is now due to be decided by 19 November. That is not guaranteed and it could be extended again.
There are 54 householders whose homes are to be demolished or bought out to make way for this road. Their homes have been effectively frozen for the past five years. They cannot sell or renovate. These delays are causing enormous distress for these homeowners. Will the Government bring in legislation which provides that when the board sets a date for a decision, it be required to make a final determination on the application by that date?
Comment on this
As the Deputy stated, an oral hearing commenced on 18 February 2020 and concluded on 4 November 2020, including a seven-month gap in proceedings due to Covid-19 restrictions. Galway County Council is awaiting a decision from An Bord Pleanála, which has recently been pushed back to a new target date of 19 November. An Bord Pleanála makes decisions independently of the Government, as the Deputy is aware. I have been to Galway and have heard the concerns and frustrations in relation to this road infrastructure which, in my view, is essential in terms of traffic management of the city. To be honest, even if we wanted to introduce legislation, we would not be in a position to introduce legislation and have it passed before 19 November. I take the point the Deputy is making, however. There have been a lot of false dawns regarding decisions on this piece of road infrastructure. I hope we will see An Bord Pleanála finalise the decision to meet the target date that is now there.