PRESS RELEASE -25 October 2011 – SAVE NEWGRANGE

‘Delay of An Bord Pleanala Decision on Slane Bypass Welcomed’

The decision of An Bord Pleanala, on whether or not to grant planning permission for the N2 Slane Bypass section of the proposed new billion euro Dublin-Derry road, has been postponed for a minimum of two months, according to a spokesperson for the Bord.  The decision was meant to be given today, but An Bord Pleanala has revealed that the Inspector, Michael Walsh, has yet to submit his Inspector’s Report, containing his recommendations, which the board needs to consider. This usually takes four to six weeks.

Save Newgrange welcomes the delay, and is re-iterating its demands for:

-    Cost/benefit analysis (CBA) of the Dublin to Derry Road, including the Slane Bypass section. Before the Election, Labour’s former Transport spokesperson, Joe Costello TD, promised Save Newgrange that there would be CBA performed on all roads projects.  Then on 9 Aug, Minister for Transport, Leo Varadkar, announced that no new road projects were to start in 2012, 2013 and 2014, including the Slane Bypass. However, the Government is still committed to the deal negotiated by Bertie Ahern, to donate half a billion euro to the NI Authorities for construction of the northern A5 section of the road through NI to Derry.

-    A study of lower-cost alternatives to the new billion euro road. Save Newgrange wrote to Minister Varadkar on 13 September, and asked him to commission a study of lower-cost alternatives to the proposed greenfield Dublin-Derry dual-carriageway, since he commissioned a similar study for the Metro.  The Minister has failed to respond to this request, although he did acknowledge receipt of it, and promised a quick response.

A spokesperson for Save Newgrange said:

“We welcome this delay of the Bord’s decision on the Slane Bypass, and call on the Minister for Transport, Leo Varadkar, to use this time to perform CBA on the entire proposed new Dublin to Derry road, including the Slane bypass.

“We urgently call on the Minister to address our request for a study of lower-cost alternatives, which would include upgrading the existing road, and improving rail access to the Northwest.

“Alternatives would hopefully also include a less damaging route and scale for the Slane bypass, as the current one is 500m from Bru na Boinne UNESCO World Heritage Site, and has been condemned by leading archaeological experts.”

ENDS

(Left – right) Ciaran McClean , Aoife Power and Vincent Salafia at a protest outside Leinster House, Dublin against the proposed new 1 billion Euro Motorway A5/M2 between Dublin and Derry.

From there we went to Dame St, and showed our support for Occupy Dame Street.

Then we continued on to the GPO were Martin McGuinness was campaigning on the Presidential trail. Laura Grealish challenged him about Sinn Fein’s failure to object to the Slane bypass, in contrast with their opposition to the M3 at Tara. The story was picked up by the Guardian:

“On Friday afternoon, outside Irish republicanism’s most sacred spot – Dublin’s General Post Office, where the 1916 Easter Rising began – McGuinness was confronted, not for the first time, by members of the public opposed to his politics.  On this occasion, the subject was not his record with the IRA, nor his alleged role in several high-profile atrocities. A cross-community group of environmental activists from Northern Ireland interrupted his canvass on O’Connell Street to object to Sinn Féin support for a new Dublin/Derry road link, which they say will mean the destruction of homes, farms and businesses. One of those who accosted McGuinness was Ciaran McClean, son of Paddy Joe McClean, a prominent activist in the Northern Ireland civil rights movement who was tortured by the British army in 1971.

“I ambushed McGuinness outside the GPO. I asked him why he supported taking half a billion euros out of the Irish economy for a road. His heavies [security guards] weren’t too pleased,” McClean said yesterday.

PRESS RELEASE – SAVE NEWGRANGE – 13 Jan 2011

Transport Committee to Hold Hearings on €1bn Dublin to Derry Road

Save Newgrange welcomes the decision by the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Transport, yesterday evening, to hold public hearings in February into the proposed €1bn Dublin to Derry Road. Anti-motorway and pro-heritage groups met with Mr Costello, TD, on Tuesday, and requested that he call for the hearings. The proposed new road will be the longest and most expensive road ever built in Ireland, and includes a €500m donation from the Irish Government to the NI Executive, committed during negotiations for the St. Andrews Agreement.

The M2/A5 will also be the most controversial road ever built. Parties are lined up on a sectarian basis in NI, with the Unionists bitterly opposing the road, and nationalists adamantly supporting it. Public consultation is currently way on three sections of the proposed road; the N2 Slane bypass, the N2 Monaghan bypass, and the A5 Western Transport Corridor in Northern Ireland, which are being opposed by Save Newgrange, Don’t Bypass the Bypass and the Alternative A5 Alliance, respectively.

Secretary of the Alternative A5 Alliance, Lynne Smyth, said:

“No cost-benefit analysis has been performed on the proposed road, and traffic numbers do not justify building a new road, rather than upgrading the existing one.  This is a political road, and it is becoming a major election issue.”

Spokesman for Don’t Bypass the Bypass, Noel Murphy, said:

“Ireland’s leading transport economist, Dr Edgar Morgenroth, of the ESRI, who actually worked on the National Development Plan, has condemned this add-on to the NDP as being a complete waste of taxpayers’ money.  We suggested to Deputy Costello that Dr Morgenroth be invited to give evidence to the Committee.”

Spokesman for Save Newgrange, Vincent Salafia, said:

“Ireland’s foremost archaeologists, including Professor George Eogan and Joe Fenwick, have made submissions to An Bord Pleanála, opposing the route of the Slane bypass.  There is simply no valid economic justification here for threatening to damage the UNESCO World Heritage Site at Brú na Bóinne.  A HGV ban in Slane would solve the traffic problems.

SAVE NEWGRANGE – PRESS RELEASE – 18 November 2010

“Funding NI A5 Upgrade and Slane Bypass not a Priority for Labour Party”

The Labour Party has cast doubt over whether it will keep the promise made by the current Government to give £400 (€500m) to the Northern Ireland Executive to upgrade the A5/M2, Dublin to Derry Road, which also includes the Slane bypass. The promise was made at the time of the Belfast Agreement, and has been renewed by Minister for Transport, Noel Dempsey.

Public consultation on what would be the biggest road ever built in Northern Ireland began yesterday with the publication of the Environmental Statement for the A5 dual carriageway, to be built from the N2/Border to Derry, and on to Letterkenny. The deadline for public comment closes 21 January 2011.

Labour Transport Spokesman, Joe Costello, TD, responded yesterday to a pre-Budgetary survey by Save Newgrange, saying:

“Ireland is in the worst recession in the history of the State. Spending one billion euro on a new road from Dublin to Derry including a €400 million spend in Northern Ireland will certainly not be a priority for the Labour Party while essentials such as health and education are being savagely cut.

“The Labour Party has made it clear that we will be revisiting the National Development Plan and Transport 21 in the context of the present state of the public finances. A realistic cost benefit analysis will be applied to every project.

“Moreover we are reviewing the entire Transport policy with a new emphasis on urban and rural public transport.

Tom Elliot, Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) leader, yesterday told The Belfast Telegraph:

“It would seem from the latest communiqué of the North-South Ministerial Council that ministers have agreed a payment schedule for the project, but I still consider that this amount of money would be better spent on other important projects in the health and education sectors.

“I share the views of many of the people on both sides of the border that the project should be scaled down to a more modest version — this could be achieved at a fraction of the cost.”

Vincent Salafia of Save Newgrange said:

“We welcome Labour’s response to the pres-budgetary survey and their promise to perform a new cost/benefit analysis on the Slane bypass and the A5 upgrade.

“We will be updating our EU Complaint, on the basis that there should have been cross-border public consultation for both ends of this single ‘transboundary project’.

“It is very telling that the Green Party and Fine Gael both declined to respond to the pre-budgetary survey.

ENDS

NOTE TO EDITORS: A pre-budgetary survey was sent to all of the political parties on Thursday, 11 November, and responses were to be returned by 5.00pm yesterday, 17 November. The Labour Party was the only party to respond. The complete survey is available at www.savenewgrange.org.

MORE INFORMATION:

A5 Western Transport Corridor – Environmental Statement

Belfast Telegraph: It’s time to scale back £844m road, urges UUP leader

Road lobbyists team up with southern counterparts

Londonderry Sentinel | 23 September 2010

A LOBBY group opposing the proposed A5 Western Transport Corridor (WTC) between Londonderry and Aughnacloy has teamed up with campaigners in Monaghan and Meath to oppose what it terms “ghost roads” on both sides of the border. Three campaign groups – the Alternative A5 Alliance (AA5A), Save Newgrange (SN) and Don’t By the Bypass (DBTB) – working on different sections of the proposed M2/A5 motorway, which will eventually run from Dublin to Londonderry, have now joined force

AA5A is challenging the need for the upgrade of the A5 primary route, from the border to Londonderry, which at 55 miles will be the longest single road project ever undertaken in Northern Ireland. Authorities on both sides of the border are planning this section of the road together, and the Irish Government has committed to pay for a share of it.

Lynne Smyth, Secretary of the Alternative A5 Alliance said: “The Alternative A5 Alliance is delighted to be able to cooperate with the other campaign groups along the route of this proposed road. Together we must alert the people of Ireland to the catastrophe these ‘ghost roads’ will cause. “This is not the time to be tarmacing over our farmland and natural habitat. It is time to seek a sustainable transport option which will serve our future needs as well as that of our grandchildren – as they will be paying for it.

Noel Murphy, a spokesman for Don’t Bypass the Bypass, said: “Its great to be working in co-operation with the other groups, and we need to remain so going forward.”

Vincent Salafia of Save Newgrange said: “We are delighted to have North-South co-operation between our community groups along the proposed M2/A5. The people of Northern Ireland should have a say in what happens to the Brú na Bóinne Unesco World Heritage Site, since they are being asked to pay for part of the road that will severely impact it. We welcome the intervention of Dr Edgar Morgenroth, associate economist with the ESRI, who said the N2 plans are ‘idiocy,’ and called for the HGV ban to be implemented in Slane. Minister Dempsey must act now to both save lives in Slane, and stop wasting taxpayers’ money on ‘ghost roads’.”

The Irish Times – Monday, September 20, 2010

FRANK McDONALD Environment Editor

A NEW round of public consultations on controversial plans for a dual-carriageway bypass of Slane, Co Meath, has been ordered by An Bord Pleanála, with October 15th set as the closing date. A public notice advertising the new round of consultations was published recently in national newspapers. The original consultation period closed on February 25th last.

An Bord Pleanála had sought additional information from Meath County Council on the road scheme, including whether an alternative route running to the west of Slane had been examined. The current proposal, which is being advanced on behalf of the National Roads Authority (NRA), would run to the east of Slane, some 500 metres from the boundary of Brú na Bóinne World Heritage Site.

The appeals board also sought alternative designs for a new bridge over the river Boyne, noting that the cable-stayed bridge originally proposed would be visible from the World Heritage Site. It also wanted the council to produce more detailed archaeological and geophysical reports on investigations of 44 archaeological sites that would be affected by the original scheme.

The information was sought “in order to clarify certain points in the environmental impact statement [EIS] and assist the board’s assessment of the likely effects on the environment” of the road. This followed complaints to An Bord Pleanála by the Save Newgrange group, former attorney general John Rogers SC and leading archaeologist Prof George Eogan that the EIS was flawed.

Save Newgrange spokesman Vincent Salafia said: “We will be waging an international campaign over the next month, particularly in Northern Ireland, to get as many objections as possible filed with An Bord Pleanála.”

The Slane bypass is ‘idiotic’ says ERSI economist

Dr Edgar Morgenroth, Associate Research Professor with the Economic and Social Research Centre (ESRI), believes the Slane bypass is “idiotic”. On 24 April 2009 he wrote an Opinion piece for The Irish Times called ‘Cuts in capital spending need not mean fewer projects‘ in which he argued the challenge for the public service is to negotiate hard for reduced tender prices. Of the N2 Slane bypass he said:

Of course, not all planned infrastructure projects were good projects to start with and some should certainly be abandoned. It is remarkable that there are plans to facilitate the avoidance of the toll on the M1 by building a bypass around Slane involving the expensive construction of a bridge over the river Boyne when a simple HGV ban would solve the local traffic problems.

This expert advice was submitted to An Bord Pleanala, by Save Newgrange, as part of their submission for the planning process, in February 2010. Since then, Dr Morgenroth has written two posts in The Irish Economy blog, saying the N2 Slane bypass is a waste of taxpayers’ money. The first post, 1 March 2010, was entitled ‘Wasting money on roads?‘ and said:

The simple, cheap and obvious solution to the problem of HGVs going through Slane is to ban them from doing so, as I argued in May 2009. This would also avoid all the hassle of forcing a major construction project through an area rich in archaeological sites and historic significance.

The follow-up post, published 25 August 2010, was entitled simply ‘Wasting money on roads‘, wherein Dr Morgenroth said:

Unfortunately gold-plating of projects is not unusual. In the ESRI Mid-Term Evaluation of NDP 2000-2006 we pointed out that “roads with capacity of 55,500 AADT, or anywhere near it, appear to be a significant overdesign for the numerous lightly-trafficked sections of the N8 and N9″. Such schemes cannot pass a reasonable cost-benefit analysis when compared to more appropriately sized schemes.

Unfortunately, the lesson does not seem to have been learned and the tax payer is expected to pay for overdesign again (the fact that some of the schemes are PPPs is irrelevant here as these also have to be paid for by tax payers).

Take the example of the N2, for which there are two proposed schemes in the system. I have already referred to the idiotic scheme to by-pass Slane where the key issue could be simply dealt with via a HGV ban.

Dr Morgenroth’s August blog post was picked up in The Irish Times, by Frank McDonald on 26 August – ‘Planned Slane bypass ‘idiotic’, says transport expert‘.

PLANS FOR a dual-carriageway to bypass the village of Slane, Co Meath, have been described as “idiotic” by Dr Edgar Morgenroth, associate professor at the Economic and Social Research Institute.

Dr Morgenroth, who is the institute’s programme co-ordinator for research on transport and infrastructure, said he would be making a formal complaint to the Comptroller and Auditor General if An Bord Pleanála approved the current proposal.

He also said plans by the National Roads Authority for a 27- kilometre dual-carriageway between Clontibret, Co Monaghan, and the Border at Aughnacloy, Co Tyrone, amounted to “total overkill, especially since Monaghan has already been bypassed”.

Bypass Slane Campaign response

It wasn’t long before the Fianna Fail press office got working on the issue, and decided to take a pro-local ‘Up Meath’ stance, getting their local TD, Thomas Byrne and Cllr. Wayne Harding into the papers again in the 28 August Irish Times - ‘Powerful forces’ trying to stop Slane bypass – TD:

Dr Morgenroth described the proposed bypass as “idiotic” and warned he would make a formal complaint to the Comptroller and Auditor General if An Bord Pleanála approved the current proposal.

The board, which is considering the matter, has asked Meath County Council to supply detailed additional information on the bypass, including whether any alternative route west of the village had been examined.

Mr Byrne said Dr Morgenroth’s opinion “smack[ed] of unwarranted interference” in the board’s independence and was highly inappropriate.

This is a completely unfounded argument, since Dr Morgenroth had clearly made his opinions known about the bypass in The Irish Times on 23 April 2009.

The Bypass Slane Campaign is seen as a real vote-getting cow in Slane, and across Meath; so much so that it is run out of Cllr. Wayne Harding’s pub/constituency office in Slane. A member of the campaign had a letter published in The Irish Times, on 30 August – Planned Slane bypass ‘idiotic’.

As residents of Slane, we find it unacceptable that we are expected to put our lives at risk on the roads throughout our village every day. The Slane bypass is the only viable alternative to solving this problem once and for all.

The pro-Fianna Fail Meath Chronicle ignored the press release from Save Newgrange, and published an article on 1 September 2010, entitled, ‘Powerful forces’ from outside county trying to sabotage bypass, which quoted Cllr Harding as saying:

“While it is everyone’s democratic right to object to the Slane bypass, among the objectors are quite a number of barristers and senior counsel living on the south side Of Dublin.

This is, of course, completely untrue, and there is in fact strong opposition locally to the proposed bypass, including former Attorney General, Mr John Rogers, SC – as The Irish Times reported on 17 February 2010 – Ex-attorney general among objectors to Slane bypass near prehistoric sites.

FORMER ATTORNEY general John Rogers SC, who lives in the Boyne valley, will be among the objectors to plans by Meath County Council and the National Roads Authority (NRA) to build a bypass of Slane 500 metres from the Brú na Bóinne archaeological complex. The proposed route, running east of Slane, is being opposed by the newly formed Save Newgrange campaign, led by Vincent Salafia, who was prominent in the protracted struggle against the M3 motorway because of its proximity to the Hill of Tara.

HISTORY OF THE FUNDING OF THE N2 SLANE BYPASS

The decision to fund the Slane bypass has been a purely political one, which flies in the face of the NRA’s own decision to withdraw funding from it, as well as expert economic and archaeological advice. The bypass is being funded by Irish and EU taxpayers money, to actually contribute to the Fianna Fail local and General Election campaign strategy.

The economic argument for the Bypass has been blown apart by Dr Morgenroth of the ESRI, who is a specialist in transport, makes very sound economic arguments against the bypass. He supports the same low cost solution that the locals of Slane campaigned, and even protested for – the HGV ban. The NRA had come to the same conclusion in late May 2009 – that the Bypass was not viable – but then changed their mind, after a visit by Taoiseach Brian Cowen to Slane that very week, during the Fianna Fail election campaign. Since then, in December 2009, Minister Dempsey has cut other more important roads projects across the country, including the N2 Ashbourne to Ardee upgrade to dual carriageway through Meath – but the Slane bypass is proceeding.

Now that Fianna Fail have reversed their decision to fund the bypass, for their own political reasons, not only is the HGV ban not good enough, but funding for the bypass is being demanded on the basis of ‘saving lives’, even as Fianna Fail is pulling funding from Navan hospital and services are being shut down. Badly needed roads projects are being ‘suspended’ all around the country, where there is no such cheaper alternative alternative available like there is with the HGV ban in Slane, Meanwhile, Fianna Fail can be sure that the more local and national press the bypass issue gets, the more free publicity they get. It is almost tempting to say they intentionally routed the bypass close to Bru na Boinne, in order to stir up this very controversy – so they posture at every chance they get. But the bottom line is that the NRA says it wants the bypass for “economic reasons”, and it is now clear those reasons don’t stand up.

TIME-LINE of EVENTS

FUNDING WITHDRAWN – THEN RESTORED TO SLANE BYPASS

4 April 2009 – Locals protest for HGV ban in Slane

Locals have protested for the need for a HGV ban in Slane for a number of years. On 04 April, 2009, RTE reported that local protests had stopped traffic in the village of Slane:

Around 70 protestors blocked traffic through Slane this morning to highlight their campaign to have heavy goods vehicles banned from the Co Meath village.

9 April 2009 – Councillors unanimously vote for HGV ban

A few days later, on 9 April 2009, Meath County Councillors voted to implement a Heavy Goods Vehicle (HGV) ban in Slane – as reported in the Meath Chronicle story entitled – Slane pile up: Cllrs take first step to ban HGVs. This should have immediately brought a halt to the 1,200 trucks a day passing through Slane, but it hasn’t because the democratic will of the councillors have been thwarted.

The motion to ban HGVs travelling north-south through the village was put to the floor and unanimously passed. Standing orders were suspended at Monday”s council meeting to discuss the issue and a motion put forward by Cllr Ann Dillon Gallagher calling for trucks travelling north-south through the village to be banned received the unanimous support of her fellow councillors.

9 April 2009 – Minister Dempsey says he will “actively facilitate” HGV ban in Slane

The Meath Chronicle also reported on 9 April 2009 that Minister Noel Dempsey said that the Department of Transport and National Roads Authority “would actively facilitate a HGV ban in the village“. However, the ban has not yet been implemented. The Bypass Slane Campaign sprang up immediately, designed to actually ‘campaign’ against the HGV ban. This would get Dempsey off the hook for ordering the bypass, despite the fact the NRA had decided to pull funding from it.

April 2009 – Bypass Slane Campaign Forms

The Bypass Slane Campaign is led by Fianna Fail Cllr Wayne Harding, who was elected in the June 2009 elections, and Thomas Byrne, TD for Meath. The group had been hurriedly formed in April 2009, a month before the elections, and the address of the group is the Village Inn in Slane, the premises owned and operated by Cllr Harding, who also uses it for his constituency office.

Crosses commemorating those killed on the roads around Slane at the bottom of Mill Hill are refurbished and a new explanatory sign is added.

25 May 2009 – Taoiseach Brian Cowen and Dempsey meet Bypass Slane Campaign

The leader of Fianna Fail, Taoiseach, Brian Cowen was welcomed to Slane on 25 May 2oo9 by Minister for Transport, Noel Dempsey, and his local Fianna Fail allies, Thomas Byrne TD and Cllr-to-be Wayne Harding. This was part of the Fianna Fail European and local election campaign. The Taoiseach’s arrival is proudly proclaimed in Cllr Harding’s blog (see him pictured with Cowen and Bypass Slane) – Harding welcomes Taoiseach meeting with Slane Bridge protest group:

The Taoiseach came to Slane to support the candidates running in the local elections in Meath and South Louth.

While here the Taoiseach and the Minister for Transport, Noel Dempsey took time to speak to representatives of the Slane Bridge protest group.

I along with Thomas Byrne TD have kept the Taoiseach informed of the very dangerous situation in Slane with the Bridge and how a HGV ban for the town is essential and urgent.

I have been actively involved with protesting against HGVs because I know as a local business man and father of a young child the daily danger that the residents and visitors to the town are exposed to.

The proposal to ban HGVs from Slane is now with Meath County Council and it is vital that they come to a positive conclusion very quickly.

By July they were members of the group were rounded up at short notice and bussed up to Dublin to give a presentation to the Oireachtas Committee on Transport on 15 July.

27 May 2009 – NRA tells councillors no funding for bypass

The NRA then informed Slane councillors by letter that there was no funding for the bypass in a 20 May 2009 meeting with Slane Electoral Area councillors, which was reported in The Meath Chronicle on 27 May 2009- . Incredulity in Slane as NRA says no funds for bypass:

In its explanation for a pause in progress on the construction of a bypass – delivered to councillors at the Slane Electoral Area meeting last Wednesday – the NRA said the Government”s national transport infrastructure investment programme, Transport 21, provided the framework for the development of the national road network over the 10-year period from 2006 to 2015. It said that, under the plan, the initial focus of the authority”s programme of works would concentrate on the completion of the five major inter-urban routes linking Dublin to Cork, Waterford, Limerick, Galway and Northern Ireland (via the M1) to motorway/high quality carriageway standard.

The plan anticipated the completion of these routes in their entirety by the end of 2010. Transport 21 also envisaged significant development of other key national primary roads, including the N2, N3, N4, N5, N21, N22, N24, N25 and N30, the Atlantic Road Corridor from Letterkenny through Sligo, Galway, Limerick, Cork and Waterford, as well as a number of national secondary routes which were identified in the plan as being particularly important for regional development, it said. Because of this, and the continued uncertainty regarding public finances, the NRA regretted that ‘it is not possible at this time to provide funding for the construction of the N2 Slane Bypass’.

The Minutes of the Slane Electoral Area May Monthly Meeting, which took place at the Chamber Duleek Civic Offices on Wednesday 20thMay 2009, states as follows:

7.0 Correspondence / Issues raised by the Area Manager

The following items of correspondence were circulated and noted by the Members:

7.1 Letter from NRA stating in essence that it was not possible to provide funding at this stage for the construction of the N2 Slane Bypass.

The Members unanimously expressed extreme disappointment with the contents of this letter. Cllr Cudden suggested that that the five area Members contact the area’s TDs and Senator in an effort to progress the delivery of this vital piece of infrastructure.

The Area Manager advised the Members that they raise this issue at the Full Council meeting to discuss the Slane LAP on the 25th May.

9 July 2009 – County Manager announces he cannot implement the HGV ban

On 09 July 2010 The Meath Chronicle reported that the County Manager, Tom Dowling, said he could not implement the ban, for commercial and legal reasons, according to a ‘report’ circulated to councillors, on the implications of the HGV ban:

The banning of heavy goods vehicles (HGVs) from the streets of Slane could have huge financial consequences for Meath County Council in terms of possible exposure to legal claims, delays to deliveries and business frustration, a council official said this week. The report reaches the conclusion that the banning of HGVs would have national and international implications and, if implemented, could have serious consequences for the council in terms of possible legal exposure, delivery delays and business frustration. ‘

As it is the general duty of the NRA under the Roads Act to secure the provision of a safe and effective network of national roads, it is considered the responsibility of the NRA to have the above mentioned study carried out in order to ascertain the full impacts that such a ban would have on Slane, the county in general, and settlements and infrastructure in other jurisdictions.

It should be noted that Meath County Council is fully supportive of a HGV ban in the village and is willing to work with the NRA in the implementation of whatever proposals that emerge from the study.’

15 July 2009 – NRA announces reversal of Slane bypass decision

On that day, The NRA announced to the Transport Committee that they had changed their mind and wished to proceed with the N2 Slane Bypass, as planned:

The National Roads Authority believes that Slane should be bypassed on economic, environmental and safety grounds. The planning is well advanced and the compulsory purchase order, CPO, and environmental impact statement, EIS, documentation will be available to submit to An Bord Pleanála by October this year. Subject to Department of Finance approval, CPO and EIS applications will be submitted to An Bord Pleanála as soon as the documentation is ready.

This was a complete turn-around by the NRA, and there is no doubt that there has been an intervention at Cabinet level, to secure the funding for the bypass.

15 July 2009 – Oireachtas Transport Committee member tells County Manager he has a legal duty to implement the HGV ban

On 15 July 2009, Meath County Manager, Tom Dowling, made a presentation to the Oireachtas Committee on Transport, along with the NRA and Bypass Slane campaign, alleging that the HGV ban in Slane would be unworkable:

A resolution to implement a ban on HGVs travelling north-south through Slane on the N2 was passed by the elected members at the council meeting on 6 April 2009.

A report was circulated to the full council on 6 July 2009 on the potential implications that such a ban would have and I fully support the elected representatives in their desire to ban HGVs through Slane. However, it would be remiss of me not to draw attention to the fact that whereas the banning of HGVs from Slane will resolve some of the problems associated with the inadequacy of the existing route, it may well create a multiplicity of other problems.

These will have wide ranging impacts which will extend beyond the borders of County Meath, largely because of the need to give HGV drivers, who would otherwise pass through Slane, sufficient warning so that they can plan alternative routes.

The banning of HGVs in Slane may have wider implications which could have serious consequences for Meath County Council in terms of possible legal exposure, delivery delays and business frustration. These should not be dismissed lightly and could also apply to other affected local authorities and agencies. Apart from the impact on the local commercial interests, any restriction of HGVs through Slane could bring significant local difficulties for the residents along other roads, villages and towns that diverted vehicles would use to avoid Slane and minimise journey times.

In addition, the use of these local roads by HGVs could result in the rapid and serious deterioration of the local road infrastructure and increase the risk of accidents. Consequently, it is vital to consider this matter carefully and to ensure that whatever we do will be done in the proper manner.

Then Fine Gael Spokesperson on Transport, Deputy Fergus O’Dowd, said:

A resolution has been passed by the county council. As the elected Members have called for it, notwithstanding everything the county manager said, I presume the position is he must effect that policy now.

The County Manager responded that “Obviously it is a reserved function to pass the resolution and so on, which has been done. While the resolution has been passed, members are aware that one must find a way to implement such a resolution.” Deputy O’Dowd responded:

However, the law states the local authority must do it. It does not have a choice because the council has passed a resolution and its officials must carry that through.

The County Manager is clearly acting illegally in refusing to implement the HGV ban.

8 December 2009 – Dempsey cuts national roads programme – not Slane bypass

On 8 December 2009, with the financial crisis deepening, the Minister for Transport, Noel Dempsey, announced that there were to be severe cuts to the national roads programme – as reported on 9 December 2009, The Irish Times – Major road plans put on hold due to cutbacks.

MORE THAN a decade of budget allocations to begin major road schemes is expected to come to a close today, when reductions in annual funding for the National Roads Authority (NRA) are announced by Minister for Finance Brian Lenihan. For the first time since December 1999 the roads authority is not planning to match its budget allocation with early announcements of new road schemes to go to construction within 12 months.

The N2 Ahsbourne to Ardee, which is to link on both north and south ends of the Slane bypass, was “suspended,” but the bypass itself has miraculously kept its funding.

15 December 2010 – Public consultation for Slane bypass begins

The following week, on 15 December 2009, a public notice announcing the selection of the preferred route for the N2 Slane bypass, and the Compulsory Purchase Order for the land along the route, was published in national newspapers. No opposition whatsoever was reported in the media.

21 January 2010 – RTE reports ‘Slane bypass would run close to Newgrange’

In fact, the Slane bypass story didn’t even make it into the national news until a month after the public notice appeared on 15 December, when RTE reported on it on 21 January 2010 – Slane bypass would run close to Newgrange.

The National Roads Authority has given details of plans for the new Slane bypass, which would be built 500m from the World Heritage Site at Newgrange. While the plan has been welcomed locally, it is expected that there will be controversy.

Even An Taisce, the (so-called) Tational Trust for Ireland, were quoted in The Irish Times on 22nd of January as supporting the route.

Brian Taylor, spokesman for An Taisce in Meath and a resident of Slane said: “I’d be very reluctant about anything that might hold up that road. It has been several years in the offing and it has gone through numerous public presentations and the route chosen appears to be the least offensive [one].”

The Irish Times also reported that:

THE NATIONAL Roads Authority has confirmed that the proposed route of the bypass of Slane village will pass some 500 metres “from the perimeter” of the buffer zone of the Brú na Bóinne Unesco World Heritage Site. The road, which will be a dual carriageway, will have “the least impact” taking all factors into consideration, including the archaeology and heritage of the area, a spokesman said.

Clearly, the initial publicity about the bypass was stirred by the pro-Bypass campaign and Fianna Fail – as well as the NRA – not the objectors, as one would have expected. None had yet appeared publicly, nor were any quoted in any initial media reports.

22 January – Save Newgrange campaign begins.

The Save Newgrange campaign was immediately launched on 22 January 2010 when Professor George Eogan, Professor Emeritus at University College Dublin, expressed outrage at the preferred route of the proposed bypass – and made a submission to An Bord Pleanala., in late January 2010. He said:

If this plan goes ahead, it will have a significant impact on the landscape and will result in the World Heritage Site being boxed in between two motorways, the M1 and the M2.

500 metres is simply too close, and it is conceivable that Newgrange could lose its World Heritage Status, if this plan goes ahead, like Dresden did last summer.

They should simply ban HGVs from the town. There is simply no need to spend all this money or to do all this damage.

A letter to the Editor of The Irish Times, on 26 January 2o10, by Vincent Salafia , refuted the claims made by the NRA, that the proposed route would have “the least impact”, saying:

This is not true and there is no doubt that a western bypass would have a much lesser impact, as the proposed dual carriageway will sever the World Heritage Site from the village of Slane, and box it in between the M2 motorway and a dual carriageway.

Dr Edgar Morgenroth, associate research professor and co-ordinator of the Transport and Infrastructure Research Programme at the Economic and Social Research Institute noted: “It is remarkable that there are plans to facilitate the avoidance of the toll on the M1 by building a bypass around Slane involving the expensive construction of a bridge over the river Boyne when a simple HGV ban would solve the local traffic problems” (Opinion, April 24th, 2009).

Meath councillors voted in 2009 “to ban HGVs going through Slane because of the dangerous and steep incline from the bridge on the N2 into the village.” (Home News, July 16th, 2009).

The county manager has failed implement the ban, which would have been the solution with the “least impact”. The next best option would have been a western bypass, but instead the NRA has chosen the route with the most impact.

A Facebook group was set up, and went over 5,000 members in one week. A new Facebook page has now been set up for increased traffic.

17 February 2010 – Submissions made to An Bord Pleanala

Save Newgrange included the comments made by Dr Morgenroth regarding the lack of sound economic basis for the N2 Slane bypass in their submission to An Bord Pleanala, made on 17 February 2010. An Bord Pleanala was already legally on notice of the expert opinion of Dr Morgenroth, long before he repeated those comments in his August blog, which were then re-reported as news. More critically, the Minister for Transport, Noel Dempsey, the NRA, and Meath County Council were also on legal notice of his expert opinion, before the decision was made to re-allocate funding was made in May 2009. Certainly, long before the NRA and Meath County Council decided to proceed with the CPO and publish the route, in December 2009.

12 March 2010 – Fianna Fail Oireachtas Press Office makes false press release

Suzanne Collins, Byrne, who works in Fianna Fail “HQ” press office at the Oireachtas, sent out a press release on the afternoon of Friday, 12 March, 2010, entitled, ‘Byrne expresses disappointment at High Court challenge to Slane Bypass’. The release condemned Save Newgrange spokesman, Vincent Salafia, for supposedly launching a legal action that very day. However, there was no such legal action taken, or announced by Mr Salafia or anyone associated with the Save Newgrange campaign.

For immediate release
12 March 2010

Byrne expresses disappointment at High Court challenge to Slane Bypass

Meath East Fianna Fail TD Thomas Byrne has expressed his disappointment at the High Court challenge to the Slane Bypass.

“The Slane Bypass will be subject to a High Court challenge on Monday the 15th of March, enforcing yet another delay on progressing the project.”

“The challenge is being led by Vincent Salafia who also objected to the M3 motorway. Mr. Salafia is objecting on the grounds that the planned Slane Bypass would pass too close to the Newgrange site.”

“This is inaccurate. The planned bypass would pass close to the buffer zone that protects Newgrange. The Slane Bypass is no threat to Newgrange.”

“Slane urgently needs a bypass. It is a matter of road safety,” concluded Deputy Byrne.

ENDS

The story broke and was featured on RTE Drive Time radio show that afternoon, with Mr Salafia being and the Save Newgrange campaign being condemned for taking legal action. This story was a pure fabrication by the Fianna Fail press office. No action or announcement by Vincent Salafia had ever been made in relation to filing a legal action. When asked to explain the release, Ms Collins said it was a ‘mistake’.

After his election to TD in 2007, Thomas Byrne thanked Suzanne Collins, along with the press staff of the Fianna Fail; press office:

FF HQ top brass Sean Dorgan, Charlie McConalogue, Olivia Buckley, and PJ Mara and Suzanne Collins did their bit. PJ addressed me three months ago as “Future Deputy Byrne”, so there was pressure!

14 June 2010 – Planning board seeks further information on western route and Bru na Boinne

It was reported on 14 June 2010 in The Irish Times that An Bord Pleanála considering an alternative route for Slane bypass west of village, after asking for further information on certain aspects of the Environmental Impact Statement, which were not considered complete, by the board:

The council, which is acting as agent for the National Roads Authority, has now been asked to furnish 12 points of additional information to “clarify” its environmental impact statement (EIS), to assist the appeals board in adjudicating on the scheme.

Seeking details of any alternative route, the board said: “If such a route has not been examined, a desktop study and drawings are required of a potential route to the west of Slane to the same level of detail as the routes examined [but not chosen].”

Referring to a statement in the EIS that the route selection for the Slane bypass “has been influenced by its potential for future inclusion in a longer [dual-carriageway] route between Ashbourne and Ardee, the board wants more information on this plan.

“The non-technical summary of the EIS should be expanded to include an illustration of the proposed bridge, a map showing alternative routes considered for the road and a map/aerial photograph showing the route in relation to the world heritage site”.

It is also seeking details – “with drawings as appropriate” – of alternative designs examined for the proposed bridge over the Boyne, which has been criticised by objectors as unnecessarily intrusive in the context of the landscape of Brú na Bóinne.

2 July 2010 – Lord Henry Mountcharles condemns western route for bypass 500m from Slane Castle

So, instead of passing within 500m of Bru na Boinne, UNESCO World Heritage Site, the N2 Slane bypass may now pass to the west of the village, within 500m of Slane Castle – much to the chagrin of Lord Henry Mountcharles, concert promoter and owner of Slane Castle.

He was quoted in The Irish Times on 2 July 2010 as saying:

“If they think I am a pushover they have another thing coming. ” According to Sir Henry serious questions have to be answered about “a planning process that can take us back to stage one again and delay the building of the road.Meath County Council discounted this route years ago based on its feasibility study. To propose this now is nothing short of lunacy.”

So, it is OK for the bypass to run 500m from a UNESCO World Heritage Site, but it is not OK to run the same road 500m from a field belonging to an English castle?

5 July 2010 – More cuts to national roads programme, but not Slane bypass

More severe cuts were made to the national roads programme, in July 2010. The Irish Independent reported on 06 July 2010, Key road and rail projects axed as money runs out:

FORTY major road projects and key rail and Luas projects have been scrapped because there is no money to build them. The National Roads Authority (NRA) has run out of money to build the 40 roads, which include bypasses and dual carriageways. It has been “directed” by the Government not to build the remaining rest areas along motorways, sources revealed. The axed projects will be confirmed in a government mid-term review of the National Development Plan (NDP), which is expected to be completed within weeks.

The mid-term review of the NDP has not taken place. But it is important to put the NDP into perspective, along with the roads programme – Coalition to dangle a €175bn vote-getter – Irish Independent - 22 January 2007.

2 September 2010 – Fianna Fail to close Navan hospital

Even the dogs on the streets of Navan have known since 2007 that Fianna Fail plans to close Our Lady’s Hospital in Navan, Co Meath; when staff were told that Surgery services are to cease immediately, and A&E and Psychiatric services will go before 2012. On 2 September 2010, the Health Service Executive (HSE) announced that all acute and emergency surgery was to end at Our Lady’s Hospital in Navan, with immediate effect.

The move was criticized on an economic basis by Dr Muiris Houston in The Irish Times, who said the Navan move may only offer short-term savings.

CONCLUSION

Bypass Slane campaign is a Fianna Fail election cow

The pro-Slane bypass campaign in County Meath is being orchestrated by Fianna Fail – and the mailing address is: “Bypass Slane Campaign, c/o Slane Community Forum, The Village Inn, Slane, Co. Meath.” Cllr Harding’s address, listed on his web site, is: “The Village Inn, Main Street, Slane , Co. Meath” The Meath Chronicle, election profile for Mr Harding states:

Runs his family pub, The Village Inn, in heart of Slane village. Married with one son. Secretary of Slane Community Forum, which aims to promote and develop the community of Slane in a positive and proactive manner. Former chairman of Slane GFC. Says aim is to ensure people of Slane Electoral Area are provided with employment, necessary services and clean environment.

The Bypass Slane campaign was dreamt up by Fianna Fail “HQ” Press Office, like people like Suzanne Collins and PJ Mara, to help elect Fianna Fail candidates in Meath, like Wayne Harding, in the June 2009 local elections, and is seen as a key facet of the upcoming 2012 General Election campaign for Meath Fianna Fail.

Don’t believe the hype.

This is an outrageous waste of taxpayers time and money. Who dictates transport policy in Ireland? The local Slane Fianna Fail Cumann or the Department of Transport? Dr Morgenroth advised against funding the Slane Bypass in The Irish Times in April 2004 2009, at the same time that the NRA informed Meath County Councillors that it was withdrawing funding from the project, because resources were needed for more nationally important road schemes. Somebody went against the advice of both Dr Morgenroth and the NRA, and decided to fund the bypass anyway. That was a political decision, in favour of Fianna Fail, not an economic one, made on solid economic or environmental grounds.

The Bypass Slane Campaign is not now campaigning to have the HGV ban introduced in Slane. In fact, they have been opposing it, ever since the day it was voted for. It is in fact what sparked their formation, as the decision to implement ban seemed to indicate that the bypass was not needed. In their submission to An Bord Pleanala they now state that they only want it implemented “in conjunction with the Bypass”. The next death or serious injury in Slane due to HGVs will be on their shoulders, along with Tom Dowling, the Meath County Manager and Noel Dempsey, the Minister for Meath.

Cllr. Nick Killian (right), with Taoiseach Brian Cowen and other Fianna Fail cronies in Slane, in May 2009 – just before the NRA decision to shelve the bypass was magically reversed

Incidentally, Nick Killian is now facing criminal assault charges in court

‘M2/N2/A5 Dublin-Derry Motorway Community Groups to Co-Operate on MotorwayCampaign’

Three campaign groups, working on different sections of the proposed M2/N2/A5 motorway, which will eventually run from Dublin to Derry, have agreed to work co-operatively.

Save Newgrange will work in co-operation with the Alternative A5 Alliance, based in Northern Ireland, and the Don’t Bypass the Bypass campaign group in Monaghan, to share information and assist the public in participating in the different consultations under way.

The Alternative A5 Alliance is challenging the need for the upgrade of the A5 primary route, from the Border to Derry, which at 55 miles will be the longest single road project ever undertaken in Northern Ireland. Northern and Southern roads authorities are planning this section of the road together, and the Irish Government has committed to pay for a share of it.

Don’t Bypass the Bypass are challenging the need to for the new N2 Clontibret to the Border plan, which will bypass the N2 Monaghan bypass, opened just four years ago’ by Minister for Transport, Noel Dempsey.

Save Newgrange is opposing the N2 Slane Bypass route, which runs just 500m from the Brú na Bóinne World Heritage Site, and will impact over 44 archaeological sites. We have challenged the public consultation process as being flawed, since the people of Northern Ireland were excluded.

All three groups are currently asking the public to make submissions to Monaghan County Council on the route selection process for the N2 Clontibret to the Border project. Due to public outcry locally, the deadline for submissions has been extended to 31 of August. The cost of making submissions is free, and they can be emailed to the council’s Roads Division. (lmcdonal@monaghancoco.ie)

Lynne Smyth, Secretary of the Alternative A5 Alliance, said:

“The Alternative A5 Alliance is delighted to be able to cooperate with the other campaign groups along the route of this proposed road. Together we must alert the people of Ireland to the catastrophe these ‘ghost roads’ will cause.

“This is not the time to be tarmacing over our farmland and natural habitat. It is time to seek a sustainable transport option which will serve our future needs as well as that of our grandchildren – as they will be paying for it.

Noel Murphy, a spokesman for Don’t Bypass the Bypass, said:

“Its great to be working in co-operation with the other groups, and we need to remain so going forward. We are calling on all members of the public to make submissions to Monaghan County Council, and challenge this outrageous waste of taxpayers’ money.”

Vincent Salafia of Save Newgrange said:

“We are delighted to have North-South co-operation between our community groups
along the proposed M2/A5. The people of Northern Ireland should have a say in
what happens to the Brú na Bóinne Unesco World Heritage Site, since they are
paying for part of the road that will severely impact it.”

“We welcome the intervention of Dr Edgar Morgenroth, associate economist with
the ESRI, who said the N2/M2 plans are “idiocy’, and called for the HGV ban to
be implemented in Slane.

ENDS

Contact: Vincent Salafia 087-132-3365
http://www.savenewgrange.net
http://twitter.com/savenewgrange

Lynne Smyth +44-(0)7515 066970
http://www.alternativea5alliance.com

Noel Murphy 087-656-0363
http://www.dontbypassthebypass.com

The N2 Slane bypass

Save Newgrange group supports the Don’t Bypass the Bypass Campaign, and is encouraging the public to participate in the public consultation for the N2 Clontibret to Northern Ireland road scheme, by emailing objections to mcdonal@monaghancoco.ie before 31 August 2010.

We are also supporting the Alternative A5 Alliance, which is objecting to plans for the A5 Western Transport Corridor, which is the N2, from the border to Derry. Public consultation for that project is also under way, and information can be gotten from a5consultation@mouchel.com.

Objections to the N2 Slane bypass

Save Newgrange has objected to the N2 Slane Bypass on various substantive  legal grounds, relating to the impact on Bru na Boinne World Heritage Site (which contains the Battle of the Boyne Site) and EU candidate Special Areas of Conservation (SAC), which is also protected by the Ramsar Convention. Other procedural objections relate to flawed public consultation, which was wrongfully limited to the Republic of Ireland. The N2 Dublin to Derry is a single road, which crosses the border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland and becomes the A5 Western Transport Corridor.

“Starting at Aughnacloy on the Monaghan border, [the A5] slices its way through virgin countryside to join up with other schemes at Newbuildings, on the edge of Londonderry/Derry, and branches across into Letterkenny and East Donegal. With a total length of 55 miles it will be the longest single road project ever undertaken in Northern Ireland.” – see Slugger O’Toole,  Information on the ongoing public consultation for the A5 is available from the Northern Ireland roads service.

Grounds for Objections to the N2 Clontibret to Northern Ireland Border Road Scheme

Click here to download detailed copy of Route Options map

Grounds for objections by Save Newgrange to the Clontibert scheme (and the A5 scheme) include:

• Breach of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) Protocol on Strategic Environmental Assessment (Kyiv, 2003)
• Breach of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) Convention on Environmental Impact Assessment in a Transboundary Context – the ‘Espoo (EIA) Convention’
• Breach of the European Union Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) directive
• Breach of the European Union Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) directive
• Breach of the Irish Planning & Development Act, EIA and SEA Regulations

Specifically, we object on grounds that the N2 Dublin to Derry is a single road, with transboundary effects, that has been the subject of ‘project-splitting‘. A single public consultation, involving both Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland authorities should have been held for the entire cross-border road, from Dublin to Derry, rather than subdividing it into sub-sections.

The public should to make submissions to Monaghan County Council, before 31 August 2010. Email your submission to Con McCrossan, Senior Engineer, cmcross@monaghancoco.ie C/O Leona McDonal mcdonal@monaghancoco.ie

• Map: Stage 1 Preliminary Options Assessment Route Corridors Progressing to Stage 2
• Constraints Study Report, January 2010
• Route Corridor Options – Public Consultation
• Public Consultation Brochure, with Submission Forms
• Further documentation at bottom of page

[The following is the text of the Guide to Public Consultation, by Monaghan County Council]

N2 Clontibret to Northern Ireland Border Road Scheme

Route Corridor Options – Public Consultation – July 2010

Need for the Scheme

The N2 National Primary Route is a strategic corridor which links Dublin to Northern Ireland and the border counties. The N2 joins the A5 route at the border to provide linkage with Derry and Donegal. The N2 also links many towns and villages along its route. Transport 21, the capital investment framework for transport development over the period 2006 to 2015, identifies this section of the N2 as a strategic route to be upgraded.

Benefits of the Scheme

This Scheme will:

• Improve road safety;
• Reduce travel times;
• Reduce congestion and traffic volumes, particularly in Emyvale and around Monaghan Town;
• Improve access between Donegal, Monaghan and Dublin, facilitating business, trade and tourism; and
• Improve links between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.

Consultation Objectives

Following on from the first public consultation held in July 2009 for the Constraints Study, the main objectives of the second public consultation are:

• Increase public awareness in the Scheme;
• Present the route corridor options which are being considered;
• Allow early involvement of the public in developing the proposals;
• Highlight the key factors which play a role in the choice of route options; and
• Explain what happens next.

The information displayed at the consultation event will also be available to view and download on the Monaghan County Council website www.monaghan.ie.

Route Corridor Development

The development of route corridors forms part of a 3-stage route selection process as prescribed by the National Roads Authority (NRA) Project Management Guidelines (2010):

• Stage 1 – Preliminary Options Assessment
• Stage 2 – Project Appraisal of Route Options
• Stage 3 – Selection of Preferred Route Corridor

The purpose of this process is to review the feasible route corridors at increasing levels of detail resulting in the selection of the Preferred Route Corridor for the Scheme. During Stage 1 feasible route corridors were identified and developed whilst avoiding significant constraints identified during the Constraints Study. The assessment of the preliminary options utilised the criteria of Engineering, Environment and Economy. This resulted in the number of options being refined to 4 primary corridors (coloured yellow, green, red and blue) along with 7 further composite corridor options generated through cross over links (shown in purple).

Please consider the route corridors shown overleaf along with the information on display and let your views be known.

Route Corridor Options

It is proposed to realign the N2 over a distance of approximately 28km between the recently constructed N2 Clontibret to Castleblaney ‘2+1’ Scheme to the south of Monaghan Town and the Northern Ireland border to the north in the vicinity of Aughnacloy.

Route corridor options have been identified commencing from the existing roundabout on the N2 at Clontibret in the townland of Kilcrow. From this point the corridors run in a northerly direction passing east or west of Castleshane (depending on the option). Continuing northwards the corridors cross the N12 and Ulster Canal east of Monaghan Town. Further north, the corridors cross the River Blackwater and the disused Ulster Railway to the east of the existing N2. The corridors then pass to the east of Corracrin and the west of Glaslough. From here the red and blue corridors run west of Emyvale whilst the green and yellow corridors pass east of Emy Lough. All the corridors cross the Mountain Water near Emyvale where after they converge at the termination point on the Northern Ireland border in the vicinity of Aughnacloy.

What Happens Next?

A detailed route selection study will commence and the route corridors being presented here will be assessed in accordance with the Stage 2 Project Appraisal procedure using the 5 common appraisal criteria of:

• Economy;
• Safety;
• Environment;
• Accessibility & Social Inclusion; and
• Integration.

A Preferred Route Corridor has not been identified at this stage. It is envisaged that the Stage 2 appraisal will be complete by the end of 2010 at which time the Preferred Route Corridor will be announced and a public display will be held. It must be emphasised that the Preferred Route Corridor may be one of the proposed route corridors, an amalgamation of parts from more than one route option or an altered alignment involving one or more options.

Your Views are Important

Monaghan County Council wishes to consider all viewpoints in relation to the Scheme and the route corridors being examined. This is your opportunity to take part in the planning of the N2 Clontibret to Northern Ireland Border Road Scheme and your time spent on communicating your views would be appreciated. Detailed consideration shall be given to the comments and submission received.

Please examine the route corridors and let your views be known. You can either complete the accompanying comment sheet or write to the address shown using the freepost envelope provided by 7th August 2010.

All submissions received are a matter of public record, and as such are liable to be accessed and inspected by any member of the public under the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act 1997 & 2003.

The Act, however, provides that such a record may be exempt from disclosure and access, if there is an understanding between the local authority and you, that the information supplied is given in confidence and on the understanding that it would be treated as confidential. If you wish to have your submission treated in this manner please clearly indicate this using the selection box provided on the comment sheet.

Further Enquiries on the N2 Clontibret to the border scheme:

All queries, questionnaires or comments in relation to this project may be addressed to:

Con McCrossan
Monaghan County Council
Roads Department (N2 Clontibret to NI Border),
Mtek 2 Building,
Knockaconny,
Monaghan,
Co. Monaghan
Tel. +353 (0)47 30558
cmcross@monaghancoco.ie
C/O Leona McDonal mcdonal@monaghancoco.ie

PUBLIC CONSULTATION DOCUMENTATION – MONAGHAN COUNTY COUNCIL

1st Public Consultation

Please see below documentation to download (pdf format) relating to the first public consulation. Some original files are large and it is advised only to download them if you have broadband access.

Brochure & Comments Sheet

• Public Consultation Brochure (Irish) web version – (pdf 586kb)
• Public Consultation Brochure (Irish) Original – (pdf 20MB) (broadband recommended)

• Public Consultation Brochure (English) web version – (pdf 591kb)
• Public Consultation Brochure (English) Original – (pdf 20MB) (broadband recommended)

• Public Consultation Comment Sheet (Irish) – (pdf 57kb)
• Public Consultation Comment Sheet (English) – (pdf 55kb)

Maps & Further information

1. Master Study Area (pdf 20MB) (broadband recommended)
2. Need and Benefits (pdf 70kb)
3. Constraints Study Report (pdf 120kb)
4. Environmental Constraints (pdf 15MB) (broadband recommended)
5. Route Corridor Options Development (pdf 99kb)
6. Route Corridor Options (Discovery Series) (pdf 19.9MB) (broadband recommended)
7. Route Corridor Options (Aerial Photo) (pdf 2.8MB)
8. What Happens Next (pdf 73kb)

Don’t Bypass the Bypass

Press Release: 16th August 2010

Irish State will pay close to €1billion for 25km of unnecessary Motorway

A major public information campaign, Don’t Bypass the Bypass, is raising awareness of a proposed major infrastructural project which will cost close to €1billion of Irish Taxpayers money. We are calling on the Government to exercise commonsense leadership and stop this flawed road project before any more money is wasted.

The project relates to a proposed 25km Motorway from North Monaghan (Clontibret) to the Border (at Aughnacloy Co Tyrone),announced by Mr Bertie Ahern in 2007 as part of the N2 Dual Carriageway initiative from Derry to Dublin. Our concerns with this project are as follows;

• · Large sections of the N2 have recently undergone major road improvements and towns along the route have already been by-passed. The new road is expected to replace a 32km section of road of which:

• This new road proposal will bypass the recent Monaghan Town Bypass.
• €500million (£400stg million) was pledged by the Irish Government to the Northern Ireland Executive to improve the northern section of the Derry – Dublin route with no return to the Irish exchequer.
• The proposed stretch of road will carve through complicated ‘Drumlin’ country costing up to €12 million/km –a total of €300 million before taking account of any budget overruns.
• No official costings or cost benefit analysis have been published to justify this expenditure.
• This proposed project is being advanced at a vigorous pace by the Monaghan County Council and Grontmij, Consulting Engineers despite the fact that the country is in the depth of a deep and prolonged recession.
• Traffic flow analysis taken from the NRA statistics show 8.7% decrease in volumes from peak in 2007 to 2010 on this road. The maximum recorded volumes of 6,029 vechicles/day in 2007 fall well short of 10,000 required to justify investment in a motorway.
• A new motorway north of the border, linking Ballygawley to Newry and then the
• M1/Dublin is already the preferred route for Derry/Donegal motorists travelling to Dublin and this will not change even with the proposed new motorway.
• Householders and families will face eviction and negative equity to facilitate a motorway that is not required.
• Farming enterprises, including many small holdings will have their lands divided by this proposed roadway and this will adversely affect the viability of the farming unit.
• Some farmers will lose homes and farm buildings that have been farmed by the family for generations.
• Consultants have failed to adequately explore the option of utilising and upgrading the existing road framework as outlined in the “Public Consultation in relation to the Constraints Study – July 2009” as per NRA guidelines.
• Very poor consultation techniques and misleading documentation have kept this project hidden from the general public since 2007.
• To date, no communication has taken place with landowners/householders and business owners that may be affected.
• This road, a proposed Dual Carriageway, will connect to large sections of newly constructed Single Carriageway along this route.
• This proposed road goes through densely populated communities and villages with devastating consequences.
• This proposed road will have detrimental effects on Monaghan’s tourism industry, its lakes, forests and historic/picturesque villages.
• Inadequate timeframes have been given to the general public to make informed submissions. Public pressure has resulted in the closing date being extended to 31st Aug 2010.
• Due to holiday commitments of senior Monaghan County Council Road Section Executives during the month of August, citizens wishing to make enquiries before making their submissions are not getting answers.

The improvements to the 14km stretch of road (Monaghan/Emyvale bypass to Aughnacloy) were announced by the Government and NRA in September 2006 and heralded by them as ‘the main arterial cross border connection from Derry to Dublin’. It was expected to cost €50m. By 2007 it was shelved in favour of a new motorway project and the cost to the Irish Taxpayer has ballooned to €800 million. This country is in deep recession and the main focus of any Government spending should be Value For Money.

We are calling on the Irish Government to stop this unnecessary project now and we are urging ALL citizens to respond to a public submissions period by sending their views to:

Closing date for submissions is 31st Aug 2010

For further information contact:

Noel Murphy, Spokesperson; dontbypassthebypass@hotmail.com

Mobile: 087 6560363

www.dontbypassthebypass.com
DBB Facebook

THE A5 WESTERN TRANSPORT CORRIDOR

According to the Roads Service of Northern Ireland:

“The A5 Western Transport Corridor (A5WTC) is the longest single roads project ever undertaken in Northern Ireland. The new route is one of five key transport corridor upgrades identified in the Regional Transportation Strategy (RTS) for Northern Ireland. The scheme also represents a significant link in longer-term plans to improve connections between Dublin, Londonderry and Donegal. The Irish Government have pledged a contribution of £400m to help fund major roads programmes in Northern Ireland, including the A5WTC.

In July 2009 Transport Minister Conor Murphy announced the Preferred Route for the scheme, marking the achievement of the second key milestone for the project agreed between the Northern Ireland Executive and the Irish Government. Following this, the Minister recently outlined how the project would be moving forward and explained the next important steps:

“Currently we are gathering information from the landowners on land use and livestock and machinery movements. Most landowners have been helpful in giving ground investigation contractors access to their land to carry out tests. This information will by key in helping the designers reduce landtake, mitigate the impacts on land owners, reduce the footprint of the dual carriageway and help assess the suitability of alternative alignments.”

“Maintaining access to all areas of their land is essential. Minor realignments of the route are already being considered in response to the information being provided. Public consultation has been and will continue to be, an important part of the scheme developments and all suggestions and comments will continue to be fully considered.”

The information gathered through future meetings with landowners will inform the development of the Preferred Route to the Emerging Specimen Design, which will be presented at Public Exhibitions in summer 2010. This will be followed by the publication of Draft Statutory Orders and an Environmental Statement in autumn 2010, with a Public Inquiry in 2011. There will also be a formal consultation process in advance of the Public Inquiry, during which all affected parties and others may make comments and lodge objections to the Draft Orders and Environmental Statement. These comments and objections will then be heard at the Public Inquiry in 2011. It is anticipated that work will commence in 2012 and be completed in 2015.

Further information on the A5 Western Transport Corridor:

LandAspects
The Consultation Manager
Shorefield House
30 Kinnegar Drive
Holywood
County Down
BTI8
9JQ

Telephone 0845 602 6422
+44 (0)28 9042 3954 (outside UK)

Email: a5consultation@mouchel.com

Alternative A5 Alliance statement of purpose

The group of individuals, formed at a meeting on December 5^th 2009, met together for the first time on Saturday January 9^th, at the Newtownstewart 2000 Centre.

The meeting was arranged to involve other interested parties including legal, political and farming interests and a number of concerned members of the public were present.  The object of the group—now called the ‘Alternative A5 Alliance’—is to oppose the massive overkill proposal for a limited-access dual carriageway and to propose the sustainable alternative of a 3-lane road from Aughnacloy to L’Derry, coupled with a reinstated railway, from L’Derry to Portadown.

It was agreed that the present proposals offer an outdated approach to the modern transport needs of the North-West region.  The present proposals totally neglect the need to bring transport projects in line with current EU and international thinking and for responsible requirements of cutting CO₂ emissions and protecting the environment.

The Alternative A5 Alliance Committee discussed the following action points:

• co-ordinating the active opposition to the present wasteful and destructive proposed A5 dualling project;
• mobilising land-owners, business owners, and householders affected adversely by the proposals;
• bringing on board environmental groups, animal and wildlife protection, rural amenity and human rights groups to promote the sustainable alternative;
• putting in place lobby groups to seek political support at the highest level;
• advising on the legal challenges to be made on the obvious dereliction of legal responsibility by the government authorities pursuing the present damaging proposal;
• establishing funding for the campaign;
• seeking a professional consultancy to prepare a report on the actual transport needs of the north-west;
• providing economic and engineering basis for the sustainable alternative ie. The re-establishment of a modern user-friendly rail link between L’Derry and Portadown and thus with connections to Dublin and Belfast, with all the attendant real economic and environmental benefits and the upgrade of the existing A5 to a 2+1 modern road.
• organising public information events.

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Locals bid to halt plans for new Monaghan dual carriageway

The Irish Times – Thursday, August 19, 2010

A CAMPAIGN has been launched in Co Monaghan against plans for a new dual carriageway to replace the N2, from Clontibret to the Border at Aughnacloy, Co Tyrone. The new road would replace the existing Monaghan bypass, which was opened just four years ago. None of the route options being examined by Monaghan County Council and the National Roads Authority (NRA) incorporates the bypass, built at a cost of €26 million, or other large sections of the existing N2 that were also improved in recent years.

The proposed 25km route, which is the subject of public consultation, would link up with a new A5 dual-carriageway between Aughnacloy and Derry for which the Government has pledged to contribute £400 million (€487 million).  A spokesman for the NRA, for which the county council is acting as agent, said the new N2 was “part of a cross-Border initiative with the Northern Ireland Roads Service” to improve links between Dublin and Derry. “We’re looking to incorporate a bunch of little road schemes into one big one”.

Noel Murphy, spokesman for the Don’t Bypass the Bypass campaign, said the pledge had been made in 2007 “at a time when we thought we were flush with money” and needed to be reviewed in the light of changed economic circumstances.  “The proposed stretch of road [in Co Monaghan] will carve through complicated drumlin country, costing up to €12 million per kilometre – a total of €300 million,” he said.  “We are calling on the Government to exercise commonsense leadership and stop this flawed road project.”  Mr Murphy said large sections of the N2 had recently undergone major road improvements, with towns along the route bypassed. This included the “brand new” 3km Monaghan bypass completed in 2006 and 13km of “excellent quality highway” in the county.  “The remaining 14km section between Monaghan and Aughnacloy was granted planning permission in 2004 and substantial consultancy work has been carried out on this proposed roadway, which was expected to cost €50 million [and] now seems to be shelved.

“Traffic flow analysis taken from the NRA statistics show an 8.7 per cent decrease in volumes from a peak in 2007-2010 on this road. The maximum recorded volumes of 6,029 vehicles per day in 2007 fall well short of 10,000 required to justify investment in a motorway.”  Mr Murphy, whose family home is located in one of the route corridors being studied, said the latest plan “is being advanced at a vigorous pace by the Monaghan County Council and Grontmij consulting engineers despite the fact that the country is in the depth of a recession”.

He claimed that there had been no real communication or consultation with landowners, householders and businesses that may be affected by the plan. “Some farmers will lose homes and farm buildings that have been farmed by the family for generations,” he said.
Inadequate time had been given to the general public to make informed submissions on the route options being studied, which did not include upgrading the existing N2 route, but Mr Murphy said public pressure had resulted in the closing date being extended to August 31st.

The NRA spokesman said three public meetings were held last year and a consultation last month in Monaghan town on route corridor options, which 348 people attended. A further round of consultations would take place after a “preferred route” was chosen later this year.  Last February, Taoiseach Brian Cowen said the N2/A5 was “an obvious project that is of mutual benefit to everybody. We have interests in the northwest. We want to ensure that the people in Donegal and that part of the world have proper transport access . . .”  The proposed road “will proceed because it is strategically important. It is not something that should be done based on a whim or just as an optional extra. It is important that it be completed and there shall be no more about it as far as I am concerned”, he added.