This article is from page 18 of the 2006-07-10 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 18 JPG
AN Bord Pleanála has announced that an oral hearing into the Crusheen-Gort by-pass is to be staged in Gort later this month.
The hearing will take place at the Lady Gregory Hotel from July 25 to August 4.
On the first day, a sizeable proportion of landowners would be expected to withdraw their objections arising from discussions with Galway County Council in relation to the level of compensation agreed upon.
The scheme – which will see the construction of 22km of new dual carriageway – will also involve the severance of 845 acres of farmland along the route.
Galway County Council is the lead agency in the scheme and is intending to compulsorily purchase almost 500 acres of land contained in 103 farms.
Already, 75 land-owners living along the route of the scheme have lodged objections, while the Department of the Environment has raised concerns over the impact the project could have on an historic ringfort.
The proposal to damage the outer earthworks of the ringfort has already come under fire from folklorist and author, Eddie Lenihan.
Mr Lenihan said yesterday, “It is crazy that they are going to destroy part of this ringfort.
“They are the ones charged with protecting our heritage. It doesn’t make any sense.”
The Department of the Environment shares the concerns expressed by Mr Lenihan. In a submission to An Bord Pleanála, the department states that “it is concerned that the significance of impact on the regionally important ringfort which was considered minor in the Route Selection Report has now become a substantial impact at Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) stage and part of the outer earthworks will be removed by the road.”
The EIS published states that currently 14,000 vehicles a day use the route between Crusheen and Gort and the route “fails to cope with the demand of motorists and residents frequently experiencing delays during periods of peak movement”.
According to the EIS, the construction of the route will lead to a reduction in road injuries on the N18 where, between 1989 and 2002, ten people died as a result of traffic accidents with 126 personal injuries recorded in total.
Farmers living along the route are set for a bonanza. As a result of the CPO of 500 acres of land for the €190 million Ennis by-pass scheme, €22 million was paid to 67 landowners, making instant millionaires out of seven farmers.