MONAGHAN POLITICIANS MEET WITH NORTH MINISTER FOLLOWING COURT HAMMER BLOW FOR A5 ROAD PROJECT

Representatives of Monaghan Co Council held discussions with the Northern Ireland Minister for Infrastructure Liz Kimmins MLA n Stormont on Tuesday following the ruling in the High Court the previous day that the upgrade of the A5 road should not go ahead in its current form because it was not in compliance with climate change targets . Co Council Cathaoirleach P J O’Hanlon, Sinn Féin councillor Noel Keelan and Independent local public representative Seamus Treanor, along with members of the Council executive, attended an emergency debate in the North Assembly on the implications of the court decision, which has dismayed campaigners seeking the implementation of the project to address serious road safety concerns.

More than 50 people have lost their lives on the road since 2006. The A5 is a vital component of the North’s road network and its upgrade is intended to link in with major road improvement projects in counties Donegal and Monaghan. It is the major arterial connection providing access from Donegal and Derry to Dublin. A new dual carriageway scheme was first announced in 2007 but the project encountered a series of delays and legal challenges by affected landowners. The £1.7 billion project, to which the Irish Government has made a significant funding commitment of €600,000, was given the go-ahead to proceed by the North Assembly in October. Minister Kimmins said on Tuesday that her Department was working through the details of the judgment and that “everything remains on the table” in relation to the project. “I hope to have a briefing on that later this week, and then we’ll be able to identify what the next steps are,” she told Stormont on Tuesday.

The High Court judgment blocked the upgrade because the plans did not comply with climate change targets but set out ways in which the deficiencies in the plans could be remedied. A solicitor for the Alternative A5 Alliance campaign group, which brought the successful case, said his clients’ efforts had been “vindicated” and it was an important day for the environment. Safety campaigners from the Enough is Enough group said they were disappointed with the decision but added that the judgement provided a “roadmap” for how the upgrade could proceed.

Environmental campaigner Friends of the Earth welcomed the judgement and said “money earmarked for the A5 project should now be redirected to meet other challenges in Northern Ireland’s climate change legislation”. DEEPLY DISAPPOINTED Niall McKenna of the A5 Enough is Enough group, which has campaigned for the road upgrade, said he was deeply disappointed by the court decision, which he said would add to the anguish of bereaved families. “We find it ironic the law is there to serve and to protect people and protect the society,” he said. “And the judgment acknowledges that this scheme will have major societal benefits. So it seems ironic, to go against the societal…