Councillors wild at State body’s road opposition

The county is being held to ransom by the National Parks and Wildlife Service who have stopped the upgrade and realignment of the main road from Oughterard to Clifden on environmental grounds.

The presence of the pearl mussel has resulted in a vital piece of road infrastructure from proceeding and local councillors have vented their anger and frustration at this body.

There was even a suggestion that Ireland leave the European Union because there was so much of the county designated as environmentally sensitive and there were a number of major infrastructural projects scrapped as a result.

It resulted in a heated debate in Galway County Council with several councillors calling for the scrapping of the National Parks and Wildlife who were accused of halting progress in the county.

Clifden’s Cllr Eileen Mannion said that the region depended hugely on tourism but the main road through Connemara, the N59, was in a terrible state in places and a new road was required.

She said that many cancer patients used the road several times a week to go into Galway and they find that it is in “a horrendous state” in places. Cllr Mannion added that as long as the National Parks and Wildlife with opposed to it, there was no chance of it going ahead.

Cllr Jim Cuddy that Galway was “being held to ransom” by the NPWS. He described them as a faceless body making decisions from Dublin. He called on Galway County Council to challenge this ruling.

Director of Services for Roads, Liam Gavin told councillors that the new road received the approval of Transport Infrastructure Ireland (formerly the National Roads Authority) and would be done in two phases – from Oughterard to Maam Cross and then from Maam Cross to Clifden.

He explained that planning permission had been granted fir the first section but it was a condition that approval be given by the National Parks and Wildlife but this was not forthcoming. Mr Gavin said that the Council were now looking at their options which include the provision of an overlay on the road.

Cllr Tom Welby from Oughterard said that it was the worst decision he had come across during his time on Galway County Council and added that it was “the beginning of the end” for property in Connemara.

“This decision is killing the local economy. It is madness what is going on. There are 400 acres of land in South Connemara which is designated a Special Area of Conservation (SAC) which burns every year in the heat. How can this be an environmentally sensitive area,” Cllr Welby added.

Another independent Cllr Tomas O Curraoin said that Connemara was dependant on this road for tourism. He added that in its current state it is very dangerous and health and safety issues had to come into play.

“If I had my way, we would leave Europe. We never died of hunger before 1972 but at the moment we have no say in the running of our own state. We have to stand up against them”, he said.

Another Connemara Councillor Seosamh O Cualain described it as “a disgrace”. He said that the land should be bought and the road built as a matter of urgency. He also said that it was disgraceful that outer bypass for Galway city was being held up for similar reasons.