Ring Road: environmental campaigner a ‘no-show’

From this week’s Galway City Tribune – Environmental campaigner, Peter Sweetman, failed to address this week’s oral hearing.

The campaigner, who spearheaded the legal challenge against the rejected Galway City Outer Bypass, was due to address the hearing at 10am on Wednesday morning but was not in attendance when called to make his submission.

An Bord Pleanála adjourned the hearing twice to allow extra time for Mr Sweetman to arrive, but the first module of the hearing was formally closed at 1pm without a comment from the environmental campaigner.

This failure to address the hearing does not preclude Mr Sweetman from seeking a High Court Judicial Review into the final planning decision from An Bord Pleanála, which is due when the oral hearing concludes next month.

Mr Sweetman and others challenged An Bord Pleanála’s decision to grant permission for the Galway City Outer Bypass in the High Court in November 2008.

When the court ruled in favour of the Board, an appeal was then brought to the Supreme Court, where it was decided that the European Court of Justice should become involved.

An Bord Pleanála has warned that next week’s sitting may have to be postponed as a result of the Covid-19 outbreak.
This is a preview only. For five pages of coverage of the oral hearing this week, see this week’s Galway City Tribune. Buy a digital edition of this week’s paper here.