‘Wildlife got better treatment’ than ring road homeowners

From this week’s Galway City Tribune – The project team put “huge effort” into assessing the impact of the ring road on wildlife, yet there was no proper measure of the psychological impact it would have on homeowners, the oral hearing was told this week.

Ballindooley resident Sharon Morris questioned ability of the team’s medical advisor to assess the psychological impact on people whose homes are to be taken under the CPO (Compulsory Purchase Order) process.

Ms Morris, a chartered physiotherapist, spoke at the hearing with Edward O’Reilly and said that a “huge effort” had been put into field studies on the impact of the N6 on species ranging from the freshwater pearl mussel and the barn owl to otters and peregrine falcons.

By contrast, humans were treated in one dataset, she said.

Ms Morris said that the greatest single adverse effect on human health in this case was the CPO on homes.

She said she did not believe the developers’ medical advisor, Dr Martin Hogan, had the ability to assess psychological impact of this.

She said that the only professionals who had visited the home she shared with her husband and four children were bat experts on three occasions, who had travelled from Co Waterford.

Responding, Dr Hogan said that no attempt was made to assess the psychological impact on each individual as there are “so many variables”.

The development team had “not shied away from” the significant negative effects on those subject to CPOs on their homes, he said.

Dr Hogan said there was no published research on the psychological impact of CPOs, but previous CPO situations in Ireland had shown there was an “anxiety up to and when the process takes place” and that people were then “able to get on with their lives”.
This is a preview version of this article. For the full version, and to read extensive coverage of the oral hearing into the Galway City Ring Road CPOs, see this week’s Galway City Tribune. You can buy a digital edition HERE.