More than 100 objections expected to dual carriageway

MORE than 100 objections are expected to be lodged with Bord Pleanála against the new Waterford to Kilcullen dual carriageway.

Already 21 objections have been lodged Bord Pleanála confirmed, from individuals issued with compulsory purchase orders (CPO). Three families are to lose their homes to make way for the new road and 267 farmers have been ordered to surrender part of their lands.

No objection has so far been submitted in relation to the Environmental Impact Study (EIS) which accompanied plans for the 64km route. While only those who have to give up land for the 64km road project can object to the CPO process, anyone who has a concern with the EIS can raise an objection to that report before the deadline of April 15.

Project leader Joe Gannon said he is not surprised by the level of objections and anticipates far more will be received.

“We expect an awful lot more objections. We had 150 on the N8 road from Culihill to Cashel. What typically happens in a process like this is the bulk of the objections come in close to the deadline. The time needed to deal with such objections has all been build into the timescale.

“We would hope to be in a position to sit down with those who have raised objections and go through their issues ahead of the oral hearing on the route,” Mr Gannon added.

Many issues have to be discussed between now and the oral hearing, planned later this summer, and the planners hope to meet with as many land owners as possible in the intervening time.

Groups such as Waterford Chamber of Commerce have been lobbying for the new, upgraded route to Dublin for decades. They are anxious any objections would not delay progress on the long-awaited carriageway. An economic evaluation report on the N9, carried out by the Waterford Chamber of Commerce, indicates the city and county is receiving only one tenth of its share of Government spending under the National Spatial Strategy. The report, The N9 Motorway - The Key to Unlocking a Regional Gateway, indicates the congestion cost of the current N9 is €41.5 million nationally and €28.9m of that is impacting on the South East region.