Planning trends 'could see bypasses clogged up'

An Bord Pleanala has said Ireland’s €14bn road infrastructure was under threat from local authorities granting planning permission near strategic junctions.

It said a continuation of the current situation would see new towns and developments clogging up bypasses, which themselves would then have to be bypassed.

The organisation said this approach to planning was also adding to Ireland’s urban sprawl problem, which was identified as one of the worst in Europe by the EU’s environmental body.