Three challenges settled over Galway ring road permission

Galway city has had severe traffic problems for more than 30 years, and various proposals for a ring road have been advanced in that time. Stock picture

Several Galway residents have settled their High Court challenges to permission granted for the long-delayed Galway ring road.

The touted N6 Galway Ring Road is an 18km project intended to provide an orbital route around Galway city, linking the N56 Moycullen Road to the N6 Dublin Road corridor.

On Wednesday, barrister Damien Keaney told Judge Richard Humphreys that three challenges to the permission, granted by An Coimisiún Pleanála to Galway County Council, had been settled.

A fourth challenge, brought by software engineer Shane Foran, remains live, and is due to be heard next month.

Mr Foran, a cyclists’ advocate from Rahoon, Galway, claims An Coimisiún Pleanála breached its duties under the Climate Action and Low Carbon Development Act 2021 by granting the permission. Mr Foran is representing himself in the proceedings.

The commission approved the ring road project in April after several decades of false starts.

Galway city has had severe traffic problems for more than 30 years, and various proposals for a ring road have been advanced in that time.

High Court challenges to a previous grant of permission for the project led to An Coimisiún Pleanála’s predecessor conceding its decision contained legal flaws, so the planning application was considered afresh.