Cork-Ringaskiddy M28 motorway project clears legal hurdle

Cork Chamber backs ruling on ‘key infrastructural asset’ but residents vow to continue fight against it

Route of the planned €250m motorway between Cork and Ringaskiddy.

One of the last legal hurdles to developing a €250m motorway between Cork and Ringaskiddy has been cleared.

A legal challenge had been brought by residents to An Bord Pleanála’s green light for the planned 14km M28 motorway but the High Court has now refused residents of areas such as Douglas, Maryborough Hill, and Rochestown, known as the M28 Steering Group, leave to bring the case to the Court of Appeal.

The last option open to residents is a potential petition to the Supreme Court but, failing that, €30m land preparatory works are ready to begin.

Proponents of the motorway say the project will ignite new economic and industrial life in the region by unlocking a major IDA landbank in the area and supporting the Port of Cork's move downriver to Ringaskiddy. 

This will, in turn, free lands in the city's docklands for development.

Cork Chamber welcomed Tuesday's High Court ruling “as critical for the future development” of the region, especially post-Brexit.

“The M28 is a key infrastructural asset for facilitating safer travel and enabling the Port of Cork’s development which is of increased significance in the context of Brexit," said Chamber president Paula Cogan.

“It will open up to 220 hectares of lands in the docklands for new housing, civic amenities, and commerce and unlocks key IDA lands at Ringaskiddy. It is essential that the Government now allocates appropriate funding so that enabling works can begin.

“The development will significantly enhance commuting and commercial movements along the corridor. As the port transitions to trading in a Brexit context, it is essential that every economic opportunity is realised and this route is critical to meeting both existing and potential demand."

Land acquisitions and preparatory works are expected to take three years before the bigger project of the motorway itself begins in 2024. 

If the planned timeline for construction is then adhered to, the M28 would open in 2027.

However, a spokesperson for the residents opposing the project, Ger Harrington, said it was not the end of the road for the campaign and indicated that a 'leapfrog' appeal to the Supreme Court would be forthcoming.

“We have had a setback, we are disappointed but not surprised," said Mr Harrington.

The Cork to Ringaskiddy project involves upgrading around 12.5km of the N28 from the N40 South Ring Rd at Bloomfield Interchange.

Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) is the funding authority for this project, which was included in the Government’s capital investment plan of 2016 to 2021.

Being part of the Trans-European Transport Network means the port has to be served by a high-quality road, either a motorway or an express road.

TII said the existing N28 is predominantly a single carriageway road and suffers from significant congestion, leading to considerable delays and queuing at peak times at certain locations.

The road does not have the capacity to cater for current traffic volumes at peak times or future expected increases in traffic, according to TII.

The planning application for the M28 project was lodged to An Bord Pleanála in May 2017, which approved it with modifications in June 2018.

If remaining legal challenges are not successful and the project goes ahead, land acquisition around the route would begin immediately.