'It’s a huge issue' — Councillors call on minister to reinstate axed funding for Mallow bypass

County councillors said the lack of a northern relief road in Mallow is seriously impacting economic growth in North Cork and Kerry

Eamon Ryan has issued a Section 24 order to the roads authority that it could only allocate €100,000 of the €1.3m it had sought for the Mallow bypass this year. File picture: Brian Lawless/PA

The Minister for Transport has been urged to reinstate funding that he axed for the progression of a badly needed bypass of Mallow, Co. Cork. In a letter to Eamon Ryan, Transport Infrastructure Ireland notes that the project is consistent with national policy.

Councillors representing the North Cork region have expressed anger that just €100,000 was allocated to the town’s northern relief road project instead of the €1.3m sought to finish off its design and progress to issuing CPOs (Compulsory Purchase Orders).

Council officials told local public representatives that the €100,000 allocation was made following a ministerial order issued by Mr Ryan to TII and means the project “is largely suspended.” 

Fine Gael councillor John Paul O’Shea said it was “extremely disappointing” that the allocation TII had sought has been rejected by Mr Ryan.

“This has been a priority project for the county council and TII for a number of years now. It is consistent with all objectives of national policy. The population of Mallow is set for a significant increase. Active travel is also included in it, linking estates on the outskirts of the town into the town centre and train station,” Mr O’Shea said.

A letter written to the council by TII stated that Mr Ryan had issued a Section 24 order to the roads authority that it could only allocate €100,000 of the €1.3m it had sought for the project this year.

Padraig Barrett, the council’s director of roads, said Mr Ryan had the right to issue the Section 24 order under the powers vested in him by the 1993 Roads Act.

“We need to communicate our strong opinions to Minister Ryan and the department on this. The €1.3m requested is miniscule in the scale of things and we want it reinstated,” Mr O’Shea said.

Both he and Fianna Fáil councillor, Bernard Moynihan, said that the lack of a northern relief road in Mallow is seriously impacting economic growth in North Cork and also Kerry.

Mr Moynihan said he had been approached by a number of companies in Kerry who are concerned about the delay in building the road. “It’s a huge issue,” he added.

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“Anything that impacts the economy of Mallow also affects the economy of the rest of North Cork,” Fine Gael councillor Kay Dawson said.

“It’s hugely important we get the money for this. Farmers can’t make plans for the future because it has been put on hold,” Fine Gael councillor Liam Madden said.

Mr Moynihan, who is chairman of the council’s Northern Division, got agreement from Mr O’Shea that the council will write to Mr Ryan urging him to give TII the money requested by it.

The council is also to write to all Oireachtas members in Cork and Kerry outlining the economic and environmental importance of the relief road and urging them to lobby the Minister for Transport on the issue. TII has said it will inform the council when it gets a reply to its correspondence to Mr Ryan.

"We were making significant progress on this. New businesses won’t come into Mallow as it’s a no-go area because of traffic,” Fine Gael councillor Tony O’Shea said.

At the request of Mr Moynihan, councillors and their officials are also to seek a deputation with the region's Oireachtas members in Dublin as soon as possible to ask them to lobby Mr Ryan.