New M20 will drive through the heart of my community

I AM writing to object to the proposed M20 motorway.

It enters the community where I have lived for more than 50 years.

As well as the adverse effects the proposal will inevitably have on the vibrant community life of my village, the route poses several practical problems from the perspective of both the local community and the road planners. The proposed route through Ballycosgary, Ballyhea, travels through a flood plain. The area is subject to severe flooding from the river Awbeg many times every year.

I live about one kilometre from the proposed route and the flooding extends as far as my land. The problems associated with building on flood plains are obvious, from the perspective of the local community and those responsible for adapting the road to cope with such conditions. The proposed route will have a significant impact on the natural habitat of the area. There is a large lake beside it (within 100 metres) which has become home to a great many species of wildlife. The development site lies within the Awbeg river candidate area of special conservation. This special area of conservation (SAC) is listed for otter, salmon and white clawed crayfish, all species protected under the EU habitats directive. Some of the aquatic vegetation in the river corresponds to the habitat-type floating river vegetation also protected under the directive. The proposed route will inevitably have an adverse affect on this SAC. The fact that the M20 will be designed to cater for 55,000 vehicles per day, when at present only 16,000 vehicles pass through Ballyhea daily, begs the question whether a motorway is warranted in the first place. The community has not heard details of the viability of possible alternatives to a new road, such as bypassing bottlenecks and improvements to the current road.

The proposed development has been mooted for just under 10 years. In this time, routes have been studied again and again at great cost. These have resulted in a number of possible routes being presented to the communities which the developments will affect.

However, the present proposal has departed from each of these previous proposals. The current route would seem the least appropriate, travelling through the heart of a community, through an area of conservation, through flood plains and cutting across the base of a mountain range – all factors which would require significant structural alterations to be made to the motorway. Surely the alternative routes warrant examination as being more suitable. I am not opposed to necessary infrastructural improvements. I recognise the necessity of infrastructural developments of strategic national importance.

However, I am opposed to the proposed route of the M20. I believe alterations can and must be made so that necessary infrastructural improvements can take place in harmony with my community and the natural habitat. This development can respect the local district while serving the wider community. I hope sense will prevail and that the NRA will rethink this route in light of the practical difficulties I have raised.

Denis McNamara

Ballyhea

Charleville

Co Cork