Report Paul Murphy
A decision by an objector to lodge a judicial review on the Slane bypass proposal is likely to delay the project for at least 18 months, Meath Live has learned. The decision to apply for the review was described today by Meath County Council Cathaoirleach Wayne Harding. He said, ” It’s bitterly disappointing. This will delay a much needed project that takes a dangerous road out of the living community that is Slane village and delays millions of euro of investment on the village’s public realm.”
The project had gone through the planning process and had been given the green light. However, this latest move is regarded as a setback. The bypass project includes a public realm plan for the village but this too is now set for delay.
Senator Sharon Keogan wasn’t holding back in her thoughts, ” Another 10 year delay. This is why nothing of worth ever gets done in Ireland, our planning system is open to abuse.”
Twenty two deaths have occurred through road accidents in Slane and campaigners have pressed hard over the years for a solution to the dangers of ever-increasing traffic. Cllr Harding said that the judicial review application would delay a much-needed project that would take a dangerous road out of a living village. It would also delay a looked-forward-to public realm scheme that was welcomed by everyone in the village.
Enquiries by Meath Live shows that simpler judicial reviews could take just a few weeks. However, more complex cases like the Slane bypass could take considerably longer, up to 18 months or more. This is because there is a backlog of cases and because the scheduling of a case will take longer. This factor is affected by the availability of judges.
Above illustration shows the projected junction of the Slane public realm which will now await a judicial review.
