Limerick Fine Gael TD Patrick O’Donovan has got the agreement of the Minister for Transport Paschal Donohoe to amend the Roads Bill 2014. Patrick O’Donovan looked for an amendment that would allow the National Roads Authority to carry out pre-planning consultations with An Bord Pleanála before making applications for planning permission to construct new roads.
“I’m glad that the Minister has accepted my proposal. I met with officials of the NRA, Limerick County Council and the Department of Transport after the decision was made by An Bord Pleanála to reject the proposed Adare bypass. One of the issues raised was that the NRA was not allowed to have a pre-planning meeting with the Bord as part of the route selection and design of the route. I found this bizarre and said at the time that most people building houses or extensions have pre-planning meetings, and yet we have a situation where major road projects can’t follow the same process.”
Patrick O’Donovan raised the issue several times in the Dáil with the Taoiseach and the previous Minister Leo Varadkar. He said that that the Bill would be of major importance to advancing the Adare bypass and other projects because now as a result of the change he looked for there will be a clear planning process.
“There was no point in starting another route selection process for Adare with this issue unresolved. It could have meant that millions more would be wasted after an incomplete process and we would continue to be left with no route. Under my proposal which I’m delighted that the Minister has accepted, Councils and the NRA will be able to trash out issues before costly applications are made. It might sound like an obvious thing to do, but without this change these discussions could not take place.”
Patrick O’Donovan said that he hoped that the Bill would go through the Dáil and Seanad quickly because he said he was anxious to see a route selection and planning process restarted for Adare. “I don’t have a particular preference for any route, what I want and what the people of Adare and surrounding areas want is to see the project advanced. My proposal which the Minister is including in the Bill help considerably in this work”