Stop this road!
mayo |
environment |
news report 
Monday May 15, 2006 18:42
by Cllr Keith Martin - Stop this Road
Westport Civic Trust and supporters are trying to stop a road way from destroying the Westport Railway Line Walk and nearby wetlands.
The route outlined compromises the integrity of the Railway Line Walk by bringing traffic, noise and other human activity along the side of the walk. This disrupts the peaceful nature of the walk, disturbs the wildlife of the area and destroys a wetland, which is home to Herons, Mallards, Cootes, Moorhens and many other species of birds.
There were over a hundred submissions from the people of the town requesting that the proposed road be abandoned. These submissions were treated by Westport Town Council as one individual submission. A complaint was made to the Ombudsman office.
The Ombudsman's investigation upheld the complaint in relation to the submissions process of Part 8 and the complaint is still outstanding.
The route serves no other function than to facilitate developers who which to develop the land banks in Cloonmonad and is being paid for by taxpayers money.
A proposed Roundabout on the Junction of the West Road was altered after the Part 8 and the existing Railway Bridge was retained so there is a precedent, which would allow the council to re-examine the route and entire proposal.
The Council engineer on the project recommended an Environmental Impact Assessment and also conceded that the roadway would have a negative impact on the Railway Line Walk.
No Environmental Impact Assessment was undertaken.
In 2000 Westport Civic Trust commissioned Richard Webb the environmentalist to survey the Railway Line Walk. In this report Mr Webb referred specifically to the proposal to put a road over and adjacent to the Railway Line Walk. The Webb report said this would “effectively destroy the whole ambience of the walk” adding “In effect the existing walk will become almost a roadside footpath”. The report also concluded that the road would “destroy any vestige of the quiet rural atmosphere which is the essential character of the present walk”.
In 2002 Westport Town Council commissioned Mitchell and Associates to survey the Railway Line Walk. This survey confirmed that the road would have a detrimental effect on the Railway Line Walk stating “The main visual impact on the walkway, however, will be the insertion of an access road to the north of the alignment” adding “The visual impact of the proposed road on the amenity of the walkway will be significant.”
Comments (2 of 2)
Jump To Comment: 1 2this looks like it should be made a greenway, the heritage council are responsible about raising awareness about greenways as well as making more around the country, they could be doing a whole lot more
contact them, we will try to help here in dublin
A member of the Stop This Road committee, Labour Cllr Keith Martin, is urging his council colleagues to re-think their plans for a road way over and adjacent to the Railway Line Walk and Wet lands area.
A member of the “Stop This Road” committee has urged the people of Westport to contact the councillors of the town and ask them to abandon the plan to build a roadway over and adjacent to the Railway Line Walk. Labour Councillor Keith Martin says he has “grave reservations” over the council’s proposal to build the bridge and road, as he feels it will compromise the integrity of the walk.
Cllr Martin says he is also concerned that over 150 submissions concerning the road were ignored by the council when it was conducting its public consultation about the bridge in 2001. Cllr Martin adds “You can’t have public consultation and then ignore 150 submissions from the public.”
A complaint about these ignored submissions was investigated and upheld by the Ombudsman but was not resolved until after a majority of the previous council voted in favour of the project.
According to the Labour councillor, the council should have re-examined the issue in the light of this complaint. Cllr Martin says “It is a very serious issue and I think it compromises the integrity of the council’s decision to proceed with the road and bridge and leaves the road project open to a legal challenge.”
Cllr Martin points out that traffic and pedestrians on this road will be visible and audible from the Railway Line Walk and that the 8-metre-wide roadway will pass over the walk, through a wetlands and run side by side with the walk all the way to the Quarry Road near the Quay School.
Cllr Martin says “there has been a lot of talk from Management and Councillors about this road joining up the Quay to the town. This is misleading. The Railway Line Walk and Quay Road already link the town centre and the Quay. This new road is being built solely to allow the Cloonmonad area to be developed.”
Cllr Martin says there are alternatives to the council’s plan and is urging a re-think of the project, pointing out that “the Webb Report and the Civic Trust have made some very reasonable and workable suggestions which would facilitate development of the Cloonmonad area without impacting on the Railway Line Walk and this is what we should be discussing as a council now.”
Cllr Martin says he also wants to highlight the fact that “this road is not the work of the officials; it is the work of the elected councillors who in September 2001 voted 8-1 to proceed with this project (Cllr Martin Keane was the dissenting voice). It is not too late for councillors to call a halt to this road and I am urging them all to do so. I would ask that each and every citizen of this town contact the councillors and urge them to hold a special meeting to deal with this issue. There can be no hiding behind the Town Manager or the excuse of “executive functions” on this one. The decision to build this road was made by the councillors and only they can stop it.”
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