Another attempt is to be made to resolve the impasse regarding a suitable route for the proposed new road from Barna to Screebe in South Connemara.
A route edging into the mountain north of the Furbo, Spiddal and Cois Fharraige area is generally favoured by Councillors and the community – but this has hit a brick wall because of land conservation designations.
The Conamara Municipal District County Councillors were told this week that consultants would be back on the ground in the second quarter of 2017 in another attempt to find a way forward.
It is estimated that over €2m may already have been spent on investigative, preparatory and planning issues regarding the proposed new arterial road in south Connemara – the R336.
However, despite eight possible routes being selected, there is no consensus on the best option.
The hold-up also means that local people cannot get planning permission for homes along a large part of the coastline; the lands set aside for the eight possible routes are effectively “frozen” from any other development, at the moment.
Conamara Municipal Authority Chairman, Councillor Noel Thomas asked for clarification as to what authority the Conamara Councillors have in relation to the proposed new road.
Senior engineer, Damian Mitchell, pointed out that the councillors have a central role in the process – in that they would ultimately be voting on the project.
This prompted Councillor Thomas to ask if the Connemara group of Councillors could then vote, at their next meeting, to remove some of the routes already proposed from the maps and free up lands that are “frozen”.
Mr Mitchell addressed that question by pointing out that the consultants had further work to do next year and that a wide range of issues had to be addressed.
He said that the consultants had the knowledge and expertise to assess such issues and that the Councillors would be advised about their conclusions. Mr Mitchell said than an amalgam of some of the routes already on the map may be an outcome in the end.
Councillor Thomas did not say whether or not the proposal to vote on the removal of some of the routes would be pursued, in the interim; however, he did say that it was clear that some of the proposed routes could never be used.
Councillor Joe Folan said that the councillors and the community should have an involvement with the consultants in working out a route for the proposed road. He said it made sense that local knowledge would be used and that the Councillor would be involved since they would be voting on the issue in the end.
Councillor Eileen Mannion said there was extensive consultation during the initial period of the consultants work over the past few years as regards the south Connemara route “and not much came out of that”.
Councillor Tom Curran put the blame for the road impasse on the “blanket designation of SACs that have been put on Connemara lands”.
Councillor Curran said there was ample space in the mountain land to the north of the present road but that it was being ruled out because of Special Areas of Conservation.
He added that he would resign from the County Council before he would vote for knocking down houses when there is another route available for the new road.
Councillor Thomas Healy suggested that an IROPI application would be in order for the South Connemara road but that support would be needed from the Dublin Government.
An IROPI process can set aside designation in the case that there is overriding economic and social reasons that infrastructural developments are needed.