The Galway City Ring Road is "too important" a project for the city, and further delays in resuming the oral hearing will ultimately delay construction of the road itself.
This is the view of Fine Gael Galway senator, Séan Kyne, who has written to An Bord Pleanála seeking clarification on when the oral hearing into the Galway City Ring Road (GCRR ) will resume.
The Oral Hearing was suspended in March due to the lockdown necessitated by the Covid-19 pandemic. Sen Kyne has contacted the chief executive of ABP requesting that contingency plans to resume the oral hearing be examined.
Project is 'too important' to allow indefinite drift in hearing timeline
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“The present Government restrictions of a maximum of 50 people indoors imposes limitations,” said Sen Kyne, “but I have asked An Bord Pleanála to examine video conferencing and the use of multiple rooms or multiple venues so that Oral Hearing can resume. We cannot say with certainty when the Covid-19 restrictions will end. The project is too important for Galway to allow an indefinite drift in the timeline of the hearing."
Sen Kyne said An Bord Pleanála needs to be put in place a process to finish the hearings, complete the planning process, and issue a decision, especially as it could take at least six months following the completion of the oral hearing.
