An Bord Pleanala inspector's report into the proposed M17 Rathmorrissy to Tuam motorway scheme has been criticised as being severely flawed and that it contravenes EU legislation on environmental impact assessment.
Brian Guckian, an independent researcher into sustainable transport and a campaigner, has analysed the report used by the planning board to give permission for the scheme on March 6 last and has said that it did not comply with the provisions of the EU directive on environmental impact assessment (EIA ).
Mr Guckian found that the inspector had not carried out an objective assessment of the proposal, nor had he taken account of alternative, sustainable transport modes such as rail, coach, and bus. It was also found that the scheme would not reduce Co2 emissions, contrary to national policy on climate change.
“On the basis of the inadequate inspector's report, the Board's decision to grant permission for the proposed scheme was legally unsafe and had to be overturned. The CPOs for the proposed scheme were also invalid as the process leading to their approval had been found to be seriously deficient,” he said.
Mr Guckian said that traffic volumes on the existing Galway to Tuam corridor could be reduced from around 24,000 vehicles per day to less than 10,000 per day if high-quality, high-frequency coach, and rail transport was introduced along with local job creation policies to reduce commuting to and from the city.
“This would avoid unsustainable and unacceptable new road construction and permit significant in-line improvements to the existing N17, including a bypass of Claregalway and implementation of a more sustainable road type such as a Type 3 Dual Carriageway. However, this responsible and progressive approach had been ignored in the planning process for the M17,” he said.
Mr Guckian said he was concerned about the ongoing enthusiasm of Galway County Council for inappropriate and unsustainable US-style highways, and rather than being in thrall to this redundant and inappropriate thinking from the 1960s, the council should instead be taking its cue from best practice in contemporary sustainable transport and community development as seen in countries like Sweden, Switzerland, Denmark, Austria, Germany, France, and Spain.
Regarding the Galway City Outer Bypass Mr Guckian welcomed the fact that judicial review proceedings were underway as it had similar failures in its environmental assessment. Mr Guckian stated that he was seeking a stay on all road scheme approvals pending a statutory inquiry into the operations of An Bord Pleanala. He has indicated that local people, including those affected by the invalid CPO process, could petition the European Parliament regarding the M17.
