Galway City Council and Galway County Council remain committed to the delivery of the city ring road and have welcomed the opportunity to engage with An Bord Pleanála further on this project.
In a remarkable week in the lifetime of the project, the project was first quashed and then resubmitted in the space of 24 dramatic hours.
On Monday, the High Court made orders quashing the decision of An Bord Pleanála (ABP ), dated 6th December 2021, granting approval for the N6 Galway City Ring Road Scheme (N6 GCRR ). Following the High Court decision, the application for the Scheme has been remitted to An Bord Pleanála for reconsideration.
Galway County Council and Galway City Council anticipate further information requests from An Bord Pleanála and will respond as thoroughly and quickly as possible. Galway County Council, Galway City Council and Transport Infrastructure Ireland remain committed to the delivery of the N6 Galway City Ring Road.
In December 2021, An Bord Pleanála made an order approving the N6 Galway City Ring Road. This decision was welcomed by Galway County Council, Galway City Council, and TII. Galway City and its environs have critical transport issues that require urgent resolution, and the N6 GCRR is a vital component of the Galway Transport Strategy (GTS ).
The benefits of the overall GTS are already visible on the ground – Kirwan Junction Upgrade is complete, now providing for pedestrians, cyclists and public transport at a key artery into and through Galway city; the Salmon Weir Pedestrian and Cycle Bridge is due to open this coming year, construction is underway on the Martin Junction Upgrade and the Doughiska Road South Cycle Network; a number of interventions to support enhanced bus access to Parkmore are underway; and an application for planning consent for BusConnects Galway: Cross-City Link (University Road to Dublin Road ) is currently with An Bord Pleanála, with BusConnects Galway: Dublin Road currently at public consultation and will be submitted to ABP this summer.
The N6 GCRR is targeted for delivery in the medium term and will support the successful implementation of the broad suite of proposals to achieve sustainable transport objectives in the GTS, and the Climate Action Plan. The N6 GCRR application to ABP took due cognisance of sustainability and climate concerns and mitigations, in line with the Galway Transport Strategy.
The Climate Action and Low Carbon Development (Amendment ) Act 2021 came into effect shortly before An Bord Pleanála approved the N6 GCRR scheme on the 6thDecember 2021. A new Climate Action Plan 2023 (CAP23 ) has since been published, with the Annex of Actions due for publication in the coming weeks. Galway County Council, Galway City Council and TII are reviewing the CAP23, and will review the associated actions once published, to ensure the proposed N6 GCRR aligns with the objectives of the CAP 2023.
Galway County Council and Galway City Council remain committed to resolving the chronic congestion issues in Galway through delivery of the Galway Transport Strategy.
The Galway Transport Strategy, published in 2016, was developed by Galway County and Galway City Councils, in partnership with the National Transport Authority. The GTS is a key enabler to sustainable, employment-led growth, as set out in the National Development Plan and National Planning Framework – under the NDP/ NPF, it is envisaged that the population of Galway will grow by 80,000 people. Sustainable transport networks will be a key enabler of this growth.
