The need to preserve bog cotton in Tonabrocky is being blamed for the collapse of the N6 Galway City Outer Bypass proposal. However “fundamental shortcomings” in sections of the bypass’ design and layout were also to blame.
An Bord Pleanála approved the part of the bypass between Garraun and Gortatleva, but refused permission for the part between Gortaleva and An Baile Nua, including the Western Distributor connection.
The western half was refused permission as it would have “significant effects on the environment” but the Bord also pointed out that “this development would not satisfactorily fulfil its intended purposes and functions”.
The Galway City Outer Bypass sought was a proposed 21.4 km road which sought to connect the N6 (Galway to Ballinasloe road ) in Garraun North (in south east Co Galway ) with the R336 (coast road to An Spidéal ) in An Baile Nua, including a 2+1 carriageway road from An Baile Nua to its junction with the Barna-Moycullen road.
On Monday An Bord Pleanála delivered its decision to approve half of the bypass and refuse part of its western section. While the bog cotton has received all the attention, certain aspects of the bypass’ design in its western R336 section were also called into question by ABP.
There was concern about Tonabrocky Bog. ABP felt the bypass would damage and/or destroy the area’s slender cotton grass and threaten the Moycullen Bog Complex Natural Heritage Area.
ABP’s report also noted that “alternative routes have not been fully evaluated” in the area of Pollkeen. It said the route is “broadly satisfactory” but ran “very close to a group of houses and also very close to one particular house, beside which there would be a deep cutting, and where a modest reorientation of the route in this area might have facilitated some mitigation of these problems”.
The Bord also pointed out that there were “fundamental problems with the layout of the two junctions with national secondary roads”.
“The existing national roads,” the report read, “which are heavily trafficked radial routes, should have priority through the junctions at the expense to some extent of the bypass...The consequences of the designs are that the land-takes would be greater than for simpler junction designs as would the effects on the residential environment in both locations.”
The report discussed a number of possible alternatives to what was originally proposed but concluded that even these could not “overcome fundamental shortcomings with this development”.
The report read that if there were “particular problems with the R336 portion of the development, that portion could be detached, as the N6 portion could stand on its own”. In the end, this is what happened and as a result, the western half of the bypass was refused.
