A €22m relief road, deemed “a pivotal and strategic route” for the future of Athlone, will have to wait for development levies from future businesses to fund it, this week’s meeting of the town council heard.
This road is central to the draft Loughandonning local area plan 2011-2017 as it is officially known, and will link up the road on which Aldi is located at Inish Óir all the way out to Creggan, and is described as a “high level objective” in both the county and town development plans.
“We were led to believe the new link road was to be funded by the potential development levies of new businesses that were to be located along the road,” said Cllr Kieran Molloy.
“All development levies on the east side of the town will go towards the funding of the Loughandonning link road,” confirmed Barry Kehoe, director of services for the town.
Loughandonning is the next section of Athlone lined up to be developed, and comprises 66.5Ha (164 acres ) immediately to the south of the town, stretching from the Shannon banks behind Golden Island and Bonavalley to Willow Park.
However, its adoption by the town council will have to wait at least another month after Cllr Boxer Moran voiced disappointment at the small amount of development lands (3.5Ha residential, 4.5Ha commercial ) for which the plan made accommodation.
“If we can build a road, we can build a house,” said Cllr Moran.
Mr Kehoe explained that this was because of the high risk of flooding in the area, and that national directives now precluded local authorities from zoning lands for development purposes that were prone to such inundation.
He pointed out that Athlone won’t fully know what the future effects of further flooding will have on the town and its environs until the report on the entire Shannon catchment area is published in 2014.
However, it was revealed the new area plan will allow for a 15Ha linear park approximately 40m wide, along the course of the Al river to Burgess Park, where another 15Ha of open space parkland is planned.
The plan also includes provision for new roads to link up with the old Dublin Road through the former Chadwicks site, just before the Bonavalley bridge, and opposite the Tack Room.
