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Seanad Éireann debate -
Tuesday, 9 Dec 1986

Vol. 115 No. 5

Adjournment Matter. - Claremorris (Mayo) Link Road.

I thank the Cathaoirleach for agreeing to take this Adjournment matter. The subject is the need for the Minister for the Environment to look again at the possibility of providing a link road or a slip road off the proposed by-pass of Claremorris town. It is important that we set the theme in context by pointing out that the town of Claremorris was established in the 13th century by the Prendergast family. It is an old historic town that traditionally has derived the bulk of its economy from passing traffic. Generally, when it is proposed to provide a by-pass around any town there are initial anxieties, worries and hostilities and this was so in Claremorris.

Claremorris is a town of 1,700 people. It is a natural crossroads and would be as near to being the ceart lár or the natural crossroads of Connacht as any other town. It is approximately 40 miles from Sligo, 40 miles from Galway, 40 miles from Westport, 40 miles from Carrick-on-Shannon and so on. Its strategic importance, therefore, has been cherished and is still cherished by the people of Claremorris today. It is on the crossroads of two national primary roads, the N17 which is the direct north-south route and the N60 which is the east-west route. There was great jubilation in 1969 when the then Minister for the Environment, Deputy Kevin Boland, decided to divert the main north-south route through Claremorris, Knock, Ballindine and Mill-town because it was seen as providing a lifeline to the town.

The people of Claremorris could justifiably point out that down through the years there has been a lot of investment by them in the town. They can point to the statistic that approximately 520 people make their livelihood by providing services in the economy such as shops, offices, garages, restaurants, cafes, pubs, banks, hair salons, schools, post offices etc. There has been great investment and modernisation by the people in what they regarded as the safe and sure knowledge that the passing traffic which was so much a part of their lifeline would be maintained.

In parallel there has also been a commensurate degree of industrial activity, particularly the new industrial estate which provides up to 300 jobs and the traditional bacon factory in Claremorris. There is anxiety of late that, as a result of rationalisation plans for the bacon factory, jobs may and indeed will go at the bacon factory. It is also felt that if jobs in the industrial sector are of a fluctuating nature people should be able to rely on the service sector as they always have done. There was a natural hostility as soon as the proposal was first mooted.

As public representatives we have been doing our best to condition people to realise that by-passes are a fact of life. If we are to achieve a European standard for our roadworks, the minimum requirement is that a minimum speed limit from the North down to Rosslare and from east to west must be maintained and guaranteed and there must not be any impediments, obstacles, slow-downs and so on. There has been a conditioning process which has been worthwhile because the vested interests such as chambers of commerce, trades groups and so on have seen that it is inevitable.

An impression which surfaces time and time again in relation to our dialogue with the various vested interests, and which I would like the Minister to clarify for me, is that other by-passes for adjacent towns such as Collooney, Sligo, Carrick-on-Shannon, Oranmore, Gort, Ennis, New-market-on-Fergus and Mullingar will be long fingered and that Claremorris is being asked to make the supreme sacrifice. I do not see the by-pass as a serious sacrifice. It is very positive development but in Claremorris they would point to the fact that the average daily traffic for the town is 5,395; for Mullingar it is 14,064; for Ballinasloe it is 7,723; for Ennis it is 10,931. I would like an assurance from the Minister that at the end of the day there will be an equalisation and that all of these towns, most of which have a heavier density of traffic, will also be by-passed in order to ensure that the minimum European standard is achieved.

Down through the years there has been a lot of investment by the people of Claremorris but equally there has been a lot of investment by this Government and the real development in Claremorris did not begin until this Administration came into power in 1981. Since that time we have seen a number of eyesores eliminated. On the junction of the N16-N17, what was commonly known as Higgins corner, which was a black spot in the town, has been eliminated, thanks to money provided by this Administration. On the Ballindine Road, which is part of the N17, there has been an investment from the Department of the Environment of approximately £400,000. There has been £3 million worth of development on the N17, eliminating a tortuous stretch of snake-like road near Castlemagarret.

Having listened for years to protestations from chambers of commerce that Claremorris was literally black in the middle, now for the first time we have top quality traffic route lighting through the town. Other ancillary developments have been provided by this Administration, a new branch library, new schools and so on. We are proud, as an Administration, of our investment in that town, but we would like to see hand in hand with the acceptance of a by-pass an integrated development plan for the town. We hope the work started by this Administration will be carried on at such a pace that other concepts of development such as inner relief roads, necessary car parking, off-street car parking, bylaws, footpaths and so on will also be provided. We are anxious that, in order to allay the fears of the people at local level and in order to meet their main reservation in relation to the by-pass, which is the deprivation to the business sector of the passing traffic, the Minister will consider the possibility of a slip road or a link road giving a more direct route for the by-pass from the N17 to the town. The design section of Mayo County Council examined the merits of the link or connecting road on the basis that the two junctions from the town onto the national primary road will be both at so low a level that it will not be possible to have visibility or a view of the town on arriving there.

Therefore, it was with this in mind that the design section of Mayo County Council forwarded to the Department of the Environment on 30 April 1986 a plan envisaging a new link road. The Department replied on 4 July 1986 that the link road is not necessary as the existing N17 will serve Claremorris town adequately from the by-pass. I can appreciate the possibility of setting a precedent by doing this. I also see the very definite chance of a breakthrough in relation to other proposed by-passes for the County Mayo road plan. The amount of money involved is in the region of £300,000. I am not sure what element of this would come from the European Regional Fund. The amount taken in the overall context of the spending on roads in the country, and, indeed in County Mayo, seems to be relatvely small. The compensation is that it would immediately allay fears, anxieties, worries and hostilities locally.

I accept, as I said at the outset, that by-passes are a fact of life and that Mayo County Council will be doing everything to ensure that there will be the greatest acceptance possible of the principle of by-passes. I ask the Minister to have a fresh look at this proposal because in doing so he would be removing anxieties, he would be giving the instant go ahead for a by-pass for Claremorris town and in the overall context would be ensuring that there would be greater spending in the area and a continuation of the spending we have seen during the past four years.

As the Senator knows, the provision of a slip road on the proposed Claremorris by-pass scheme is considered to be unnecessary and State grants will not be made available for it. Furthermore, as the preparation of the scheme itself for the by-pass involves land acquisition, it will almost certainly involve compulsory acquisition proceedings which would fall to be determined by the Minister for the Environment. In view of my quasi judicial function in that matter I do not consider it appropriate to make any further comment.

The Seanad adjourned at 8.15 p.m. until 10.30 a.m. on Wednesday, 10 December 1986.

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