Seanad Éireann debate -
Thursday, 21 Oct 1993

Vol. 137 No. 12

Adjournment Matters. - Corlea Visitor Centre.

Mr. Belton

Corlea Visitor Centre, is one of many interpretative centres that have been developed over the past number of years. It highlights the history of the bogs and is located on the site of one of the oldest bog track roads found in Europe. It is of vast interest not only to people in Ireland but in Europe and elsewhere. For that reason the Office of Public Works became involved in the project.

For some years students from UCD spent their summers there carrying out excavations, tests and survey work on the old bog road. Eventually, after the former Taoiseach, Mr. Charles J. Haughey, visited the site, it was decided that a major interpretative centre would be developed at Corlea bog. The contract was placed and the work was carried out at a cost of about £1.5 million or £2 million—I have not got the exact figure.

I raise this matter because the approach roads are only suitable for the usual traffic of local people going to the bog to collect their turf. The Minister will be aware that, unlike an individual or a company, the Office of Public Works is not obliged to seek planning permission to carry out development. If this development was carried out by a private individual Longford County Council would insist on the provision of major funding for the road network in the area. Otherwise it would not give planning permission. The Office of Public Works, having the luxury of not having to apply for planning permission, did not have to adhere to that proviso. It has come to my attention that in similar circumstances at Mullaghmore the Office of Public Works contributed about £400,000 for the development of the road network. That project has, of course, run into other difficulties.

It is causing much concern that by next May, the proposed date for opening the Corlea Visitor Centre, coach tours—and we are very anxious to have such tourist activity — will not come to the centre due to the condition of the approach roads and, as a result, the project may fail. We are trying to avoid that. The Office of Public Works has said that it is up to Longford County Council to provide the money to improve the roads. Costings of between £400,000 and £500,000 have been estimated by the engineers in Longford County Council. That is probably the costing for a comprehensive job but perhaps something less would be adequate. There is no way that Longford County Council could provide these funds from their ordinary allocation. The Office of Public Works must provide funding to Longford County Council to ensure that this project will be a success.

It is bad business to go ahead with the project and not to have the foresight to improve the road. In fairness to the officials in Longford County Council, they initially pointed out to the Office of Public Works that there was no point in going ahead with this project if the money was not provided to improve the roads. If heavy traffic like coach tours, which we are aiming to attract to the area, cannot get there safely the area will get a bad name.

It is of vital importance that this matter is dealt with urgently. I ask the Minister to consult with Longford County Council and provide necessary funds to ensure that this project is a success.

Minister of State at the Department of Finance (Ms E. Fitzgerald)

On behalf of the Minister of State with responsibility for the Office of Public Works, I am glad to be given the opportunity to address the Seanad in relation to the Corlea bog project.

In 1984, a major trackway of large oak planks was discovered in Corlea bog, County Longford. Analysis of the wood indicated a tree felling date of 147 BC, making the trackway early Iron Age. In 1990, the Taoiseach visited the site and decided that the Office of Public Works should examine the feasibility of preserving a portion of the trackway in situ and presenting it to the public. The Office of Public Works carried out a detailed study of the site and identified three tasks to be undertaken: conservation of the uncovered 18 metres of trackway, conservation of the raised bog to ensure survival of the remaining 80 metres of trackway and the building of a visitor centre at the site to display the trackway.

I am glad to say that work on conserving the wood has been completed successfully. The delicate task of preserving the raised bog itself has also been completed successfully and we were very fortunate to have the assistance of Dutch bog experts and Bord na Móna in completing that work. The visitor centre project commenced just over a year ago and is now nearing completion. It will open to the public early next year. It has to be said that, in all respects, the Office of Public Works has fulfilled its tasks.

I am aware that the roads in the vicinity of the centre need to be upgraded. Primarily, this is a matter for Longford County Council and the Department of the Environment. The county council approached the Minister for the Environment during the summer seeking special funding for the necessary improvement works on the basis that the cost could not be met from the council's 1993 discretionary grant. As grant allocations for regional and county roads have been maximised in the last number of years to give local authorities greater control over the use of this money, the special grant fund in the Department of the Environment is extremely limited. I am informed that no application was received in the Department from Longford County Council in relation to this fund and I understand that it has been fully committed for the current year.

If the county council cannot meet the cost of the work from its 1994 budget, it might consider making an application to the Department of the Environment for special funding. I would be happy to offer my support for such an application, but it must be an application that is realistic in its costings and not an engineer's fantasy of a super highway. Roads serving tourism interest have been earmarked as part of the county road projects under the National Development Plan. It might be appropriate for Longford County Council to seek funding under that heading.

I would point out that the contractors engaged by the Office of Public Works for the works at Corlea bog are responsible for repairing any road damage caused by their activities.