Vol. 449 No. 7
138 Mr. Nealon asked the Minister for the Environment the various steps, procedures and obligations to be followed by Sligo Corporation, Sligo County Council, his Department and others leading up to a final decision on the route for the Sligo city relief road connecting the new Collooney/Sligo by-pass road to the new bridge across the Garavogue River; when these procedures will be completed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4589/95]
In April 1993, following an environmental impact statement on the proposed Sligo inner relief road submitted by Sligo Corporation, the corporation were requested in co-operation with Sligo County Council, to arrange to have a new traffic study of the borough and its environs carried out. I understand that a final report on this study will be presented to the Borough Council in the near future.
Depending on the findings of this study and any proposals of the local authority, it may be necessary for a new environmental impact study to be prepared and processed in accordance with sections 50 and 51 of the Roads Act, 1993. A compulsory purchase order for the acquisition of lands necessary for the scheme may also be required. Any such order would fall to be made by the local authority and would have to be submitted for confirmation by the Minister for the Environment; a public local inquiry might also be required. It is not possible to indicate at this stage when these procedures may be completed.
