I thank the Minister for taking this matter today. Yesterday, the Adamstown plan was passed in a cynical, rubber stamp exercise, by the Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael and Progressive Democrats alliance on South Dublin County Council, aided by some well-meaning but misinformed members of the Labour Party. The vote was meant to be held on 12 May but due to incompetence, or deliberate misinformation by council planners, it was put through yesterday. This took everyone in Lucan by surprise, including some of the local representatives who had clearly been informed otherwise.
The Minister is no doubt aware that Adamstown is the most ambitious project undertaken of its kind in the country. We are talking about a new town the size of Drogheda, adjacent to Lucan, which is the fastest growing town in the country. With a projected population of more than 20,000, the impact of Adamstown needs to be considered carefully or it will create the largest traffic jam this country has ever seen. Its impact will spread into north Kildare and will affect south Meath, Clondalkin, Newcastle, Palmerstown and Blanchardstown. God knows how many towns will be affected if it is not managed carefully.
Lucan is already suffering in terms of a major problem with infrastructure. There is a severe shortage of school places. It has one of the poorest public transport services in any urban area and a chronically congested road network. Added to this the Government has now sanctioned the new town of Adamstown by means of a strategic development zone designation. This has to be grotesque, unprecedented, bizarre and unbelievable.
Residents and community groups in Lucan tried to adopt a positive outlook. They did not say "No" to housing or "Not in our backyard". They just asked that it be delivered correctly. The Government, and Fine Gael and Labour to their shame, have delivered it but delivered it wrongly. It is interesting that yesterday when 50 motions were tabled to try to make Adamstown sustainable not one amending motion with which the manager disagreed was passed. Some 25 of the most far-reaching motions tabled by my Green Party colleague, Councillor Fintan McCarthy, were grouped into one debate.
There were no guarantees in this debate regarding operational capacity for roads, rail or schools. We may have a railway station but can Iarnród Éireann guarantee capacity down the line? We may have a QBC but will Dublin Bus provide the buses? We may have school buildings but will the Department of Education and Science sanction them? We may have a road leaving Adamstown, incidentally going down the so-called outer ring road through a residential area of Lucan, a folly which I will not discuss now, but this road goes straight onto the N4, yet there are no guarantees regarding the widening of the N4.
There have been no guarantees either about the widening of the M50, the provision of a much needed interchange at the M50 to allow free-flowing traffic or an overpass at Palmerstown which would have a knock-on effect. There have been no guarantees of funding for any of these. Will the Government give this funding?
The checks and balances in the Adamstown plan, which is well put together in some ways, are all internal. They do not go an inch beyond its narrow borders. This plan is in line with a plan which was designed, apparently, before the transport framework plan was published. This plan was supposed to be published before the manager's report to give people a chance to make submissions based on its findings. However, the transport usage plan was published afterwards. Were the planners planning in a vacuum?
I am offering the Minister a chance to redeem himself this evening after his interview with The Irish Times in which he hummed and hawed about taking direct action. Groups such as LTQL, the Finnstown input group etc. have acknowledged the detail that goes into the internal workings of the plan. However, Adamstown will fail unless the required infrastructure is provided. I call on the Minister to use his powers to suspend or freeze Adamstown's designation as an SDZ and to put a halt to any other processes until such time as the planning legislation is strengthened considerably or until he can give a copperfastened guarantee that the money will be provided to Iarnród Éireann for railway carriages for Adamstown, fore tracking and electrification work, schools and the M50. The Minister's colleague, Deputy Curran, has said this will be provided, but I have no reason to believe him given that he betrayed people locally previously. The Minister should say whether this is the case.
I ask the Minister to heed these words lest they come back to haunt him in five or ten years when we may have another Ballymun-type structure. We want a sustainable town with the operational capacity in place to ensure it works. The least we need is an environmental impact statement. Ms Patricia McKenna, MEP, has passed the matter on to the EU as an EIS may be needed under EU law.
I ask the Minister to show leadership and to tackle the issue of Adamstown. He must make sure it works or freeze the plan until he has the money to do so.
