Government Capital Spending on Roads: 2016-2022

marno21

Aontachtoir wrote: »

Good news for the upcoming wave of capital investment projects. According to the Times, the Government is set to introduce an array of new restrictions on planning appeals. They have been adequately spooked by the Apple Athenry fiasco, and the consensus is now that there is definitely a group of judicial review cases that are simply abuse of the legal process. 

New rules proposed include requiring a person to show they are directly and materially affected by the project in question before they can appeal. "Environmental groups" will have to prove that they are not-for-profit, have active and ongoing work in the region, AND that they were set up at least three years prior to the planning application. Presumably this should help prevent anything similar to the A5 planning saga in Northern Ireland. Other tweaks including asking the courts to streamline the judicial review process and handle as much as possible without lengthy court hearings. 

Link is here (behind paywall, but you can access it if you use a private browser): https://www.irishtimes.com/news/politics/proposed-rules-aim-to-limit-court-challenges-to-building-projects-1.3382773

Good news for Ireland as a whole if these new rules get passed, and especially good news for capital investment.

Good. About time too.

There are 5 major national roads projects in the Capital Plan 2016-2022 without planning permission. So far, 4 of the 5 look like they will face some kind of obstruction at the planning stage:

* N2 Slane bypass. Pending bridge design but heavy objection on environmental grounds was faced with the last scheme.
* N6 Galway Ring Road. Already under pressure due to "environmental concerns", issues with CPOing of sprawl on the N59, issues over NUI Galway's land, issues with the areas around the tunnels and likely issues due to "noise" and "pollution
* M21 Adare bypass: objections due to location of link road and its effect on a local hotel
* M28: Issues over "destruction of Mulcon Valley" by residents who live in large suburban estates in the Mulcon Valley

Ireland is different to most countries in that our road network was pathetic at the turn of the millenium and we are 30/40 years behind our neighbours in terms of road development. The use of environmental reasons to mask objections based on having a vested interest or being an outright NIMBY has to stop. Nobody is proposing something like the M6 through Birmingham or the London ringways and what is being proposed is compliant with regulations.

Regarding the restrictions around planning objections, all I see is a lot of what they would love.

I see a much watered down version coming if they want to avoid getting the legislation over turned by Europe.

Off the top of my head, first issue, restricting environmental groups who have not been in existence for at least 3 years largely gives the govt free rein for those 3 years from persons who have been forcing the government to adhere to the environmental regulations in their own and European legislation. These people will now be forced to establish themselves as companies and sit on their hands for the duration.

Not a snowballs chance in hell of that passing if the AG/government doesn't want to get humiliated.

markodaly

Let us look in more detail.

The Government agreed that time-limits for some planning applications could be reduced, and that the period to launch judicial reviews of major planning decisions should be halved from eight weeks to four weeks.

Good

In addition, Ministers intend to tighten the rules for who is eligible to take judicial review proceedings, which can sometimes delay the awarding of planning permissions by years

Good

“set out criteria in legislation to assist in determining whether an applicant has sufficient interest to instigate a judicial review of a strategic infrastructure development

Makes sense.

According to a senior Government source familiar with behind-the-scenes discussions on the subject, would-be litigants will have to prove that a development impacts on them in a direct way

Again, makes perfect sense. Someone from Dublin will not be able to object to a project in Galway.

According to a Government source, Ministers have been told by developers involved in other projects that some objectors threatening judicial review proceedings are looking to be paid off.

Well, this is Ireland after all.

t is expected that NGOs seeking to take such cases will have to show that they are not-for-profit organisations, that they are active in the environmental sphere and they were set up more than three years before

Again, common sense. It will stop the fly by night NGO's who are objecting to development on environmental grounds when in fact they just want to stop development. The M28 Steering group for example.


To be honest, these changes are long over due. Our planning system is open to abuse where it can take years for anything to get done. No point spending €115 Billion over ten years if nothing gets built for the first 5 because all the plans are stuck in court.

Objections don't create the delay, it the review of those objections that can take years. Once they are being reviewed, such review takes no time. Its getting them into the schedule that causes the delay.

On a side note, before everyone starts applauding these proposals, be aware of how they could be used to allow for incinerator plants, waste treatment facilities, etc to be built much easier.

Be careful what you wish for

MayoSalmon

Deleted User wrote: »

Objections don't create the delay, it the review of those objections that can take years. Once they are being reviewed, such review takes no time. Its getting them into the schedule that causes the delay.

On a side note, before everyone starts applauding these proposals, be aware of how they could be used to allow for incinerator plants, waste treatment facilities, etc to be built much easier.

Be careful what you wish for

Ah sure a nuclear power station could be built beside you now:pac:

Reuben1210

@spacetweek, for your site update for today's announcement, from what I have read, the N4 between Mullingar and Longford will be upgraded to Motorway, and other parts of N18 from Tuam north to Sligo will be Dualler I think, though the news reports are quite imprecise and differ on this so far. Will the whole Atlantic corridor be M standard eventually, as was reported in the indo?


Many thanks!

marno21

Reuben1210 wrote: »

@spacetweek, for your site update for today's announcement, from what I have read, the N4 between Mullingar and Longford will be upgraded to Motorway, and other parts of N18 from Tuam north to Sligo will be Dualler I think, though the news reports are quite imprecise and differ on this so far. Will the whole Atlantic corridor be M standard eventually, as was reported in the indo?


Many thanks!

Discussion in this thread of 2018-2027 plan: https://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2057833928

marno21

Given that all the schemes from this plan have been subsumed into the new Capital Plan, I will close this thread and discussion can continue in the new thread here: https://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2057833928