"No mechanism" to change N52 bypass plans

There is “no mechanism” for amending the plans for the proposed N52 bypass, according to Louth County Council chief executive Joan Martin in an apparent blow to local residents in Townparks and Mullanstown.

Minister Shane Ross and local members of the Oireachtas attended a meeting with local residents in Ardee last week, who voiced their concerns over the proposed N52 bypass and the impact it will have on local accessibility.

Both areas will become cul-de-sacs as the new bypass cuts through, leaving bus routes cut off and community members cut adrift from the town.

Locals are calling on amendments to the original plans from 2006, which will allow for safety measures and ease of access for vehicles, walkers and cyclists.

However, in response to queries from Dolores Minogue and Pearse McGeough at Monday’s Louth County Council meeting in Dundalk, Martin said any changes were unlikely.

“I don’t see an opportunity to go back to the drawing board. You’d have to start again with a blank piece of paper,” she commented, adding there is “no mechanism” for a supplemented or amended plan.

“We can take the issue of connectivity and try and look at it separately,” she added. Minogue said that the residents “don’t want the bypass stopped,” a point McGeough reiterated saying, “Nobody wants to go back to year one.”

Speaking after last week’s meeting, Louth TD Gerry Adams said, “The N52 Realignment project was granted permission 12 years ago in 2006. Since then there have been community, demographic, sporting and environmental changes which the plan fails to take account of.

“The imposition of the current plans will in some instances double the physical length that residents have to walk or drive and will increase the time it takes for residents to reach Ardee.”