A5 project stalled by court judgment

Orders for the A5 dual carriageway have been quashed following a judicial review case taken by the Alternative A5 Alliance. The group represents businesspeople, farmers and landowners along the proposed route in County Tyrone. Regional Development Minister Danny Kennedy has decided not to appeal the judgment by Mr Justice Stephens.

“The judge took the view that a fuller assessment of the impact of the A5 proposals on the rivers Foyle and Finn special areas of conservation should have been carried out,” Kennedy said. The Minister has commissioned a more comprehensive assessment and expects a “substantial delay” in the project. In the meantime, he plans to re-direct funds set aside for the scheme in 2013-2014 to other works.

The Alternative A5 Alliance welcomed the judgment, which it said would save 3,000 acres of productive farmland. It claimed that the road was “never truly in the public interest” but was instead a political compromise when smaller improvements were more important.

Sinn Féin and the SDLP have encouraged the Minister to continue the A5 project, which they view as a strategic North/South link. The DUP and UUP, though, have welcomed the Minister’s decision to re-allocate funds. The Alliance Party has warned that the focus on major projects is cutting budgets for maintaining smaller roads.