The 1990s heralded the Celtic Tiger years and with it brought extra
demands on Athy Urban District Council in terms of planning and
development. These demands were
highlighted during the Council’s review of the Town Development Plan for
2000. The Development Plan put on
display for the statutory period was the subject of 484 submissions, the
majority of which were described in the Council’s Minute Book as ‘a standard letter from individuals’
relating to the Inner Relief Road objective in the plan. The Inner Relief Road first mooted in 1976
was under attack by many local people who felt that an Outer Relief Road
offered greater possibilities for the industrial and commercial development of
Athy.
Consideration of the Development Plan and the various submissions received
continued throughout April and May 1999.
At the Council meeting on 31st May 1999 the Town Clerk
informed the members that at 4.00 p.m. that day he was notified by fax that Mr.
Justice Quirke of the High Court had granted an interim injunction to Michael
Raggett Builders. The Court Order
restrained the Council from adopting the Town Development Plan without giving
due consideration to the submission made on behalf of Messrs Raggetts. Raggetts wanted certain lands zoned for
housing which the Council officials were not prepared to recommend to the elected
representatives. They were apparently concerned
that if they acceded to Raggetts’ request consideration of the Development Plan
would have to be postponed while it was again put on public display. If this happened the Plan could not be
adopted by the outgoing Council members amongst whom there was a majority in
favour of the Inner Relief Road objective.
The Restraining Order was later renewed by the High Court beyond the
life of the Council which was replaced following elections in June on that year.
The Inner Relief Road
proposal was a major issue in those local elections and the result of the
elections gave a 5:4 majority of newly elected Councillors opposed to the Inner
Relief Road. However, before the Council
could meet, one of those Councillors changed his position, thereby ensuring a narrow
majority for the pro Inner Relief Road side.
The newly elected Council eventually passed the Development Plan at its
meeting on 10th April 2000. Attempts
to withdraw the Inner Relief Road as an objective in the Development Plan were
defeated by 5 votes to 4. The victory
was however short-lived as An Taisce pressed for an oral hearing which was
granted by the Minister for Local Government.
The subsequent oral hearing which lasted for a week and a day in the Standhouse
Hotel on the Curragh was followed by the Planning Board’s decision that
permission for the Inner Relief Road for Athy was refused. This is believed to have been the first time
that the Planning Appeal Board rejected a road development proposal by a local
authority. The decision was the subject
of an unsuccessful Judicial Review application by Kildare County Council in the
High Court.
The defeat of the Inner Relief Road proposal did not go down well
with the Council officials or the majority of the Councillors who had supported
it. Despite the Planning Appeal Board’s
decision and that of the High Court the Inner Relief Road remained an objective
in the Town Development Plan. Indeed for
some years after the events of 2000 the Inner Relief Road continued to be canvassed
by Council officials as the solution not only to Athy’s traffic problems, but
also the town’s declining retailing life.
It was only in very recent years that the merits of the Outer Relief
Road came to be accepted by those who had previously canvassed for the Inner
Relief Road. Funding has now been
promised for the Outer Relief Road and a recent public consultation process
gave the local people an opportunity to review the three route options which
are now under consideration. To the
original route has been added a route which skirts around local sports fields
in Geraldine and leaves the playing pitches intact. The third route is on the northern side of
the town.
Rather strangely, the results of the recent traffic surveys
conducted in and around Athy were not made known during the public consultation
process. One would have thought that
such information was relevant and indeed a necessary consideration for any
decision to be made on the best route option. However, given the County
Council’s past history of furnishing misleading traffic survey results as
confirmed at the oral hearing in the Stand House nothing surprises me. Here’s hoping the County Council move quickly
to get the Outer Relief Road in place and hopefully without infringing on the
towns unique sporting complex which is enjoyed by the local GAA, Rugby, Tennis
and Soccer Clubs.
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