Stop this road!

mayo | environment | news report

Monday May 15, 2006 18:42

by Cllr Keith Martin - Stop this Road

Westport Civic Trust and supporters are trying to stop a road way from destroying the Westport Railway Line Walk and nearby wetlands.

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The route outlined compromises the integrity of the Railway Line Walk by bringing traffic, noise and other human activity along the side of the walk. This disrupts the peaceful nature of the walk, disturbs the wildlife of the area and destroys a wetland, which is home to Herons, Mallards, Cootes, Moorhens and many other species of birds.

There were over a hundred submissions from the people of the town requesting that the proposed road be abandoned. These submissions were treated by Westport Town Council as one individual submission. A complaint was made to the Ombudsman office.

The Ombudsman's investigation upheld the complaint in relation to the submissions process of Part 8 and the complaint is still outstanding.

The route serves no other function than to facilitate developers who which to develop the land banks in Cloonmonad and is being paid for by taxpayers money.

A proposed Roundabout on the Junction of the West Road was altered after the Part 8 and the existing Railway Bridge was retained so there is a precedent, which would allow the council to re-examine the route and entire proposal.

The Council engineer on the project recommended an Environmental Impact Assessment and also conceded that the roadway would have a negative impact on the Railway Line Walk.
No Environmental Impact Assessment was undertaken.

In 2000 Westport Civic Trust commissioned Richard Webb the environmentalist to survey the Railway Line Walk. In this report Mr Webb referred specifically to the proposal to put a road over and adjacent to the Railway Line Walk. The Webb report said this would “effectively destroy the whole ambience of the walk” adding “In effect the existing walk will become almost a roadside footpath”. The report also concluded that the road would “destroy any vestige of the quiet rural atmosphere which is the essential character of the present walk”.

In 2002 Westport Town Council commissioned Mitchell and Associates to survey the Railway Line Walk. This survey confirmed that the road would have a detrimental effect on the Railway Line Walk stating “The main visual impact on the walkway, however, will be the insertion of an access road to the north of the alignment” adding “The visual impact of the proposed road on the amenity of the walkway will be significant.”