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Today’s decision by the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government Dick Roche TD to give the go-ahead for the M3 Motorway in the vicinity of the Hill of Tara is an enormous mistake said the Green Party today.
Green Party Environment, Heritage and Local Government spokesperson Ciarán Cuffe TD said that, “A motorway and a spaghetti junction this close to one of the most historic and sacred sites in Ireland is an enormous mistake. This is a bad day for history, for heritage and for the Hill of Tara. We all want to see progress, but not at the cost of our heritage.”
“Dick Roche could have refused to issue the archaeological licence. This would have caused Meath County Council and the National Roads Authority to go back to the drawing board and consider alternative routes east or west of the Tara complex.“
“Devising alternative routes might delay the motorway by a year. This is not a long time compared to the irreplaceable 5000-year-old heritage of Tara. Today’s decision will significantly damage the Tara archaeological complex, one of Ireland’s most sacred sites.”
“Today’s decision doesn’t make much practical sense either as it is likely to bring about a Court challenge which could delay completion of the road even longer than changing the planned route away from Tara.”
“Large motorway projects have been in the news a lot over the last few days as they are consistently coming in over budget. Moreover, our road and motorways are being over-designed at great extra cost to the taxpayer.”
“The Green Party is also calling for Dublin-Navan rail line to be restored. Improving public transport will take traffic off the roads and get commuters to work far more quickly.”
ENDS
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CiaranCuffe.com