An Bord Pleanála now to decide fate of delayed Athlone road
There was a new twist last week in the long-running Railway Field Road saga in Athlone, as it emerged that An Bord Pleanála will now decide whether or not the town centre road receives planning permission.
Until now, it had been anticipated that the project would be dealt with under the 'Part 8' process which the council uses for the planning approval of its own developments.
However it emerged that environmental reporting requirements associated with the new road mean the planning application for it will now have to go to An Bord Pleanála, resulting in yet another delay to a project that has already been delayed for close to two decades.
Council director of services Barry Kehoe said on Monday last that it was now likely to be mid-2024 before a planning decision on the road would be known.
The proposed Railway Field Road would be situated between the Crescent junction and St Vincent's Care Centre, and it has long been held up by the council as a long-term response to traffic congestion in Athlone.
Planning for it was initially approved under the 'Part 8' process as far back as 2005, but a protracted dispute between the council and CIE meant the road was never built, and the planning approval eventually became outdated.
In November 2021 the council indicated that a new 'Part 8' planning process would be required for the road.
Cllr Aengus O'Rourke asked for an update on the project at this month's meeting of the Athlone Moate Municipal District.
The written reply from council management was: "The consultants on the Railway Field Road Project have completed the environmental reports and have concluded that the project requires the preparation of a Natura Impact Assessment.
"Therefore, planning consent for the scheme will rest with An Bord Pleanála. The Transportation Department is working to compile the necessary reports to make an application to An Bord Pleanála as soon as practicable."
Cllr O'Rourke said he was disappointed that the council now had to go to An Bord Pleanála to seek planning permission for the road.
"We are obviously looking at a further delay to the delivery of the Railway Field Road project. It's another setback," he said.
Mr Kehoe said the council expected to submit its planning application for the road before the end of this year.
"The board is 'staffing up' at the minute, as I understand it, to deal with the backlog of files that are up there, and the various other tasks they must undertake.
"So hopefully the board will deal with it fairly quickly. But, having said that, it's likely to be the middle of 2024 by the time we have a planning decision," Mr Kehoe concluded.