Ms Joan Martin:

It involves a Part 8 planning process and a CPO, if required, which may require an oral hearing depending on whether there are objections to any additional land we require. In parallel, the works commenced on the ground, including the fencing contract that has been under way in recent times, will be concluded and Louth County Council will engage with relevant service providers such as the gas pipeline to ensure that the necessary diversions have been progressed. The business case will be updated and submitted for review and then, subject to all the necessary approvals being received, we aim to go to tender with this scheme before the end of 2020. It depends on being able to acquire land if we needed a CPO but certainly it is our intention and that of TII to continue to work closely on this scheme. Getting this and other traffic out of Ardee is still a significant objective of ours but, in the circumstances, we had little choice but to respond to the many representations that have been made over a long period, some of which are ongoing, by and on behalf of the local community and local businesses regarding this scheme but we will certainly progress everything as quickly as possible. I will stay with this scheme to ensure we make the quickest possible progress as I know the Chairman would wish.