Dan Neville (Limerick West, Fine Gael)

I welcome the opportunity to discuss the Bill which is one of the most important to be debated in the House for some time. It will have serious and far-reaching effects as indicated by the level of interest and the contributions from all sides.

As my party spokesman, Deputy O'Dowd, stated Ireland has a first world economy with a Third World infrastructure. Commuters spend hours commuting to and from work. Many of our roads are Third World roads. While we welcome the Bill in principle, some of the proposed changes, especially the new powers being granted to An Bord Pleánála which are counterproductive, will lead to litigation and a loss of public confidence in the planning process.

In preparing my contribution, I looked at the needs of my constituency and the urgent need for development. I was disappointed when the Minister's predecessor launched Transport 21 in November 2005 with a budget of €34.4 billion that there was no mention of west Limerick and its urgent need for national primary and secondary road development. There is an urgent need for three bypasses to facilitate traffic from most parts of Ireland to Kerry through the N7.

One of the main bottlenecks on the N7 is Adare. While we have been given encouraging news from the Department, through Limerick County Council, there is no indication when the bypass will be put in place. There are considerable delays through the village during peak hours. The village, which is very attractive, would be enhanced immensely if commercial traffic could bypass it and it was not clogged up. Adare is an excellent tourism product but it is spoiled by heavy traffic driving through it, especially commercial traffic. I appeal to the Minister to examine this issue as a matter of urgency. It is a small project in the context of national roads development and would enhance the area. It would facilitate the many commuters who travel from Rathkeale, Newcastle West, Abbeyfeale and the hinterland to Limerick and would improve the time factor involved.

The other two bypasses I wish to refer to are Newcastle West and Abbeyfeale. There are regular bottlenecks in Abbeyfeale. A bypass would improve the commercial life of the town and enhance the enjoyment of the people there. If the Minister has information on the Newcastle West and Abbeyfeale bypasses, perhaps he would forward it to me. The last information we had was that the Department was considering appointing consultants to examine the lines for the bypasses. The most recent information is that the matter has been suspended and that no progress has been made. If the Minister does not have that information when replying, perhaps he would forward it to me.

In Newcastle West there is a build up of traffic at peak hours but, thankfully, the centre of town is a little removed from it. Certainly a bypass would enhance the area. Much development is taking place in Newcastle West, including a new supermarket at that side of the town. Due to commercial activity and through traffic to west Limerick and Kerry, there are road traffic problems. Apart from the hold-ups, there are road traffic dangers as people access the new supermarket by a pedestrian crossing. The speed limit is being adhered to but, given the volume of traffic and many hold-ups, drivers' attention may not always be what it should, in which case I am concerned for the safety of pedestrians in the area.

The N69, the coast road to Tarbert in north Kerry, has long been a bone of contention and this issue has been raised many times. This is an opportunity to facilitate tourist and commercial developments on the south side of the Shannon Estuary. I refer specifically to the opportunity to develop a marine-type industry in Foynes. Foynes has developed as part of the Foynes-Shannon port authority. We always promoted the idea of a port of such significance at Foynes with land available for development. This should be attractive for marine-type industry to invest in that area. Repeatedly, however, we are informed that once an investor travels from Limerick and spends most of the travelling time behind commercial traffic for the entire distance, he finds that is a turn-off. There is a problem of accessibility to the city from places like Foynes. The 200-acre industrial park in Askeaton which has been there for some 15 or 20 years, which is owned by IDA Ireland and is fully serviced, does not attract industry. One of the inhibiting factors is that the access road, the N69, is not being upgraded to the level any national route with such potential should have.

During the rainbow coalition government, a committee was set up to promote that area but unfortunately that was allowed lapse on the change of government. I urge the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government to look at the potential for development of the Shannon estuary in the area. The Minister's colleagues should also look at it, because the Departments of Transport, Enterprise, Trade and Employment and Communications, Marine and Natural Resources all have a role to play.

There have been a number of fatalities on the Croom-Charleville national primary road. The Croom bypass has been most beneficial, not alone for commuters from the area to the city but to the town of Croom. The bypass has eliminated some serious accident black spots, but there are other such black spots where fatalities have been involved, between the Benogue side of Croom and Charleville. Cork County Council launched the plan for the Mallow-Croom road, including the bypass of Charleville, and we urge that the black spots be dealt with as well. This work will probably not proceed before 2010 under the Transport 21 programme, so plans should be made to have the work commence immediately to deal with these problems.

In all rural areas, including Limerick, there is increasing pressure against one-off houses.

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