Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. I understand the genuine disappointment with the latest developments in this project. I was in Galway on Friday and all the engagements regarding the economic development of Galway, including the expansion of Genesys, the expansion of the Galway Technology Centre and the launch of the Irish clinical academic training programme, were very positive. Many people see the N6 Galway city ring road as being essential for the growth and development of Galway, while others disagree. However, with the current number of vehicles on the existing network, Galway is suffering extreme congestion in the city centre and increased journey times, as I have experienced myself. The ring road has the potential to reroute traffic from the city and alleviate capacity constraints. Galway city and county councils issued a joint statement with Transport Infrastructure Ireland on Friday in which they indicated that they are confident the issues can be resolved and, as a result, they intend to continue to progress to the delivery of the road project.

The Galway city ring road is a proposed project to construct an orbital route around Galway from the N6 to the west of Barna, including a new bridge crossing over the River Corrib. The project is a component of the Galway transport strategy. The scheme was submitted to An Bord Pleanála and was approved by the board with conditions on 6 December 2021. Subsequently, three applications for judicial reviews were submitted to the High Court, which imposed a stay on progressing the scheme. An Bord Pleanála has taken the decision not to oppose the judicial review taken by Friends of the Irish Environment against the decision to grant planning permission for the Galway city ring road. The decision on whether to grant an order to quash the 6 December 2021 decision of the board lies with the High Court. An Bord Pleanála has stated it took this decision on the grounds that it did not consider the Government's 2021 climate action plan before deciding to grant permission. The next step will be for all parties to consider their positions in light of this development. There will then be an opportunity to request that the High Court remit the scheme back to An Bord Pleanála. Should the scheme be remitted to An Bord Pleanála, the board will consider whether further information is required to aid its deliberations.

The review of planning legislation is progressing in line with the timeline set out by the Office of the Attorney General, which is leading on the project, and there is extensive engagement with the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage on it. The work of the review is now moving to the drafting stage. A Bill is expected to be brought to the Government and published by the end of the year. It would be premature to comment on any potential outcomes of the review until it is complete, but one of its key aims will be to put plan-making at the centre of the planning system. It will also focus on bringing increased clarity and streamlining to planning legislation and improving the functioning of the planning system for both practitioners and the general public, given that it is 20 years since its enactment. Public participation, which is a hallmark of the current planning system, will remain a central component of the planning system in the updated legislation.

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