Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

I agree with the Deputy. We do need to clarify that and to start focusing on the sustainable transport solutions for Galway. I take the Deputy's point about the west side. One of the five sites being considered is on the Barna corridor on the R336 close to the Cappagh Road and western distributory road junction. The other two are further advanced and include the one at the Oranmore junction - junction 19 - and the one just north of Claregalway. They are quite large. The one at junction 19 has 550 spaces, the one north of Claregalway has some 320 spaces while the proposed Barna one is slightly smaller with 190. I take the Deputy's point about access from the west.

The two sites are very much active in terms of site options being looked at. Regardless of whether you use CPO or other mechanisms, the office will have to decide that but they are quite far advanced. I can understand the Deputy's frustration having waited for 20 years but my understanding is that they are very close to getting decisions on some of those land options. It still has to go to planning and that takes a year or two so construction will likely start in at the end of 2025 or early 2026. With our planning system being as slow as it is, that is a reality but they are at a point where it is close to the application being ready to go into the planning process.

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