Victor Boyhan (Independent) | Oireachtas source

Thank you, a Leas-Chathaoirligh, for selecting this Commencement matter. I welcome the Minister of State to the House. I do not know how much he knows about the eastern bypass but I will take him through some of it and my understanding of it. The Dublin eastern bypass, or the Dublin Bay motorway, as it was called, was a proposal originally considered and drafted in 1971. That is a hell of a long time ago, over 40 years ago. The idea was that the bypass would complete the Dublin sea road across Dublin Bay and back through what we now know as Booterstown Marsh, up into the back of Booterstown Avenue, right across to the Radisson Blu Hotel, cutting across the N11, then proceeding to UCD, up to the Drummartin Link Road, in Goatstown, and eventually connecting to the then proposed M50. The M50 is now long in place.

We know there is huge congestion in that part of Dublin - or was. It is now reduced. The traffic demands are not what they used to be. We have also seen major urban sprawl and many people now moving out of Dublin because they cannot afford to live there. We therefore see the pressure points in Kildare, where the Minister of State's constituency is, in County Meath and as far as Laois, Westmeath, Wicklow and even Wexford. That is the reality. There has been a shift in people's desire to live in places outside the Dublin area, but we clearly have issues around Dublin.

There were three proposals for the bypass. One was a viaduct under a tunnel and one was a viaduct or bridge over Sandymount bay. These plans and this route fall into two local authorities, namely, Dublin City Council and Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council. As the Minister of State will be aware, both local authorities have county and city development plans and both from time to time have changed the indicative line, that is, they have dropped it from the Dublin city plan and put it back into the plan.

The reality is that the tract of land that runs from Booterstown right up to UCD is possibly the most valuable in the country. It offers huge opportunities for housing and more. There is now a shift in the emphasis in transport to greenways, cycleways and bus connectivity. I understand that there is a desire on the part of the Green Party not to proceed with the eastern bypass, and I can see some of the logic in that. What I am trying to find out is whether due consideration has been given to releasing these lands or whether they are to remain frozen for another 30 or 40 years. These are exceptionally valuable lands with enormous potential for housing and the possibility of a route that would link UCD, which has major plans. As well as being a university, it has on-campus technology and a vision to develop an educational hub and a technological centre and to have a proper synergy between academia, commerce and the wider world.That would be really good. UCD is linked to this site and has exciting plans and opportunities to explore.

The question really is whether we are going to sit on this very valuable land, which is partially suitable for development for residential and other uses, including sport, recreation and cycling facilities, as well as having potential as a transport corridor, whether a bus corridor or something else. There is enormous value and potential in the land and it is time we had some indication of the Government's intention for it, working with the National Transport Authority, NTA, and the other State agencies involved in transport, and having regard to the need for consultation on connectivity and other issues with the two local authorities, that is, Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council and Dublin City Council.