Ciarán Cannon (Fine Gael)
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In mid-2007 a developer working on a site in Athenry where it was recommended to him that he construct a roundabout discovered the remains of part of the old Athenry town wall. The developer, being careful not to disturb the remains, immediately sought the advice of the archaeologist from the monuments section of the Minister's Department, the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government. The advice of the archaeologist given at the time was that the remains should be preserved in a concrete sarcophagus and that the roundabout would continue to be constructed over that concrete sarcophagus.

On the advice of that archaeologist from the Minister's Department, the developer lodged an application on 24 September 2007 for a licence to carry out the work required. We have now passed the third anniversary of the submission of that application for a licence and to date we have had no response from the Minister's office as to whether he will grant it.

During that three year period the Minister has sought the advice of Galway County Council, which confirmed to him that the original advice given by his own archaeologist was the correct advice. Not happy with that advice he went on to seek the advice of the National Roads Authority, which again confirmed that the original advice was sound. Finally, not happy with that advice, the Minister sought the advice of the Department of Transport, which again confirmed that the original advice given was the correct advice.

This location, Lorro Gate, is effectively the gateway from the new M6 motorway into the heart of Athenry town, a beautiful heritage town. It is also the location of Galway county GAA's hurling pitch where all of our major hurling matches, county semi-finals and county finals take place. It is also near a new, busy commercial development. It is easily the most trafficked junction in all of Athenry town and for three years, while the Minister makes up his mind, we have had a building site left in limbo and not allowed continue to completion because the Minister has refused to make a decision. I hope the Minister of State, Deputy Finneran, has some good news for us on this issue, although I am not very hopeful.

On 9 November 2007, having made some inquiries, I received a response from the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government stating the application for ministerial consent for works was being processed as expeditiously as possible. In June 2008, I received a letter from the Minister stating that he must now proceed with making a decision, and on 22 April 2009 I received an e-mail from the Minister's office stating that he had asked his officials to conclude their examination of the various issues as quickly as possible.

The Minister rightly refers every now and again, as we all do, to the need for reform within the public and to create a new, efficient and streamlined public service. I would argue that the first place he should direct that reform might be within his own office because I cannot understand the reason it takes three years to make a decision on a licence application or to act on sound advice that was given to him three years ago by an official and an archaeologist with much expertise in this area.

This matter should not be allowed drag on any longer. It is a major road safety hazard. It is a horrendously ugly vista to present to people visiting Athenry for the first time. I genuinely hope we get some closure on this issue once and for all.

Michael Finneran (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Senator for raising this issue. I appreciate that it has been under examination in my Department for some time and I am pleased to be in a position to confirm that a decision has now been arrived at.

To recap for the benefit of the House, the background to the case is that during archaeological monitoring of a nearby housing development, part of the remains of the medieval Lorro Gate to the town of Athenry was discovered. The discovery was made under the site of a new road roundabout that the housing developer is obliged to put in place as part of his planning permission. The objective of the roundabout is to ensure the safety of vehicles entering and exiting the new development and also to service other traffic to and from the town.

The town defences of Athenry are an important national monument within the meaning of the National Monuments Acts. Part of the town wall is already protected by a preservation order. Public safety is also a very important consideration. The need to balance these two factors has meant that every option has had to be carefully examined with a view to arriving at a solution that facilitates effective traffic management and, at the same time, seeks to preserve an important monument for the benefit of future generations.

The proposal put forward by the developer for ministerial consent under the National Monuments Acts was for the archaeological remains to be preserved in situ under the proposed roundabout. Given the archaeological, historical and local significance of the site, reports were subsequently produced by a number of relevant bodies to assist in the examination of the proposal. These included my Department's National Monuments Service, Galway County Council's roads and transportation department assisted by National Roads Authority, and the Department of Transport.

Having carefully considered the application for consent, and the related reports in relation to the monument, the Minister, Deputy Gormley, has now decided to approve the preservation of the archaeological remains in situ under the roundabout as the most reasonable approach, taking all relevant factors into account. The approval will be subject to a number of conditions. Apart from standard archaeological requirements, the main objective will be to ensure that the roundabout is constructed to a high aesthetic standard, appropriate to its location, and that the discovery itself is suitably recorded and marked on site. The formal notice of consent will issue from my Department within the next few days.

I am pleased that a conclusion has now been reached in this case. I hope the finished project will appeal to everyone who has taken an interest in it and, on behalf of the Minister, Deputy Gormley, I thank them for their advice and assistance in this matter.

Ciarán Cannon (Fine Gael)
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That is excellent news. I thank the Minister of State, Deputy Finneran.