‘To say that the A5 ruling was devastating is an understatement’: Mid Ulster councillors determined to have decision reversed

Justice McAlinden ruled last week that the construction of the project should not go ahead in its current form, as the plans do not comply with climate change targets.

Anger was palpable at Thursday’s (June 26) council meeting of Mid Ulster District Council, and Mid Ulster councillors have now pledged robust lobbying action.

Councillor Gael Gildernew (SF) stated: “I was in the High Court on Monday morning along with Sinn Féin colleagues, the DfI minister Liz Kimmins and the ‘Enough is Enough’ group.

“To say that the ruling was devastating is an understatement, and as the judge himself said, ‘I’m acutely aware that this decision will bring significant fresh anguish to the doors of those who have been injured and maimed, and those who have lost loved ones as a result of road traffic accidents on the existing A5 road’.

“He continued to say ‘It is likely that delays in the progression of the scheme will coincide with the occurrence of further loss of life and serious injury on the existing road’.

“He concluded by saying ‘Concerted efforts must be made by all concerned, so that sooner rather than later a new and safer A5 dual carriageway may come into operation’.

“This area has been underfunded and neglected for far too long, and this project is too important to not be a priority for this council and all of our parties.

“On Tuesday afternoon, I was part of a delegation of the A5/N2 Cross-Border Committee who travelled to Stormont to meet with Minister Kimmins.

“I welcome the commitment from the minister to work constructively with this committee, and support the minister’s urgent work to assess the judgement and consider options for a way forward.

“I would like to propose that this council writes to the Minister for Infrastructure, to record our devastation in light of the recent High Court ruling on the A5 Western transport corridor, and re-pledge this council’s full support to the A5 upgrade.

“I would also like to propose that this council commits to working with the other four councils who have an interest in the A5 project, Fermanagh & Omagh District Council, Derry City & Strabane District Council, Monaghan County Council, and Donegal County Council, and writes to ask them to also re-pledge their support to working with the minister, to see the project proceed as soon as possible.”

Councillor Eugene McConnell seconded his party colleague’s proposal.

Councillor Mark Robinson (DUP) blamed what he viewed as ill-thought-out climate laws for the debacle: “At the outset, I wish to declare an interest in that my family’s farm was impacted by the A5 road, and also my uncle was killed by a drunk-driver on the A5 a number of years ago, so I can sympathise with those families who have lost loved ones on the road.

“We are now 18 years on from when the A5 dual carriageway was first announced. More than £150m has already been spent, and still not one inch of new road has been built.

“What we’re left with is a proper mess, ratepayers’ money gone and no end in sight.

“I suppose, as one farmer said to me, ‘It’s easy spending money foolishly when it’s not your own’.

“Let’s be honest, this is a failure of planning, delivery and responsibility, and it is our community, Mid Ulster’s farmers and rural families, who are left paying the price.

“Today, over 300 farmers sit in a state of limbo, they’ve been there for more than a decade.These families have faced years of uncertainty, they’ve been told they can’t build, they can’t invest, they can’t sell because the Government might want their land at some point in the future.

“The land has been legally vested, taken for over 300 days, and the farmers affected have not received one penny.

“Would anyone in this chamber accept that type of treatment? If you got up in the morning and a digger was sitting in your lawn, ripping out hedges, chopping down mature trees, you wouldn’t accept it, of course, and neither would I. So why should it be any different for the farmer who lives along the route of the A5?

“This isn’t bureaucracy, this isn’t delay, this is just bad legislation and bad government. What makes it worse is the fact that climate laws that Sinn Féin have rushed through Stormont and never debated, in terms of the real-world consequences, are now being used to block essential infrastructure and cripple the farming sector.

“We’re not talking about mass industrial expansion, we’re talking about farmers being told that they can’t even replace an old inefficient shed with a more energy-efficient one, because some departmental guidance says it might tip the balance on emissions, or because we don’t have the right carbon modelling in place.

“This is utter madness. We’re penalising the very people who are trying to modernise, who want to reduce their carbon footprint, improve animal welfare and run leaner farms, but who can’t move forward because the climate bureaucracy says no.

“And now the same tangled logic is being used to delay new infrastructure like the A5.

“Let me be clear, no one is saying we should ignore climate change, but when carbon budgets are given more weight than common sense, more weight than rural jobs and more weight than human lives lost on our roads, it’s clear the system is broken.

“It’s time to inject some common sense into this. Farmers have been treated disgracefully throughout this process, left in the dark, kept waiting, and now forced to carry the burden of departmental indecision.

“The road could have been built 10 years ago if farmers and their families had been treated with some respect, and with some manners from the department.”