Appeal lodged against court ruling on A5 as Infrastructure Minister says she is determined project goes ahead
A notice to appeal has been served by the Department of Infrastructure against a court ruling that work on new A5 dual carriageway should not go ahead in its current form.
Speaking as the appeal was lodged on Wednesday, Infrastructure Minister Liz Kimmins said she was determined to see the project go ahead and it was important that they appeal the decision made in the High Court on June 23.
She said: “Too many lives have been lost on the A5, and far too many have been injured. We owe it to those people and their families to use every opportunity available to us to improve road safety in this area.
“The A5 Western Transport Corridor is a vital infrastructure project; my team and I have been working around the clock and will continue to do so. We are determined to build the A5.”
Mr Justice McAlinden quashed the Stormont Executive’s move to approve the £1.2 billion roads scheme following a legal challenge from a group including residents, farmers and landowners.
He said the proposals breached sections of Northern Ireland’s Climate Change Act as they did not demonstrate how they would comply with the commitment to reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.
There have been more than 50 deaths on the A5, which links Derry/Londonderry with Aughnacloy since 2006.
A scheme to turn the road into a dual carriageway was first approved by the Executive in 2007, but it has been held up by legal challenges and uncertainty over funding ever since.
More than 50 people have died on the A5 since 2006 and campaigners have called for the road to be upgraded.
Anger was palpable at the High Court decision at the June meeting of Mid Ulster District Council.
Mid Ulster councillors have now pledged robust lobbying action to ensure the court decision is reversed.