RESIDENTS opposed to the planned Limerick Northern Distributor road say they will refuse to allow consultants access to their property to prepare a survey for the road. At a meeting this week, people living in Parteen, Meelick and Clonlara vowed to fight back after receiving letters stating that engineering consultant would require access to farms and property to carry out a topographical survey. Locals formed an opposition group last year when it emerged that the preferred route out of three options will split Parteen village and run right through land that is prone to flooding on a regular basis.
The group also argues that building another road is pointless when the existing toll-road is under used, and costing the taxpayer huge sums in subsidies.
Spokesperson for the Northern Distributor Road Concerned Residents group, Sean McGovern, said that the residents are not going to meekly open their doors to accommodate this latest development.
“We had to drag every little bit of information out of Clare County Council when we wanted to see the constraints study so we feel that a policy of non-cooperation is called for,” he told the Limerick Post.
Mr McGovern has already written to the council to say that he will personally not allow any of their agents access to his property but he added that “no-one will be put under pressure. It was the decision of the meeting that we would not allow them on to our property. We would remind the council that any access without permission is trespass but we are leaving it up to individuals to make that decision,” said Sean.
Local councillor, Cathal Crowe says he supports the residents in their fears about the road.
“I will continue to voice their concerns and I would urge people – as I am sure they will – who intend to take an active stance on this to do so within legal constraints,” the Fianna Fail councillor said.
He added that he could see “no sense” in ploughing further time and cash into the road for which there will be no capital funding for at least a decade.
“I don’t want to see any more money spent on a road that doesn’t exist when our existing road network is crumbling. It makes no sense in the current climate to go ahead with surveys and plans for an aspirational road when we are continuously having the road maintenance budgets cut”, he declared.
