Photosales
niJobfinder
niCarfinder
Home Delivery
Propertynews
SF pipe-dream is pillaging people's land
Thursday, 11 March 2010
I welcomed Eamonn McCann's column a few weeks ago. In times of austerity the proposal is to spend approximately £650m on a dual-carriageway between Aughnacloy and New Buildings which is not even justified by the Roads Service criteria of 19,000 vehicles per day.
I am told more than 200 farms and homes are threatened with compulsory purchase - many owned by families for generations. This appears to be a Sinn Fein cross-border pipe-dream. What price a public inquiry to be held in 2011 when Conor Murphy, Pat Doherty and Martin McGuinness have stated the decision has been made?
Why pay huge sums for window-dressing? Contractors have already been provisionally appointed. Meanwhile, consultants Mouchel rake in about £1m-per-month when health budgets are being cut. I have met many distressed persons who do not know where to turn to stop this rape of their land and their homes unique countryside. Where are the environmentalists now?
JAMES McFARLAND
Lisburn, Co Antrim
- Text Size
D, No one is against the upgrading of the existing A5, including landowners, what people are against is the destruction of their farms and home envoirnments. The A5 allaince offers an alternative and people affected (which I presume you are not) want this to be given a fair hearing. If the existing A5 did not exist and the Dept had to decide what type of road to build under govt. guidelines with the traffic volume the A5 is the type of road that would be built.
J
Posted by John | 12.03.10, 00:08 GMT
This road is paying paid for by the Irish government.
Posted by Shane | 11.03.10, 18:03 GMT
I totally agree with the other poster. Your post Mr McFarland stinks of the same time of short-termism and east of the Bann mentality that made sure Derry and other parts of the north not inside the belfast/north Down zone are overlooked. The infrastructure of the Island of Ireland is important, more and more we will be doing business with one another. Your extreme unionist views are just that extreme. You cannot even disguise it under your faux environmentalism. If we are to have a shared future that future means a roads system that enables all citizens to be first class not second class. Eamonn McCann is beginning to look like ridiculous with his anti-Sinn Féin rantings.
Posted by Terence | 11.03.10, 17:25 GMT
Were landowners not affected when the canal, railways or the likes of the M1 were built? The letter writer probably travels regularly on the train or the M1, and would regret their absence if any earlier generation had similar views.
Posted by cuchulainn | 11.03.10, 16:15 GMT
Yes why spend money west of the Bann when Lisburn and Greater Belfast (the only places that obviously matter) already have all the motorways they need?! Sorry James but its about improving infrastructure thats been a disgrace for some time. Land owners cannot be allowed to hold up progress otherwise none of the roads, railways and airports you rely on would be built! Theres always someone who loses out no matter how careful you plan.
Posted by D | 11.03.10, 13:25 GMT