Straide residents thrilled with railway crossing decision

Straide residents thrilled with railway cross over-turn


Anton McNulty

Straide residents living near level crossings have expressed their delight with a Bord Pleanala decision not to grant planning permission to have the three level crossings closed.
Last Friday, residents living in the townlands of Cloonconlan and Knockshanbally near Straide were informed by An Bord Pleanala (ABP) that they had overturned a decision by Mayo County Council to close the level crossings. One of the crossings, XX32 was the location where local farmer, PJ McGowan died when his car was struck by a train when he was crossing the line in 2008.
Resident Jerry King described the appeal process as a ‘saga’ and a ‘kitchen cabinet’ effort by local landowners. He said that if the decision had not gone their way they would have been ‘marooned’ and have no option but to leave the area.
“We are thrilled but at the same time we are very relieved because if it did not go in our favour we would have had to leave. The townlands would have been marooned a lot of the time by flooding. The wrong decision was overturned after a monumental amount of work,” he told The Mayo News.
Iarnod Éireann was granted planning permission by Mayo County Council to provide a new public access road, the upgrade of an existing underbridge and the closure of the three existing level crossings along the Ballina to Manulla Junction line near Straide. The closure of the crossing would have led to an increased distance of approximately four kilometres round trip for residents to travel, while they claimed that the underbridge, which would have been their only exit route, is already prone to flooding.
Mr King explained that the local residents had to educate themselves on planning issues to fight the appeal and said that ABP agreed in totality with their arguments.
“This application was a non-starter but we had to deal with An Bord Pleanala for 13 months and provide extra information to them. This was a kitchen cabinet effort with four or five residents meeting at night and educating ourselves. We were against the odds but An Bord Pleanala gave us a fair hearing and to their credit made the right decision.”
Sinn Féin General Election candidate Thérèse Ruane said she was delighted that the residents had won out on their campaign to stop the closure of railway crossing, saying this decision vindicates their real concerns. She commended the local residents for their determination in resisting this closure. 
“This threatened closure would have had such a negative impact on the local community and would have even further isolated them. It was yet another attack on a rural community. There was no consultation with the local community when Iarnród Eireann came to this ludicrous decision. I commend the local residents for their resilience, determination and for their strategic, dynamic campaign. This shows what can be achieved when people stand together for what’s right for their community,” she said.