Land to remain sterilised despite approval of N5 route

Anton McNulty

LAND sterilised during the planning process for the construction of the new N5 road from Westport to Turlough may not be freed for planning until the road is built.
The final route for the new N5 between Westport and Turlough has been approved by Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) and the Compulsory Purchase Stage has been finalised and the route has been fenced off.
Before the preferred route was approved, a corridor of land from Westport to Turlough was sterilised for planning and at last week’s meeting of the Castlebar Municipal District, Cllr Michael Kilcoyne, asked when this land will be freed up.
Cllr Kilcoyne said that the new route was approved and fenced off but land not along the new route was still sterilised and the landowners could still do nothing with it.

TII decision
Mr John McMyler, planner with Mayo County Council, informed the independent councillor that it is the TII who decide when to free up the land and the Council have yet to be informed. He said the land will remain sterilised until the TII tell them otherwise and no planning will be allowed until then.
Mr McMyler added that a decision may not take place until the road was built and no date was given when Cllr Kilcoyne asked when that will be. Mr McMyler added that any planning applications along the current N5 won’t be approved as it was still a national primary road and won’t be downgraded until the new road was built.