DUBLIN City Council last night "decided to initiate a three months formal public consultation period, for the controversial port tunnel project, after an acrimonious debate during which many councillors sought to have it deferred.
By 27 votes to 13, the council adopted a motion tabled by the former Lord Mayor, Mr Sean Dublin Bay Loftus (Ind), calling for amendments to the preferred route "to meet the strong objections of the residents of East Wall, Marino, Clontarf and Whitehall".
This followed a 20 minute adjournment of the council meeting to see if agreement could be reached. Councillors congregated, outside while an all party group met the city manager, Mr John Fitzgerald, in a failed effort to reach agreement.
Earlier, outside City Hall, councillors were lobbied by a large number of opponents of the £130 million project, shouting: "No tunnel, no tunnel."
Drumcondra residents who support the scheme sought to have the three month statutory consultation period initiated without delay.
The city manager warned the council that any further delay would put the project "seriously at risk" and said it would be unnecessary and unwarranted. "There is no reason for it [a further delay] whatsoever other than a political cop out," he said.
The Labour Party group leader Mr Tommy Broughan TD, said he resented the suggestion that councillors were copping out. "We won't be told by any official I don't care who it is, that we are not doing our duty. We will do our duty to our constituents," he said.
Several councillors, including Ms Roisin Shortall TD (Labour) Mr Ivor Callely TD (FF), Mr Derek McDowell TD (Labour) and Mr Sean Haughey TD (FF), said there was no evidence that any of the concerns of residents about the tunnel had been taken on board.
The city manager explained that the proposed port tunnel linking Whitehall with East Wall, would be publicly exhibited for three months and the council "can then decide whether to adopt the A6 route [the recommended route] or any of the alternatives" after considering representations from the public.
