A group protesting against the building of a motorway thorough historic sites in Co Meath have warned the Government to expect ten years of legal battles if it goes ahead with its planned route.
The Oireachtas Environment Committee was told by the Tara Skryne Valley Group today that they will adopt tactics that will mean the M3 route planned for the Hill will take around ten years to complete.
The group says there are legal problems connected to the granting of permission by An Bord Pleannala for the route which is due to pass beneath the Hill of Tara, bisecting what campaigners say is a wider historical network of sites.
The route was approved before the controversial National Monuments Act was brought to Government and new archaeological sites were discovered, the group maintains.
They also say the Minster for the Environment Mr Roche has a constitutional duty to protect the heritage of the Irish people.
"Litigation could take years to complete, which will delay the completion of the motorway indefinitely. It would be quicker to go back to the drawing board and take a route that does not harm Tara," Mr Vincent Salafia said.
"Nothing justifies this raiding of Ireland's crown jewel," he told the committee. The group handed in 3,000 public submissions opposing the project.
Chairman, Mr Sean Haughey, TD said in November that routing a motorway through the valley was "bordering on vandalism".
But the route has strong support from local businesses and the Chambers of Commerce of Ireland today urged the Government to press ahead with the project. Chief executive Mr John Dunne said: "This is a necessary piece of national infrastructure, the route for which was identified following the established planning procedure.
"The M3 will improve a vital section of the national road network and will provide a modern route to the North West of the country. This will promote economic development in the areas it will serve, notably Meath and Cavan, and will also improve access to South Donegal, Fermanagh and the rest of Northern Ireland."
He said there was no alternative route providing a "flawless solution".
The route is planned to run from Clonee on the Dublin/Meath border and by-pass Dunshaughlin and Navan before ending north of Kells.