Fianna Fáil councillors in Galway will come under pressure tomorrow to rescind their controversial rezoning of land, which has placed the future of a key bypass on the N6 Dublin-Galway route in jeopardy.
A special meeting of the council is due to be held tomorrow afternoon when Fine Gael's Senator Ulick Burke will attempt to have the rezoning of the land in Loughrea rescinded. The rezoning has hiked up the estimated cost of the Loughrea by-pass by as much as 30 per cent.
As reported in The Irish Times, the National Roads Authority has put the project on hold, pending a review of the vote by Galway county councillors on February 24th.
A spokeswoman for the National Roads Authority said yesterday it had instructed Galway County Council not to spend any money on the project for the present.
The National Roads Authority had allocated funding for the project, and was about to issue compulsory purchase orders for the necessary land.
However, the estimated cost has now increased from €19 million to €24 million, following the vote in favour of the rezoning motion by 12 Fianna Fáil council members and one Independent.
Senator Burke has secured the requisite six signatures to propose that the motion be rescinded, but needs 15 votes to carry it through.
Fianna Fáil holds the majority on the council, but several Fianna Fáil councillors absented themselves before the controversial vote and may be unhappy with the move.
The campaign for a bypass for Loughrea town dates back almost 25 years. Over two years ago, local councillors had agreed not to breach the proposed route, which was to become the outer limit of the town boundary.
On February 24th, Fianna Fáil councillor Mr Matt Loughnane proposed that an eight-acre strip, crucial to the route, be rezoned from agricultural to industrial land.
The effect was to enhance the value of the property and adjoining lands.
Senator Burke described the move as "reckless", pointing out that it would push up the estimated cost by some €5 million and result in the bypass project being abandoned.
Cllr Loughnane was unavailable for comment yesterday, but told Galway Bay FM radio last week that Loughrea needed more industrial land.
However, Senator Burke said this was a questionable claim, when Cllr Loughnane had not supported a motion at a local area meeting on the same day which proposed to change commercial land within the town boundary to industrial.
Loughrea already has some 79 acres of industrial land which is not in use.
Senator Burke called for "leadership" within the Fianna Fáil group on the council to rescind the decision, as it was one that would affect the whole country.
Last month, the National Roads Authority was criticised at the Dáil Public Accounts Committee for large cost overruns on the roads building programme.
"The National Roads Authority will move to a project elsewhere if the cost here proves unmanageable," said Senator Burke.
The Loughrea Chamber of Commerce also expressed "complete dissatisfaction" yesterday with the situation and appealed to councillors to change the decision.
"This \ decision was taken against the advice of all the professional people involved," it said in a statement.
"We acknowledge fully the need for industrial-zoned land within our town, which is constantly increasing in size, but would suggest that the 79 acres already zoned is at present more than sufficient."