Some 75 individuals who own land along the proposed €187 million Crusheen-Gort bypass have lodged objections against the Compulsory Purchase Order (CPO) for the scheme.
With almost three-quarters of the landowners lodging objections against the CPO, An Bord Pleanála has decided to hold an oral hearing into the scheme in the next few months.
The board has also confirmed that five submissions have been made on the environmental impact of the scheme by An Taisce, the Shannon Regional Fisheries Board, the Department of the Environment, the Gort Regional Alliance for Community and Environment and environmental consultant Peter Sweetman.
The scheme, involving the construction of 22km of dual carriageway, starts near the village of Crusheen in north Clare and ends close to the south Galway town of Gort, passing along the edge of the Burren and through wetlands in south Galway.
Galway County Council is the lead agency in the scheme and is intending to compulsorily purchase almost 500 acres of land on 103 farms. The project also involves the severance of 845 acres of farmland along the route. The route is expected to significantly reduce journey times between Galway and Ennis and expand the catchment area of Shannon airport.
Infrastructural services manager with the Irish Farmers' Association Thomas Ryan said yesterday: "It is typical to have this number of objections at this stage and I would be very surprised if there were a large number when the oral hearing takes place."
