![Minister for Public Expenditure Jack Chambers said: 'This is a good example of a project that is being undermined by the judicial process. And similarly, we have similar projects in [the Republic], which are also being undermined.' Photograph: Chris Maddaloni/The Irish Times](https://www.irishtimes.com/resizer/v2/EFJZUJGROFGVJMZRGR7FGGLLGU.JPG?auth=06184f79eaac32417fd6abcc9da3b6865e46b9dd491d90085e2fbfa2ced03a42&smart=true&width=1024&height=683)
Twenty-year-old plans to upgrade the A5 road linking Derry and Tyrone into a dual-carriageway are being blocked by “vexatious environmental” objections, Minister for Public Expenditure Jack Chambers has said.
The Irish Government has pledged €600 million to help construct the road, which would significantly reduce journey times from Dublin and the east of the Republic to Donegal, Tyrone and Derry.
Planning permission was given for the first stage of the A5 from Strabane to Ballygawley last year, but the High Court in Belfast subsequently blocked it again due to environmental concerns.
“The A5 is probably the most critical North-South road project, which would really enhance regional connectivity,” said Chambers, noting that economic growth in the region has been “undermined” for decades by poor roads.
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“This is a good example of a project that is being undermined by the judicial process. And similarly, we have similar projects in [the Republic], which are also being undermined,” he told the British-Irish Parliamentary Assembly meeting in Tralee.
The Government’s National Development Plan sets out attempts to ensure that roads from the Republic leading to the A5, including the N2, are improved, said the Minister.
“We’re very committed to working with the administration in the North and the British government on the A5. It’s currently being undermined by the judicial review case. That has brought huge uncertainty to its timelines and its deliverability,” he said.
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The difficulties facing the A5 highlight the problem of getting infrastructure projects completed that are being faced across the board by the Government and by the Northern Ireland Executive in Stormont.
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“A critical infrastructure project like the A5, which would provide huge road safety benefits, regional connectivity and growth is being undermined by, I would say, vexatious environmental considerations.
“That is an issue we need to learn from each other on and how we can reform and rebalance the delivery of infrastructure and housing in the interests of the common good. This is a good example of a project being undermined by judicial process.”
The Government must make the case for planning reform: “We can have all the lists of projects in the world, but public administration has allowed the process to become excessive and slow, undermining delivery in too many areas.”
This is not just a problem for Ireland, but the rest of the European Union and the United Kingdom: “Until we streamline and simplify [the] process, these lists will continue to lengthen without being delivered.
“That’s why I always make the case. It’s not an expenditure discussion on who gets what, it’s actually about making the case for reform that will ultimately deliver more for everyone,” he declared.
