The High Court has found in favour of the construction of an £18.5m dual carriageway by Wicklow County Council through the beautiful Glen of the Downs. The judicial review judgment ran to 150 pages and dealt comprehensively with highly complex matters before finding broadly in favour of the local authority. Some of the procedures adopted by the Council were questioned; the Court found the land had been improperly acquired from the Department of Arts, Culture, the Gaeltacht and the Islands. In order to rectify this question of ownership, Ministerial approval will have to be sought for the land transfer from the Departments of Agriculture and Finance. Given the delay of two years that has already affected the development, it is expected that such permissions will be immediately forthcoming.
It would be in everybody's interests if the Court's judgment was accepted in this case and the modified road development plans of Wicklow County Council were allowed to proceed. Unfortunately, that does not look set to happen. The so-called "eco-warriors" who have camped in tree houses and elsewhere in the Glen since their public protest against tree-felling and road widening began, appear determined to continue their campaign. This would be a short-sighted reaction which would flout a clear ruling by the Court - and undermine public support for other, more important, ecologically-sensitive battles.
The public interest has been well served by the concerns of conservationists in this case. The protests and objections of groups opposed to the original road plan had a major impact in modifying its scale and reducing its impact on the Glen. The final project will directly affect an estimated 0.68 acres of woodland and cause the felling of some hundreds of trees within the 145 wild acres of the Glen. But the nature reserve, the great majority of the trees and the public's right to picnic there will remain largely unaffected. This should be seen as a victory for conservationists.
In all of this, the economic and social needs of a modern society must be addressed. And that involves providing an efficient infrastructure in terms of roads, railways, water, sewage and other systems. The dual carriageway planned for the Glen of the Downs is designed to link with Kilmacanogue and improve the quality of the main eastern corridor leading south to Rosslare. Daily traffic volumes on the road are already twice those that would warrant dual carriageway status and safety is an important concern.
The Green Party has called for legislation to protect such nature reserves from road widening projects. There is room here for reflection and public debate. Recently, Professor Brendan Walsh has suggested that an improvement in the average living standards of citizens, rather than the pursuit of an ever-growing economy, should underpin future economic policy. Sustainable development is a concept that will have increasing relevance for us all.