Madam, - It is unrealistic of Dick Roche to believe that the "robust" planning policies he plans to put in place will prevent "inappropriate development" along the route of the M3 in the Tara/Skryne valley (The Irish Times, May 21st). Whatever about the short term, there is no guarantee that his policies will do so in the long term.
This section of the motorway will be there long after Mr Roche has ceased to be Minister for the Environment. Legislation he puts in place today may be changed tomorrow. This is not idle speculation. We have just had proof. Heritage functions were transferred to the Department of the Environment as recently as 2002, only to be followed by the abolition of Dúchas, the heritage service. Furthermore, planning permission for this span of the motorway could not have been given in the first place without another change in the rules - namely the reduction of the zone of protection around the Hill of Tara, which had been increased to a radius of 6 kilometres in 1999 by Dúchas as a result of new discoveries about Tara by the Government-funded Discovery Programme.
Mr Roche's promise to stop development along a stretch of motorway which could be in place for centuries is worthless. The best defence would be to remove temptation and move this section of the motorway east of the Hill of Skryne. Michael D. Higgins has reminded us that Mr Roche has the power to do this. If the Minister has not the stomach for such a measure, the Taoiseach should intervene and act now to save one of the few remaining near-intact ancient sacred landscapes in Europe for future generations. - Yours, etc,
Dr NIAMH WHITFIELD,
Faroe Road,
London W14.