Sir, – The commentary concerning the High Court judgment last week on Dublin City Councils's proposals for the cycleway on Strand Road, Sandymount, is overblown, bordering on the ridiculous. The phrase used by the council's chief executive Owen Keegan, "devastating consequences", on the development of cycling infrastructure is one example (News, July 31st). Another is his reference to the "enormous hurdle" of having to follow the planning process.
What the judgment requires of the council is very simple. It must go through the planning process because it requires both environmental and appropriate assessments.
The objective of a planning process is to provide proper planning and development.
It obliges developers to seek approval for their projects through a public procedure in accordance with criteria that have been developed since the 1960s, which results in either the granting or refusal of permission for developments.
Surely the council, as the developer in this case, should be leading by example in honouring this process to the full rather than castigating it as an “enormous hurdle”? – Yours, etc,
PAULA CLANCY,
Sandymount, Dublin 4.