M7 - Nenagh to Limerick

cjpm wrote: »

Bog is about 90% water.
Imagine digging a trench in a lake, more than 30m deep in places and 1km long... You would need to be Moses to keep that volume of water out!

Geogregor wrote: »

Which Label? Top or bottom? Is it this brown patch of land?
How long is this bogged section?

Did you have "bog problems" on other projects?
Ireland is known of bogs.

Farmers still wait for payment for M7 land acquisition


By Simon O’Duffy
North Tipperary farmers and other landowners are still waiting to be paid for lands they sacrificed for the new M7 motorway.
Hundreds of landowners have given up land through the Compulsory Purchase Order scheme to facilitate construction of the M7, the Nenagh-Limerick section of which is due to open at the end of this year.
However according to the Irish Farmers Association a significant number of these landowners have still not been paid for their land, despite the fact that many parts of the M7 are now reaching completion.
Chairman of the IFA Roads Project Team Jer Bergin said many farmers on both the Castletown-Nenagh and Nenagh-Limerick sections of the scheme are owed CPO monies by the National Roads Authority. But he said the roads authority does not have the money to pay these farmers, and those who are still owed are worried that they will be left in limbo.
The NRA has denied this claim and stated that money has been set aside for purchasing land for the M7.
A spokesperson for the authority said the majority of land purchases on the scheme have been finalised. A small number of individual cases remain outstanding but these are being dealt with by the local councils, which act as conduits for the payment of NRA monies to landowners.
Limerck Co Council is the lead local authority on the Nenagh-Limerick section of the scheme. Executive Engineer Deirdre Hoolihy said the council is dealing with around 300 landowners on the scheme and that 80 to 90 per cent of CPOs have been settled since the council served notice to treat in March 2005. She said negotiations are still taking place with the remainder.
Similarly with Laois Co Council, which is the lead authority on the C a s t l e t o w n - N e n a g h scheme, Project Engineer Joe Kelly told The Guardian that the majority of CPOs on the scheme, which involves roughly 150 land parcels, have been settled. The council served its notice to treat in July 2006.
It is understood that disagreement over title deeds and valuation has stalled a number of the outstanding cases on the M7.
The IFA was unable to confirm exactly how many farmers are awaiting CPO payments on the Nenagh-Limerick and C a s t l e t o w n - N e n a g h schemes. However farmers say they are unhappy with how the matter is being dealt with, one member telling The Guardian that there appeared to be a complete lack of communication between the relevant authorities on the N e n a g h - L i m e r i c k scheme. He described the situation as a “total fiasco.”
M e a n w h i l e Agricultural Consultant Richard Ray, who has represented farmers on the Castletown-Nenagh scheme, said about a third of landowners whose cases were deemed settled have still not received any money. He levelled blame at the door of the NRA.
Mr Bergin said the IFA is concerned that landowners who have not yet signed CPO contracts will experience great difficulty in securing payment. He was particularly concerned that farmers may fall victim to proposals for a new 80 per cent windfall tax that will apply to the sale of sites and rezoned land.
Farmers have reacted furiously to the proposals, which were introduced as part of the NAMA legislation, and which could leave all lands zoned for development subject to the new high rate of capital gains tax.
Mr Bergin said farmers would refuse to cooperate with road building projects if the Government attempted to introduce the windfall tax.
Meanwhile on Monday, farmers from North Tipperary took part in the IFA-organised tractorcade protest in Thurles to highlight their concern over collapsing farm incomes.