[Article] Delay threat to Navan-Dublin rail-line

NavanJunction1

“In order to bring the railway line to Navan, there is no way that State money will be provided for the whole project and we will have to come up with up to 50 per cent of the cost." - MCC chairman, Colr Brian Fitzgerald
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Meath Chronicle, Sat, Apr 22 06
by Paul Murphy


PROJECTS like the reopening of the rail line between Navan and Dublin could be further delayed if the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government does not allow Meath to plan for future population increases, Meath County Council chairman, Colr Brian Fitzgerald warned this week.

A population of 170,000 has been predicted for the county by 2010 in the preliminary draft of the 2007-2013 County Development Plan. Planners in the county give current estimates of the population standing at 155,134 and it is considered that the estimated population figure of 170,000 in 2010 is well below the annual rate of increase experienced in the period 2002 to 2005.

Colr Fitzgerald said that he was extremely concerned at the way the council was being dealt with by the Department in relation to the Development Plan up to 2013.

“The figures on projected population increases in the county presented to us by the Department do not coincide with ours. The result is that the Department is putting the county into a straightjacket as far as development is concerned. In fact, their scenario is a recipe for division and I feel very angry at what has been put in front of is,” he said. The Department would have to redraw its guidelines as far as Meath was concerned, he insisted.

Colr Fitzgerald said that this was no reflection on the planners within the county. What was at issue in relation to Meath’s progress was the attitude of the Department. He could not see progress being made on the Development Plan over the next few weeks. “That is unacceptable to me as chairman,” he said.

The Department had got things “very badly wrong” but would not admit that this was the case.

The council has been told that the existing Development Plan consists of three volumes - volume one has objectives for the county at large; volume two contains written statements and detailed objectives for towns and villages, including books of maps; volume three deals with conservation.

Councillors are working to a deadline of 2nd June for completion of their consideration of volume one.

The chairman said that his main concern was that the Department was “closing its eyes” to the reality of population increase in the county. “We are supposed to be at a figure of 151,000 by 2010 yet our officials are estimating that the population is standing at 160,000 today. The Department is ignoring those facts at its peril. If it does not provide a planning process to allow for realistic increases in population, then Meath will suffer very badly. The outcome will be that the services that we so badly need will just not be there,” he said.

He said that the Department’s attitude to planning guidelines would hinder rather than help the county in getting the rail link to Navan revived. “In order to bring the railway line to Navan, there is no way that State money will be provided for the whole project and we will have to come up with up to 50 per cent of the cost. We need to be able to impose levies for that but we are without clear direction on all of this. What is needed here is for the minister to take action against officials who are not being realistic about planning guidelines,” Colr Fitzgerald said.