Campaign group disappointed by new A5 court ruling

THE chairman of a campaign group lobbying for the new A5 road said they are ‘disappointed’ over a court ruling today which have thrown the project into disarray.

At the High Court in Belfast, a judge quashed the decision to allow the new A5 dual-carriageway to go ahead as planned.

Mr Justice McAlinden said he had made the decision on human rights grounds and climate change regulations.

It means that the new £1.2 billion road will not now be going ahead as planned.

In a judgement running to 100 pages, in response to a case taken by a group called Alternative A5 Alliance (AA5A), Mr Justice McAlinden said he was acutely aware the decision would bring ‘fresh anguish’ to the families of those who have lost loved ones as a result of road traffic collisions on the road.

Last October, Stormont ministers approved the long-awaited A5 road upgrade project, including a full dual carriageway, between Derry and Aughnacloy.

However, the AA5A took a case to the High Court in Belfast against the proposed new road.

They argued that the current A5 should be upgraded, instead of a new road being constructed.

Speaking outside the court after today’s ruling, Niall McKenna, chairman of A5 Enough is Enough group, which has led the campaign for the new road, spoke of his disappointment with the decision.

“We find it ironic that the law is there to serve and protect the people. It is there to serve and protect society and the judgement acknowledges this scheme will have major societal benefits, so it seems ironic to g against the societal benefits.

“The law should be there to serve and protect us, not work against us.

“That being said there are positives in the judgement. There are positives in that it does provide a clear and unambiguous roadmap for the scheme to go ahead and we hope that will happen very quickly.”

Also speaking outside the court, solicitor Ciaran O’Hare (pictured below), representing AA5A, praised the “tenacity” of the group.

“Their sustained efforts have been vindicated in court today,” he says.

Mr O’Hare said the group has “never disregarded the safety concerns concerning the current A5 road” and has always argued it should be upgraded “to minimise the adverse affects on the environment and our land”.