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THE long-running legal battle over the proposed A5 dual carriageway returns to the High Court in Belfast today.
A senior judge will continue to examine whether the £1.7 billion infrastructure project is compatible with the North’s climate change commitments.
The case, before Mr Justice McAlinden, has already heard two days of detailed submissions from barristers representing the Department for Infrastructure, campaign group Alternative A5 Alliance and the Tyrone GAA ‘Enough is Enough’ campaign.
At the heart of the dispute is the future of the long-delayed road linking Ballygawley in south Tyrone to Newbuildings in Derry.
Last June, Mr Justice McAlinden quashed the approval granted by former Infrastructure Minister John O’Dowd for the major scheme. Current Infrastructure Minister Liz Kimmins has since appealed that decision.
Complicating matters further, the Lady Chief Justice, Siobhan Keegan, part-heard an appeal against the ruling before referring specific questions around the project’s climate impact back to the High Court for reconsideration.
During submissions last week, the court was told that a ‘margin of caution’ was warranted when assessing projected emissions data produced by the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency.
Tony McGleenan KC said that the valuative judgements made on the projected emissions were correct within the draft Climate Change Plan produced in June 2025, and that the forecasts were entirely within the range being anticipated.
He added that reassurance has been provided by figures that the policy programmes on climate change would enable the Stormont Executive to meet its targets.
The barrister was responding to questions from Mr Justice McAlinden on published statistics which indicated that climate change targets would not be met.
