Green light for new road to facilitate Strule Campus

THE green light has been given for a multi-million pound scheme to widen the Mountjoy and Gortin Roads in Omagh to cater for the expected increase of traffic when the Strule Education Campus (eventually) opens.

A decision on the project had originally been deferred from October 2020, but it was finally passed by councillors last week.

It is anticipated that the new four-lane road will cater for 21,000 vehicles once thousands of students begin attending the six local post-primary schools that are relocating to the campus.

The road will run from the junction at the County Hall and Orange Hall all the way to the Silverbirch Hotel, with the biggest changes coming in the vicinity of the Grange Park.

An environmental statement has estimated that there will be 739 vehicle trips to the school and 461 departures in the morning, with 273 vehicles arriving and 381 departures in the afternoon peak period between 3pm and 4pm.

It is also hoped that the new road will reduce the number of vehicles queuing to get into the town centre, from a peak of 25 at the moment to just five.

A total of 26 objections were submitted, covering the increase in vehicles and traffic noise, the dangers of the road, the implications for residents and the belief that the proposed tree planting does not adequately compensate for the existing tree loss.

There are also concerns about the impact to what is regarded as one of the most attractive walking routes in the town, and the impact on the landscape setting of the adjacent Grange Park and its surroundings.

However, councillors have also imposed a total of 11 conditions. These include the protection of habitats in the area, the completion of a road safety audit and that no trees be damaged other than those earmarked for removal.

Four out of 59 trees surveyed have been earmarked for removal due to their condition and location.

The oldest trees on the site are two massive beech trees which are estimated to be around 200 years old.

Under the scheme, it is also proposed to plant 58 new trees, including 38 along the roadside and 20 within the Grange Park.