Western bypass would 'threaten future Slane rock concerts'

The future of Slane Castle as a rock music venue would be put at risk if a bypass of Slane was built to the west of the village, according to Alex Conyngham, son of castle owner, Henry Mountcharles. An Bord Pleanála's oral hearing into plans for an eastern bypass of the village heard a submission from Alex Conyngham, who was responding to suggestions that greater consideration should be given to a western bypass in order to protect the world heritage status of Brú na Bóinne. Meath County Council has already identified the proposed 3.5km eastern bypass as the best option as it considers a route to the west of the village would be 7.5km long and pose economic, landscape, archaeological and cultural heritage difficulties. A new dual carriageway to the west of Slane Castle would compromise views to and from the castle and reduce or eliminate its ability to attract tourists, weddings and corporate clients and would also undermine plans for a whiskey micro-distillery and visitor centre there, as well as the development of walks and other amenities in the grounds, Earl Mountcharles told the hearing. "The future of rock concerts, which have helped make Slane Castle a national icon and put the village of Slane on the international map, would be seriously threatened with the construction of a major route so close to the concert site. This would constitute a significant economic loss to both the estate and the village of Slane," he said. He said he supported the proposal for an eastern bypass and added that heavy vehicles and other traffic had to be re-routed away from the existing Slane bridge as it was the only means in the area of crossing the Boyne. The bridge did not afford safe pedestrian access at present which was not only wrong but prevented the village from benefiting from the tourism that such a walk would naturally bring to the village, he added. Meanwhile, Meath County Council plans to carry out a balloon test this week at the site of the proposed new Slane bridge. The test, which is due to take place on Thursday, will see a large balloon raised aloft over the Boyne Valley to indicate how visible the new 21 metre-high bridge would be from the surrounding area. Opponents of the planned bridge, which is part of the proposed N2 Slane Bypass, claim the structure would be visible from parts of the Brú na Bóinne site, which includes the national monuments of Knowth, Newgrange and Dowth. Such an intrusion would put the world heritage site status of the complex at risk, they claim. The suggestion for a balloon test had been made last week by world heritage expert, Dr Douglas Comer, when he addressed An Bord Pleanala's public oral hearing on the planned 3.5km dual carriageway eastern bypass of Slane. The measure has also been included in a number of recommendations made to the oral hearing by the Dept of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government. Archaeologist Mark Keegan from the Dept's National Monuments Service said that while the proposed new bridge across the Boyne would be visible from the National Monument at Knowth and as such would have a negative impact, it would not have a significant impact upon the setting and amenity value of the monument. Gerry Browner, senior architect at the Dept's built heritage and architectural policy section, recommended that before any decision on the project was made by Bord Pleanala, a balloon test be conducted and that the board request further information from the county council on traffic and other studies. Mr Browner also said that if the project got the go-ahead, the department would pursue Meath County Council to ascertain what planning measures could be put in place to prevent follow-on development in the vicinity of the new road as this was identified by Dr Comer as a potential threat to the outstanding universal value of the site. The decision by Meath County Council to build a bypass follows years of campaigning by local residents of the village where at least 22 have died in fatal accidents many in the vicinity of Slane bridge at the foot of the steep Slane Hill.