Slane blimp test doesn't change views of locals

Supporters and opponents of the proposed N2 Slane bypass mingled with Bord Pleanála inspectors Michael Walsh and Mairead Kenny, county council and other officials and the just-plain-curious at the Boyne balloon tests at the weekend. The test had been organised by the county council in response to promptings from world heritage expert, Dr Douglas Comer and the Dept of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, during the planning board's oral hearing into the county council's application for permission to construct a new eastern bypass of Slane, including a new bridge over the Boyne at Fennor. Supporters of the project claim the bypass is needed to reduce the fatal accident risk in the village where 22 people have died in a series crashes over the years while opponents of the proposal claim the road and bridge would have such a visual impact on the landscape that it would pose a threat to the world heritage status of Brú na Bóinne, including the historic sites of Knowth, Dowth and Newgrange. The balloon test, involving large blimp-type balloons raised aloft on either bank of the Boyne at the location of the proposed new bridge, was held at the weekend to give an indication of the impact of the bridge, particularly its height. During the tests on Friday and Saturday, small knots of spectators gathered at various locations, including the Hill of Slane, Slane bridge, the Rossnaree road and Knowth to assess the impact of two different bridge heights - 18 metres (the preferred height) and at 12 metres above ground level. From the top of a wet and windy Knowth on Friday, the 18m high balloon appeared like a mushroom above a line of trees in the western distance of the river valley below. When the height was reduced, the balloon appeared to skim the top of the treeline. Catching the eye behind the balloon was southbound traffic on the N2 heading uphill from Slane. HISTORIC SITES Opponents of the project claim the new road will bring that traffic closer to the historic sites while supporters say much of it could be masked by tree-planting along the new route. Rosaleen Allen, who lives near the monument at Knowth, felt the new road and bridge would have a negative impact on the site and said if the bypass went ahead, she would have to consider moving from the area. "I believe in safety first but I feel a HGV ban should be tried out in Slane," she said. Kieran Murray, who is opposed to the project, claimed the test proved the bridge would be "an unwarranted intrusion". He said: "Douglas Comer said the bridge would be an intrusion and he was right - it would stick out by a mile." He added that the road would put the undoubted wealth of archaeology in such an historic area at risk. "The archaeology would be recorded only and then covered up like at Tara," he said. However, Slane community spokesperson Conor Brady was adamant the test showed that the potential impact of the bridge and road had been overstated by its opponents. "We're glad the test was done. We never said the bridge would be invisible but believe the impact is not as negative as some people feared and is acceptable - after all, people would expect to see a bridge in a river valley; this would not be a bridge like the M1 bridge at Drogheda. We still want the bypass," he said. Meath County Council repeated the balloon tests on Saturday and again on Monday because of the poor weather on Friday afternoon. While the test was never likely to lead to a meeting of minds between those for and against the project, it will have helped clarify issues in the minds of the inspectors who will ultimately recommend whether or not the planning application should get the go-ahead. The oral hearing into the Slane bypass is set to resume at the end of the month when both sides will give their considered reponse to the ballon tests and make their closing arguments for and against the project. The inspectors' report is expected to take two months to complete and Bord Pleanála's ruling is then expected in late summer or early autumn.