Council meets NRA to look at options for Slane bypass

Talks planned between Meath County Council and the National Roads Authority planned for yesterday (Tuesday) were expected to explore the organisations' options in the wake of the An Bord Pleanala's decision to refuse permission for a bypass of Slane village. The council accepted that the Bord Pleanala decision was a "bitter disappointment" to those local people who had campaigned for the bypass and who had participated "so effectively" through the public consultation processes and during the oral hearing. It said that it was also disappointing to the council team who worked on the project and said the decision would inevitably further delay the implementation of a comprehensive solution to the traffic problems on the N2 in Slane. The council has also received legal advice that it had "no solid basis" for challenging the decision. However, it pledged to be "pragmatic and objective" in its response to the board's decision and it was resolved to working with the NRA to expedite that further studies that the board considered were required, and deliver the optimum solution. County Manager Tom Dowling told councillors this week that while the council was disappointed over the decision, the council was satisfied it had put "every single resource" into getting the bypass plan through. "The bottom line is that we had to go through the public process". He said they would not be giving up on the process and would take every possible step to rectify the situation in Slane.