There is a huge incinerator almost the same distance from Newgrange as Slane. No issues with planning for it, and it looks terrible and can be seeen for miles day and night. I live in Slane and witness the trucks every morning speeding down the hill. My kids walk up the hill to school, very very dangerous, bypass needed urgently……

Do an board planala not speak to builders, developers or county councils before they spend millions creating there plans. They could give guide lines what is acceptable and what is not, etc.

The safety of Newgrange’s stones is more important than the lives of the residents of Slane, and those that have to use it’s deathtrap bridge.

Terrible news for the people of Slane, the N2 through the village and either side of it is notoriously dangerous as the loss of life is testament to and the existing bridge is totally insufficient for current traffic needs. The bypass was not planned as a motorway but a dual carriageway for the stretch of the bypass itself so to call the proposed road a motorway is wrong. How they could grant the M3, which has had no adverse effects on Tara, and not grant this road which is a drop of tar in comparison, is quite beyond me. Enough lives have been lost at Slane and many more have been lucky to survive accidents, surely that must play a strong part in any decision.

The proposed road lies 574metres (over half a km) from the western edge of the Buffer Zone. Saying that it passes through the UNESCO site is clearly wrong. See map where bufferzone around the complex is clearly marked:

http://www.vincentsalafia.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/slaneaerialEIS.jpg

Newgrange itself is over 2km from the proposed route. Either way people will continue to die on the current Slane road/bridge which is not fit for purpose. The report baiscally acknowledges this with following point:

“The first is that the existing N2 across Slane Bridge and through Slane is seriously substandard in terms of vertical and horizontal alignment and safety of road users; this point is generally accepted.”

Also the proposal is not of Motorway standard. Roundabouts are not allowed on motorways, plus hard shoulders are compulsory, something which is missing from this scheme (2+2)

Well done An Bord Planála!

Well, I’ve just finished reading all 124 pages of the Inspector’s report into the bypass and I’m confused. He concludes the best of the possible routes was chosen, that it will have a positive effect on human life, no impact on flora and fauna, noise pollution in Bru an Boinne will be imperceptible, view from Newgrange unchanged, view from Knowth changed slightly but “the bridge, which would be simple in form, would be quite distant from Knowth and would appear as a compatible feature in a river valley landscape”, it will not be visible from the rest of the core area, it won’t lead to further developments because of the Local Area Plan, there are no significant archaeological concerns and he’s satisfied that the archaeological investigation was of a high standard. Lifting the M1 toll, which he says is impossible anyway, won’t have a significant impact on traffic safety, and a total HGV ban would put local businesses under severe pressure and divert the risks to other rural roads. He says due to the intolerable traffic situation, doing nothing is not an option.

So it seems the An Bord Pleanala members just completely ignored the report of their inspectors who had listened to a month of evidence, and just said no for the hell of it. It’s infuriating.

It seems to me every capital spending project gets stopped by “bord planeverything do nothing. ” Leo must be delighted or maybe he already knew

Anyone that regularly uses this road or lives in the area knows how bad this decision is! A bypass is needed badly for Slane… That bridge is not good enough for the road it services, not to mention the dangerous hills on both sides. The tree huggers need to get a grip! Peoples safety should come first!

I can never really understand why the N1, N2 and N3 leave Dublin in such close proximity. There must be all of 5km between the M1 and N2 between Slane and Ardee. Would it not just be easier to build a proper spur across by Ardee?

The contrast with the density of the main roads leading South and West out of Dublin is striking.

Good decision but an urgent review of alternatives must be developed.

any chance that an taisce might put safety and people first?

I don’t buy the, it’s too near the Brú na Bóinne argument.

Why was building permission granted to new houses in Slane over the last 20 years? Then when the population grows because An Bord Pleanála granted these, they refuse a bypass.

You can’t do this, that’s why I think it’s the wrong decision. If they were so worried about the heritage site, a zero planning policy should have existed for Slane.

The N52 should also be relocated, and what exactly is that huge quarry you can see on google maps about 1km east of Slane Castle – “Roadstone Slane”. How is that ok in this general planning system?

Final paragraph in the article says there are 2 motorways in Meath. M1, M2, M3, M4, M6. So which three of those 5 M class roads are not motorways…

Good decision.

If memory serves me fight, when FF tried to get this done and asked for a report at one stage about environmental impact it would have to the area, a female was actually fired because they had submitted a full finished government report that stated it would have a bad effect on the local environment. The matter was reported at the time by The Irish Independent.

Lack of funds more like it not rejected

Great decision by A B P .

For the record – I too live in the area – and the female that submitted the report they didn’t like at the time, I think too her case to court for unfair dismissal.