Galway Senator weighs up legal action over Ring Road

Senator O’Reilly, who is a solicitor and former Galway City Councillor, told the Galway City Tribune that she believes there are grounds for mounting a legal challenge to the High Court following the decision by An Bord Pleanála to give the green light to the €600,000 project last month.

She said the planning board did not consider the climate emission targets when it granted planning permission. The Climate Action Plan 2021 commits the Government to a reduction of 51% in overall greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 and net-zero emissions by 2050.

While the Green Party would have no legal standing in lodging a judicial review of the decision, she is willing to offer advice and support to any homeowner or environmental group which would.

“I am speaking with parties who could take a challenge. I know everybody is considering what the options are. I will say it moves into the hands of the Council is terms of purchasing people’s lands and that’s a difficulty. I think a lot of people do not agree with this decision,” she stated.

“I’m more than happy to speak to anyone who would be in a position to take a judicial review. I believe I could assist with that process, perhaps not personally, but I could support it.”

She reiterated arguments she had made in a submission at the oral hearing into the project, namely that bypasses take away from sustainable development because they promote sprawl, making it harder to cater for people with public transport and further encouraging car use, which in turn would add to emissions.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.

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