Mattie McGrath criticises 6km Tipperary Town bypass corridor
Mattie McGrath criticised the decision to sterilise a six-kilometre corridor around the proposed bypass for Tipperary Town, arguing it prevents local planning applications and primarily benefits consultants. He urged case-by-case planning so people can apply for sites, secure mortgages and build homes to help ease the housing crisis.
Bypass corridor and planning restrictions
McGrath said two sets of consultants are examining the road from Limerick to Waterford and that a six-kilometre-wide corridor has been sterilised from Limerick onto Tipperary Town, Bairnshire, Cair, Clonmel, Carnican Shore and Pilt Town onto Waterford. He warned that people who want to build houses in those areas cannot apply for planning while the corridor is in place.
Reference to earlier studies and the M24
He noted that studies and extensive plans for the M24 were completed previously and questioned why the corridor now needed to be wider. McGrath argued the repetition of studies appears to be costly and said the process is "only giving money to consultants."
Appeal for case-by-case planning to address housing
McGrath urged authorities to consider case-by-case decisions within the corridor to allow people to apply for planning, build a home, obtain a mortgage and help lessen the housing crisis. He described the blanket sterilisation as "bizarre," time-consuming and delaying for would-be homebuilders.
Request for ministerial reply
The matter was to be referred to the Minister for Transport for a detailed reply, McGrath said, following his raising of the issue in the chamber.
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I will go back to the situation of a bypass for Tipperary Town. Two sets of consultants are looking at the road now from Limerick right onto Waterford, and Tipperary Town has to be bypassed, but we have plans before to bypass it. Why now have they sterilised a six-kilometre-wide passage of land right all the way from Limerick onto Tipperary Town, Bairnshire, Cair, Clonmel, Carnican Shore, Pilt Town, onto Waterford? People want to build houses in those areas, and they can't apply for planning now. because of the six kilometres. These studies were done before, and huge plans were done for the M24, and they are there. So why do we have to sterilise wider even this time? It is only giving money to consultants. Surely we can look at the case-by-case spaces within that corridor to allow people to apply for planning, who can build a home, who are looking to have a site, and are able to get a mortgage and build a house to solve the housing crisis well or lessen the problem. This is bizarre that they would sterilise six kilometres. It is a wide track, because we all know that the dogs and sweet know it is not going to be used. It is going to be a colour or similar to the one before. It is very, very time-consuming and delaying. Thank you. Thanks, Deputy. I will inform the Minister for Transport that he raised this matter again, and we will ask him to furnish him with a detailed reply. Thank you.
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