Planning commission wants more detail on Athlone 'Railway Field Road' project

The long-running saga over the council's bid to develop the so-called Railway Field Road at the Crescent in Athlone has taken another twist as An Coimisiún Pleanála has deferred its planning decision on the project in order to seek more information on possible flooding impacts arising from it.

Last summer, Westmeath County Council lodged a fresh planning application for the link road, which has been mooted and talked about at local authority level for more than 25 years.

A decision was due on January 12, but shortly before that date the planning commission wrote to the council to seeking "a site-specific flood risk assessment" in relation to the development.

The commission noted that a drainage report submitted as part of the plans "states that the application site is, on occasion, subject to flooding" and that during "exceptional" weather events the proposed drainage infrastructure could overflow "towards the culvert draining west under Southern Station Road".

The council's planning bid for the 380-metre link road states that it would take "approximately 12 months" to construct, and would "provide a more direct route" between the Coosan Point Road, at St Vincent's Care Centre, and the "Crescent/St Francis Terrace junctions".

If given the go-ahead, the new road would result in the western stretch of the Southern Station Road - from the Coosan Point Road junction to the train station - being restricted to bus use only.

Bus parking facilities at the Bus Eireann depot, opposite the bus and rail station, would also be extended as part of the road project.

Submissions or observations on the planning bid could be made last July and August, and during that period there were 12 submissions received by An Coimisiún Pleanála. The majority of these were objections submitted by residents living close to the site of the proposed new road.

Among the submissions was one from Thomas and Anne Curley of The Manse, Nortgate Street, who argued that "this road duplicates an already existing road and serves no meaningful purpose".

They said the new road "is intended to improve traffic flow and reduce congestion in town centre which, in our opinion, it will not do as congestion is not caused by the existing road".

Their submission states that the road would lead to an increase in light and noise pollution in the vicinity of their home, and added it was unclear from the planning documentation whether a fire risk assessment had been carried out in relation to the Bus Eireann depot extension.

The submission goes on to say: "The proposed site is a green field site that provides a safe habitat for many species of birds, insects, bats and small mammals... the destruction of this habitat will cause a significant and avoidable negative impact on local biodiversity."

Similar points were made in other submissions, with several arguing that the new road would not ease Athlone's traffic problems and may even lead to an increase in congestion.

Anne Hanley of the Abbey Road property known as Hanleys Cash and Carry stated that the road project "will increase the flood risk for our property and lands at Abbey Road, also known as Coosan Road," and she submitted an engineer's report detailing those flooding concerns.

Meanwhile, Beechpark resident Louise Heavin, a former councillor and ex-Mayor of Athlone, made a submission outlining "significant concerns" she had about the road.

These were in relation to its "environmental impact, traffic and transport deficiencies, safety and accessibility issues and non-compliance with relevant local development plans and policies".

Ms Heavin said the development would result in "substantial removal of trees, wetlands and meadows that are crucial for maintaining local biodiversity and mitigating air pollution," adding that drawings submitted with the plans "underestimate the extent of vegetation clearance" that would occur.

She said "no traffic impact assessment" had been carried out as part of the planning bid. "This proposal adds additional road to the area and more junctions. Without proper study and analysis this has the potential to cause increased traffic delays and traffic idling in the area," her submission stated.

She added that the road project could result in an "unintended consequence of increased traffic on the Ballymahon Road" and concluded that it represents "poor urban design" in the heart of the town.

"Athlone as a regional growth centre and a growing urban population deserves better than this proposal," she wrote.

As reported in the Westmeath Independent last September, Westmeath County Council has spent close to €7 million to date on capital contracts, land costs and consultants' fees relating to the Railway Field Road project.

The council now has six months to respond to the request to provide a site-specific flood risk assessment in relation to the link road proposal.