Lumberjack free-for-all on bypass route

CONCERNS about health and safety issues on the construction path of the Listowel Bypass were flagged by councillors at a meeting in Listowel on Friday.

It also emerged the Bypass is likely to go to tender later this year, but that the CPO negotiating process with a number of landowners is entering a legal mire.

Fine Gael’s Mike Kennelly quizzed council officials as to how the bypass preparation site had not been secured following extensive recent works felling trees and hedgerows to prepare the route.

Tracey Smith of the Roads Design Office informed elected members that the Council had decided not to fence off the works as a gesture of ‘goodwill’ towards landowners where holdings were bisected.

“There were trees cut down a couple of months ago and half of Listowel went out with chainsaws taking the timber,” Cllr Kennelly explained, citing the health-andsafety fears presented by chaotic scenes.

Ms Smith said the Council was ‘satisfied’ the works were fully compliant with health and safety requirements, however.

Fine Gael’s Michael Foley asked if it would not be better, in light of the projected economic downturn as a result of COVID, to leave any further clearance work until such time as a ‘guarantee of funding’ could be in place for the completion of the project.

Ms Smith said that, as far as the Council was concerned, the funding ‘is there’, but said there was never a ‘guarantee of anything’.

“That’s what I’m saying. In the present economic climate, if the funding is pulled and all this is cleared, down the years we will have an eyesore there,” Cllr Foley said.

Cllr Kennelly also asked why certain landowners are now having recourse to solicitors at great personal expense as the negotiation process continues. He said that some landowners were now of the view that the Council was not engaging with them further on the issue.

Ms Smith insisted the Council was continuing to engage with everyone but that – while the council could not comment on the negotiations underway – admitted there were more challenges than would usually be anticipated. She said it was ‘rare’ to see solicitors get involved in the negotiating process.

“Does that suggest to you that something is going wrong?” Listowel Municipal Chairperson Jimmy Moloney asked.

“We’re following the same process as we have followed in the last couple of years... it does appear to be more difficult at the moment, but we do attempt to accommodate people,” Ms Smith said.