MEETING OVER N81 TO TAKE PLACE WITH MINISTER ROSS Stole port

WICKLOW County Council will write to Transport Minister Shane Ross asking him to reverse the decision to shelve the upgrading of the N81.

Minister of State Andrew Doyle has also arranged a meeting between the Minster, Wicklow’s five TDs and a delegation from the N81 Action Group due to take place in June.

Cllr Gerry O’Neill sought a suspension of standing orders at Monday’s meeting of Wicklow County Council and received the full support of the elected members with his proposal to write to Minister Ross and request that he progress plans for an upgrade of the N81 from Hollywood Cross to Tallaght.

A preferred route corridor for upgrades to the N81 was selected in 2016. However, the road improvement scheme was not included in the Government’s Capital Investment Plan (CIP), which provides the financial and strategic framework for Transport Infrastructure Ireland’s activities until 2021.

Following Monday’s County Council meeting, Cllr O’Neill said: ‘I am delighted with the support I received from my fellow councillors. The only budget the Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) received was for the upgrading of existing carriageways up to 2027. It is simply unacceptable that up to 100 landowners on the 32km route are left in limbo like this. The planned upgrade required a 300-metre strip from Tallaght to Hollywood. That land has now been frozen which is completely unacceptable for the landowners. This is the only major road out of Dublin that has yet to be upgraded. Everyone had their hopes up when a preferred route was selected but now, once again, the N81 has been put on the long finger.’

Cllr O’Neill has also thanked Andrew Doyle TD for arranging a meeting with Minster Ross, which will also be attended by members of the N81 Action Group, which the councillor is a member of.

‘Credit where credit is due. Minister of State Doyle has organised a meeting for June 13. We appreciate his interest and efforts in arranging the meeting. Previously we have found it very difficult to make any sort of contact with the Minister. STEALING a bottle of Cockburns Port valued at €15.90 from Dunnes Stores in Gorey on June 28 of last year has resulted in a fine of €200 for Nikolajs Prokopovs (26) with addresses listed as 26 St Peter’s Place, Arklow, and 10 O’Connell Court, Clonmel, Co Tipperary.

Last Wednesday’s sitting of Gorey District Court heard how Latvian national Prokopovs had six previous convictions, including threatening abusive behaviour, public intoxication, disorderly conduct and failure to appear before the court.

Solicitor Mark Quinn said that his client was intoxicated at the time that this offence occurred and had had problems with alcohol. ‘Since then, he’s changed his lifestyle and he no longer drinks,’ Mr Quinn said. Upon hearing all the evidence, Judge Haughton convicted and handed down the €200 fine.