Galway County Council has completed work on the reports required by An Bord Pleanála ahead of making a decision on whether or not the long-awaited Galway City Ring Road project can go ahead, Galway West TD Noel Grealish has revealed.

Deputy Grealish has been told that the council project team has finished their work and are now in the process of finalising the reports and documentation, and their response to the planning appeals board would be forwarded by the end of the month.

“There’s a whole process that has now to be completed, like translating everything into Irish as required by law and printing off all of this documentation, but the work is otherwise done,” the Independent TD added.

After a High Court appeal saw An Bord Pleanála’s approval for the 18km ring road being referred back to the planning appeals board in 2023, the board sought further information from the project lead, Galway County Council, including updated surveys and audits on issues such as ecology and traffic as well as its impact on the Government’s current Climate Action Plan.

Deputy Grealish said that he would be pressing the Government to ensure that once An Bord Pleanála receive the updated information that they requested in the coming weeks, the project would be given top priority and a decision made as quickly as possible.

“I think it only right that An Bord Pleanala make the Galway ring road project their number one priority and throw every resource necessary at it to make sure a decision is made quickly.”

Deputy Grealish said there had been suggestions that An Bord Pleanála might require a further oral hearing into the project to be held, but he hoped this would not be necessary. “Surely everything that needed to be explored was covered in the last oral hearing held almost four years ago.

“Either way, it’s vital that this whole process is moved on as quickly as possible – at this stage it’s 25 years since plans were first published for a bypass of the city, and there has been well over €50m spent on the planning process.”

“A global survey published a few months ago showed that Galway is ranked as the 37th worst city in the world for traffic congestion – worse than major international cities like Sydney and Amsterdam.

“Meanwhile, there are 54 families and individuals in the city living in limbo, whose houses are along the route of the proposed ring road. They can’t sell, even though some would like to downsize, and renovation would be a waste of their money.

It’s a hugely stressful situation that has gone on for eight years – it simply can’t be allowed to go on much longer,” added Deputy Grealish.

Pictured: Deputy Noel Grealish: ring road must be given top priority.