Road to a Bypass
January 2017: Transport Infrastructure Ireland allocate funding of €1.2 million to the Slane bypass project for the year. This is a significant amount of money and demonstrates serious intent to bring the project back to the planning process.
February 2017: Positive meetings with the Bypass Slane Campaign group and Senior Officials in Meath County Council. Consultants RPS appointed to the project and begin work on a new application for the Slane Bypass.
Monday the 27th of February 2017: BSC meet with a representative of RPS and Meath County Council. Earlier in the day the delegation had completed an initial site visit of the Slane area, visiting Newgrange, Knowth, Dowth and the Hill of Slane. BSC impresses on them the serious concerns for road safety in the village and the overwhelming support for the Bypass from the majority of residents.
The sensitive nature of the landscape and the challenges it presents for a new application are discussed. RPS and MCC estimate a new application in 18 months, but one thing learned from this process is that time frames are often fluid.
Thursday 27th July 2017: A Public Consultation event takes place in the Conyngham Arms Hotel in Slane. All interested parties are invited to attend the event to obtain information on the Study Area under examination to develop route options and to make their views known on any aspect of the scheme. There is a large turn out. Interested parties are asked to make their views known in writing to Meath County Council by Tuesday the 15th of August 2017.
Wednesday 29th of November 2017: Meath County Council and Engineers RPS hold a second Public Consultation Process in The Conyngham Arms Hotel . On display are a selection of route options for the proposed bypass. One of these options, or a variant of, will eventually be selected as the route to go forward for planning in the New Year. Once again, a large attendance is recorded. Submissions on the route options are invited from all interested parties, to be submitted by the 15th of December 2017.
15th November 2018: The Slane community still waits for the preferred bypass route to be announced.
June 2019: Meath County Council advise they are carrying out a feasability study to assess a solution to the ever-increasing East-West traffic in Slane village. This follows discussions with An Bord Pleanala and submissions received in relation to the proposed bypass routes. Supplementary surveys are being undertaken to inform the formulation and assessment of possible options.
In addition, the Planning Department of Meath County Council have engaged consultants to provide a public realm plan for Slane.
Both of these pieces of work have a bearing on the overall option selection process. Therefore, MCC consider it important they are completed before any announcement on a preferred option. It is still anticipated that this announcement will be made later this year.
3rd October 2019: Deputy Thomas Byrne issues a press release in which the Minister for Transport, Deputy Shane Ross, indicates it will be 2021 before the Slane Bypass goes to An Bord Pleanala for grant of planning permission. This update outrages campaigners who call on Meath County Council to announce the preferred route, already 2 years under study, without any further delay and begin the planning process for this critical piece of infrastructure.
Thursday 14th November 2019: The emerging preferred route option for the Slane Bypass goes on display in The Conyngham Arms Hotel. The route can be viewed here:
