EU Officials Urge Pause on M3 Over Lismullen Find

Minister John Gormley recieved a letter from chairman of the Petitions Committee in the EU Parliament. The letter suggests that building on the M3 should be halted following the findings made at Lismullen earlier this year.

The site at Lismullen is a National Monument but as was reported earlier, the recommendation of the National Museum was to preserve it by record and not interrupt the routing of the motor-way. The letter from Marcin Libicki states;

“Several members [of the committee] voiced concerns about recent developments related to the M3 project at Tara and Lismullin and the Skryne Valley,” Mr Libicki wrote.

“Many members, including myself, share the view that in the light of the discovery of previously unrecorded, yet vitally important archaeology on the current route at Lismullin and nearby, urgent action is needed to halt existing works in this area and to review the routing of this section of the M3 motorway.”

This opens up the possibility that the current route may need to redo its Environmental Impact Assessment in light of the find at Lismullen. The Indo reported last month that the EU may move to halt the works on the M3 since the demolition at Lismullen may contravene an EU directive regarding Environmental Impact Assessments. Though the letter is not legally binding, it is a highly public rap on the knuckles from the EU and one which Gormley would have been quick to pounce on were he in opposition.

The promise of more uncomfortable news come Autumn time as the EU takes the government to court could well lead to some change in tack with regard to the motorway. Minister Gormley is said to have stressed his powerlessness to undo Minister Roche’s decision to excavate Lismullen and continue to build. There is some suggestion however from Tarawatch that he may change the route and the EU position may not be dissimilar to that of the activists.