Aontú Deputy Leader has reacted to the news that the A5 will face a further delay, as a court challenge from landowners opposed to the scheme has been successful on the basis of provisions of the Climate Change Act, which was supported by the SDLP, Sinn Féin, PBP, and the Alliance Party.
Speaking today, Mrs Brolly said:
“Firstly, it has to be said that this is a devastating result for those families who have lost loved ones on a road that we all know to be unsafe.
The fact that the latest hurdle in this saga has come from a piece of legislation supported by most of the Assembly exposes a fundamental weakness in Stormont’s ability to deliver key infrastructural projects.
The Climate Change Act was enthusiastically supported by Sinn Fein, PBP, the SDLP and Alliance – and they were all informed throughout the consultation and committee processes that it would have a detrimental impact on projects like roads.
Indeed, the SF Infrastructure Minister stalled a number of roads in 2023 because of the implications of the Act – so they knew there was a problem and did nothing to address it.
The scrutiny that MLA’s are highly paid for has been lacking on so many issues, but to see it laid bare in the determination of the court yesterday shocked even the most seasoned Stormont watcher – political parties scrambling to distance themselves from a law they championed.
The Executive now have to get expert legal advice and fix the mess they have created.
We cannot have the A5 stalled any longer, as it poses a threat to the lives of those on the road and disrupts the connectivity of the North West, which has waited so long for Stormont to deliver a project that is now over a decade in the making.
Aontú will not let those parties forget the mess they have created on this and so many other issues. Their incompetence is staggering, even when measured against their brass necks by trying to deny they got us here in the first place.
If they spent less time making social media videos from pre-prepared speeches in the Assembly Chamber, they might have produced legislation that is not now delaying a major infrastructure project.”
