Homeowners and landowners whose properties may be affected by the TEN-T Project can expect updates this summer.
Up to 40 property acquisitions may now be required to make way for the 42km road network between Letterkenny, Manorcunningham, Lifford and the Ballybofey Stranorlar Bypass.
Cllr Donal Coyle said that residents have been waiting and wondering about upcoming compulsory purchase orders for years.
“A number people have known for the last seven years that their house is going to be demolished, it’s a long time to have to wait,” Cllr Coyle told this week’s meeting of the Letterkenny-Milford MD.
Speaking afterwards, Cllr Coyle said the homeowners in limbo are “under terrible stress.”
“It’s very difficult for people to make plans when they have known from 2018 that their houses are to be demolished. They don’t know what compensation they are going to get.”
“You have landowners as well, whose land is landlocked, and they need clarity on the whole thing. When the final design is completed there is a 300m corridor laid out for the Ten-T, and it’s a lot of land, especially for farmers who are going to lose land.”
Cllr Coyle has welcomed news that the project’s Phase 4 Statutory Process stage is progressing almost within its timeframe.
Essential documentation is expected to be completed by the end of May 2025. The documentation, which includes an Environmental Impact Assessment Report, the Compulsory Purchase Order documentation, and the Design Report, may be published 6-8 weeks later after a final legal review.
TEN-T Priority Route Improvement Project Donegal
Cllr Coyle yesterday asked the council to seek to expedite the next phase of the TEN T Project which includes the Bonagee Link/Bridge.
A council spokesperson confirmed: “There have not been and are not now any further ways to expedite the current review process in preparation for publication of the TEN-T Priority Route Improvement Project Donegal. Every effort has and continues to be made to get all current matters completed within the shortest time possible.”
Approximately €18 million has already been spent on progressing the project, which has an estimated total cost in the region of €800 million, according to Cllr Coyle.
“It is a fantastic project, and I’m delighted to see it is more or less on target,” Cllr Coyle told the meeting. “It is essential for Letterkenny and the north west that we get the Ten-T and the bridge across the Swilly. We are all aware of traffic congestion in Letterkenny and especially coming into the summertime again, it would certainly relieve the situation greatly.”
Donegal County Council has a Land Liaison team in place for this TEN-T Project and they have been engaging on an ongoing basis with land and property owners that are likely to be impacted by the project. This team can be contacted on 074-9725315 should a land or property owner have any queries.
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