The Irish Independent |
Hidden cost of building roads |
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Irish Independent Issue Date: Wed November 7th 2001 Sir Our Government has set out plans for the biggest road-building programme this country has ever seen. To date, our political representatives have neglected to put in place basic regulations to protect the interests and property rights of the citizens of this State who will be directly affected by this programme. To illustrate the extent of this neglect, your readers might be interested in knowing the story of my neighbourhood. I live in one of four houses in a cluster on a by-road. My neighbours are on the opposite side of the road. Their houses are side by side. One of my neighbours has been told that their house is likely to be demolished to make way for the N9/N10 motorway. The others were not even notified by the local authority of the intention to put a motorway just outside the boundary of their gardens. Having consulted with a valuer, we have been informed that all of our homes will be unsaleable until the motorway project is completed. My neighbours' homes will be devalued by 40-50pc and my home (which will be about 100 meters from the motorway) will be devalued by approximately 30pc. All of us are still paying mortgages for our homes. We have effectively been made prisoners by the State as none of us has any entitlement to compensation for the loss of our capital. None of us can afford to absorb our loss if we wished to move elsewhere or indeed if we needed to move as a result of changing job. Compensation for such loss was introduced in the UK as far back as 1973. This negligent government should hardly be re-elected if this fiasco is allowed to proceed. Sarah Drea, Clifden, Co Kilkenny.
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