Infrastructure Minister Chris Hazzard has accepted the outcomes of the Public Inquiry for the A24 Ballynahinch Bypass scheme and has confirmed the scheme will now progress in readiness of funding becoming available.
A public inquiry was held in January 2016 into the proposed scheme and the Inspector reported his findings to the Department in March 2016. Following an examination of the issues raised, the Minister has accepted the Report’s recommendations and has confirmed the scheme should progress, subject to refinements to reflect the Inspector’s recommendations.
The Inspector appointed to the inquiry concluded that having considered all of the submissions, objections and undertakings entered into by the Department/TransportNI to accommodate objectors, the proposal for the A24 Ballynahinch Bypass should proceed.
Minister Hazzard said: “I am delighted to announce this key step in the development of the Ballynahinch Bypass which is seeking to address the traffic delays at this bottleneck along the A24, which are familiar to those who travel along this strategic route everyday and to the Ballynahinch community.
“Progressing a scheme of this scale represents significant investment for the area. The provision of the bypass will improve journey time reliability and road safety for motorists, including freight transport.
“I am personally familiar with the difficulties faced by strategic and local motorists travelling the A24 route and welcome the positive outcome from the Inquiry. Consultation will now begin with key stakeholders and in particular landowners affected by the scheme with a view to minimising the related impacts.”
The Department will now publish the formal “Environmental Statement : Notice to Proceed” and the making of the Direction Order for the scheme. The associated Vesting Order will remain in Draft until finance becomes available to build the road.
The Departmental Statement, Inspector’s report and associated documents are available for viewing at the Department’s website.
www.infrastructure-ni.gov.uk/articles/a24-ballynahinch-bypass-overview
