DUP MP Carla Lockhart asks minister if A5 road upgrade and 'madness of climate extremism' will now impact on planned upgrades to A1 dual carriageway
Carla Lockhart MP has written to the Infrastructure Minister in the wake of "the madness of climate extremism" that stalled work on the A5 road upgrade to ask whether it will also impact planned work on the A1.
The A5 project suffered a major knockback on Monday when the Stormont Executive’s decision to proceed with the upgrade was quashed at the High Court in Belfast.
Mr Justice McAlinden said the proposed scheme breached elements of the Climate Change Act 2022.
Regarded by some as the most deadly road on the island, there have been more than 50 deaths on the road which links Londonderry with Aughnacloy in Co Tyronesince 2006.
Infrastructure Minister Liz Kimmins was pressed to urgently outline the next steps for the proposed upgrade when she appeared at the Assembly for an urgent question on the situation on Tuesday afternoon.
She described to MLAs a “hugely disappointing day” on Monday for her, as well as the families of those who have died on the road.
“It was the first legal test for the Climate Change Act and for the Climate Action Plan, something that every department will now have to deal with the outworkings of,” she told MLAs.
However DUP MP Carla Lockhart has now said that "the madness of climate extremism" is "stalling desperately needed infrastructure across Northern Ireland.”
She has written to Minister Kimmins seeking urgent clarification on whether the recent High Court ruling relating to the A5 scheme could impact progress on the long-awaited A1 upgrade project from Lisburn to Newry.
Ms Lockhart said: “I have long championed the A1 upgrade project as a vital investment in road safety, regional connectivity, and economic growth. It is a project that is not just overdue, but one that the public overwhelmingly supports. This stretch of road is one of the most dangerous in the country.
"In light of the recent court ruling on the A5, I have written to the Minister to ask whether any additional delays or legal reviews are now anticipated for the A1. Communities and commuters across Upper Bann deserve clarity and reassurance that this critical scheme will not be stalled yet again by administrative or legal uncertainty."
In a statement, the DUP’s agriculture, environment and rural affairs spokesperson added: “The A5 ruling has shone a light on just how deeply climate extremism is now influencing both our legal and political systems.
“Some of the loudest voices now lamenting the outcome of the High Court ruling, are the very same MLAs who proudly championed the Climate Change Act legislation, which is built on legally binding, unworkable targets. They are now being forced to confront the consequences of their own virtue-signalling.”
On Wednesday, Stormont Infrastructure Committee chairwoman Deborah Erskine (also DUP) put it to Ms Kimmins that the A5 situation is an outworking of “unrealistic and punitive climate targets” backed by Sinn Fein, the SDLP and Alliance.
She asked if they would now “take responsibility for the real world impacts of virtue signalling that has led us to this point”.
But Ms Kimmins responded saying it was “not the time for point scoring”.
“Across the world people are taking action in terms of climate change and our responsibilities to deal with that,” she added.