Ulster Farmers Union (UFU) welcomes Minister for Infrastructure starting date clarity on A5 Western Transport Corridor
The Ulster Farmers’ Union (UFU) has welcomed a commitment that construction on the A5 Western Transport Corridor will not begin before January 2027 – providing much needed certainty for landowners’ planning permission.
In June last year a High Court judge ruled the A5 should not go ahead in its current form because it does not comply with Stormont's climate change targets.
Then Mr Justice McAlinden quashed the Stormont Executive’s move to approve the £1.2 billion roads scheme following a legal challenge from a group including residents, farmers and landowners.
The judge said the proposals breached sections of Northern Ireland’s Climate Change Act as they did not demonstrate how they would comply with the commitment to reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.
Two months later, the minister began an appeal against the court ruling, determined to see the project completed.
A scheme to turn the road into a dual carriageway was approved in 2007 but has been held up by legal challenges.
The commitment from Minister Liz Kimmins was given during a meeting with UFU Deputy President John McLenaghan and Policy Officer Daniel Toft.
UFU Deputy President John McLenaghan said, “This is a positive and important step forward as the ongoing uncertainty around the A5 and the ongoing case in the Court of Appeal has created real difficulty in planning and managing farm businesses.
“Having confirmation that construction will not begin, in any event, before January 2027 provides a degree of certainty that we have been lobbying for. It will allow our members to make informed decisions, including in relation to their farm support applications.”
The UFU has been actively campaigning on the issue of the A5, highlighting the mental impact of the prolonged uncertainty on farm businesses, concerns around land valuation, and the need for “a fair and transparent” approach to compensation.
He added: “While a date in the calendar is welcomed, it does not resolve the wider issues facing landowners. Concerns around land values, compensation and the overall project remain, and these must be addressed as a matter of urgency. The UFU continues to lobby the Minister and DfI officials on the urgent matter of land values.”
A Department for Infrastructure (DfI) spokesperson said: “Infrastructure Minister Liz Kimmins welcomed the opportunity to meet with the Ulster Farmers Union to discuss concerns and pressures facing the farming industry including issues relating to the ongoing A5 legal process.
"The Minister has agreed that, regardless of whether the Department wins or loses the current appeal, the Department will not enter the vested lands for the purposes of major construction activities before 1 January 2027.
"This timescale recognises the duration of the legal proceedings and the further governance and contractual steps that would be required before construction could properly commence in the event of a successful outcome.
"This commitment is intended to provide landowners with greater clarity and reassurance during this period of uncertainty and a letter informing all landowners is being issued. Vesting reform is a wider policy issue outside the responsibility of the Department.”