Kitt urges the Government to rethink Carrickmines site

The Minister of State, Mr Tom Kitt, has called on the Government to give more consideration to possible ways of saving the archaeological remains of Carrickmines Castle in south Co Dublin.

The Minister is one of a number of politicians, including a Fianna Fáil backbencher, Mr Barry Andrews, the Labour MEP, Mr Proinsias De Rossa, and two Green Party TDs, Mr Ciaran Cuffe and Mr Eamon Ryan, who have visited the site recently to express concern over plans to proceed with the proposed motorway through the archaeological site.

Explaining his support for the group which has styled itself the "Carrickminders", Mr Kitt said there was a serious heritage issue in relation to the site and he genuinely "felt we might be able to go that extra bit to find an acceptable solution".

Describing the Carrickminders as a "tremendous group of people", Mr Kitt said, however, that he was conscious that the Minister for Transport, Mr Brennan,was his colleague, and he did not want to embarrass him on the issue.

He pointed out that even Mr Brennan had said he was uncomfortable with the decision to proceed.

But Mr Kitt said he had walked the site and looked at the ruins and had no doubt that "we need to be very careful how we proceed from here".

Referring to delays in the construction of the road, the Minister said nobody wanted to hold up the motorway. What he was proposing was that some arrangement on the interchange and ancillary roads at the heart of the problem be worked out "within the time-frame that is already there".

With the motorway not now expected to be completed until 2005, the Minister said he was hoping it would be possible to "go that extra bit" to examine some of the proposals which the Carrickminders have drawn up.

He was also hopeful that some of the alternative proposals might be examined.

Mr Andrews said he had signed the Carrickminders' petition in favour of preservation.

He was calling on the Tánaiste and Minister for Trade and Employment, Ms Harney, to make a request to her British counterpart to investigate the ownership of Jackson Way Properties, the company seeking compensation of about €100 million from the county council following the selection of the route for the motorway.