An Taisce has rejected criticism from Sligo county councillors who had attacked the heritage body for appealing against a local authority housing scheme after its case was upheld by An Bord Pleanála.
The scheme of 12 two-storey houses at Corballa, on the N59 between Sligo and Ballina, was rejected by the appeals board on public health and safety grounds.
The board said it was "not satisfied" that the site could be drained satisfactorily, even with the use of a proprietary sewage treatment system.
"The proposed development would, therefore, be prejudicial to public health."
The second reason for refusal was that the the proposed development "would endanger public safety by reason of traffic hazard because of the additional traffic turning movements the development would generate on the N59".
The board noted that the site was located in an area where the speed limit of 100km/h applies and on a stretch of the N59 "which is substandard in terms of width, alignment and lacking in public footpaths".
In March 2005, the European Road Assessment Programme, which assesses road safety across Europe, stated that this section of the N59 was the most dangerous in the west and one of the worst for accidents in Ireland.
After An Taisce lodged its appeal last October on planning, public health and safety grounds, Sligo County Council passed a motion calling for the appeal to be withdrawn so that the housing scheme could be built.
Cllr Joe Queenan, who proposed the motion, said it was "a scandal" that An Taisce was taking the appeal and he questioned the body's "audacity in promoting long-term national policy" on public health and safety issues.
A spokesman for An Taisce said yesterday that the appeal "only arose because there was a demonstrable failure by both the professional staff and management of Sligo County Council" to address these national policies.
He added that An Bord Pleanála's ruling reinforced An Taisce's concern over "the continuing negligence of the National Roads Authority (NRA) in exercising its statutory responsibilities for road safety".
The NRA was not taking systematic action against planning applications being granted by local authorities affecting the safety and operational integrity of national roads and appealing such cases to An Bord Pleanála, the spokesman said.
An Taisce has called on Minister for Transport to ensure that the monitoring and enforcement of development control and road safety on national roads should be transferred from the NRA to the newly established National Road Safety Authority.
