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A5 Upgrade Can Proceed Following Court of Appeal Ruling
The ruling clears the way for the £1.7 billion project after judges found the department had enough evidence on climate compliance.
- On Tuesday, Lady Chief Justice Dame Siobhan Keegan delivered judgment in the Court of Appeal in Belfast, overturning a High Court ruling that blocked the £1.7 billion A5 Western Transport Corridor. Keegan stated, "We allow the appeal and we set aside the order of the High Court quashing the decision to proceed with the A5 first phase on all grounds."
- Legal challenges from residents and landowners prompted the High Court to halt the scheme in June 2025, with the judge finding the Department for Infrastructure failed to comply with 2022 Climate Change Act targets and lacked proper environmental impact assessments on induced traffic.
- Senior judges determined the DfI had sufficient information to ensure compliance with carbon emission obligations under the 2022 Act. Keegan ruled the High Court's error was not a "wholesale demolition" of climate justification but "a call for greater clarity," and stated, "We are satisfied that there is sufficient evidence which validates the decision made to proceed with the A5 Western Transport Corridor."
- Finance Minister John O'Dowd confirmed his draft budget over three years "set aside funding for the completion of the A5," saying it "had to go ahead" for road safety and economic growth. Councillor Debbie Coyle called the judgment a "significant and positive outcome" after 57 people died on the route in the past 18 years.
- The ruling carries broader implications as several major infrastructure projects across Northern Ireland remain stalled pending outcomes of similar legal challenges. With total costs estimated over £1.7 billion and the Irish Government pledging more than £600 million, the A5 decision—nearly 20 years after initial proposal—may unlock delayed schemes region-wide.
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Major road project to go ahead despite protests over £1.7billion scheme - 'No time for celebration'
The Court of Appeal in Northern Ireland has given the green light for the nation's largest road project following years of legal battles.The Court has ruled that a road upgrade on the A5 can proceed in its current form, after years of legal battles that delayed the £1.7billion project.Ministers in Stormont first gave approval to the 58-mile proposed scheme in 2024, but it was paused by the High Court last year.It stated that the Department for I…
·London, United Kingdom
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Total News Sources18
Leaning Left4Leaning Right1Center9Last UpdatedBias Distribution64% Center
Bias Distribution
- 64% of the sources are Center
64% Center
L 29%
C 64%
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