Notorious bends on the road into Dingle were “not just impediments on the way” but were rare geomorphological features, a Bord Pleanála hearing into plans to straighten the N86 secondary road heard.
Sarah Dolan, representing a group of local residents, said the scale of the planned new Dingle-Camp road was “three times the size of the current road”, which the hearing was told dated to the 18th century. She claimed the work was contrary to proper planning and would seriously injure “this highly-sensitive landscape”.
The hedgerows and stone walls which gave “a unique sense of place” would be lost, while the dangers of the existing road had been overstated. She said none of the three fatal incidents on the road in recent years had occurred at the bends which were to be removed. The N86 was consistently in the top five safest roads in the country.
The hearing continues.