Glen land allotted for road widening passed to council

Wicklow County Council has formally received title from Coillte to lands at the Glen of the Downs in Co Wicklow, which is intends to use for a controversial road-widening scheme.

The transfer, completed in recent weeks, means all preparatory work on the £18.5 million scheme between Kilmacanogue and the southern end of the glen is now complete.

Pending the outcome of a judicial review of the road-widening scheme, due to be heard early this month, the council could be ready to move before Christmas against anti-road protesters camped in the glen.

Speaking to The Irish Times this weekend, an administrative officer with Wicklow County Council, Mr Michael Nicholson, said the council "is now ready to move ahead with the road-widening scheme just as soon as we get the green light from the court, which I am sure we will."

Mr Nicholson reiterated that what was being proposed was a compromise road scheme, which was worked out to minimise the disruption to the glen. While some 1,700 mature trees are to be removed, the council argues that it is to plant more than that number as part of the planned works.

However, members of the protesters' camp recently indicated that, should the judicial review go against them, they were prepared to use "lock-ins" and their tree houses to thwart or delay the construction of the road.

Presented with this prospect, Mr Nicholson said the county council, once it had been given the go-ahead by the court, "will use any means at our disposal" to clear the way for the widening scheme.

However, suggestions that the protesters would not abide peacefully abide by the High Court order and go quietly away have angered a local councillor, Mr George Jones, who has consistently opposed the camp.

"What these people are saying is that they will not obey the High Court, or at least they will not obey the court if the action goes against them. To my mind that is contempt of court or at least contempt for the democratic process," said Mr Jones.

"I feel we should be bringing this to the attention of the courts and I will be asking the council's law agent to take the appropriate steps."