Luas team outlines land and property required by route

The construction of Dublin's planned light rail system will require the demolition of extensive properties in James's Street, and in Arran Quay Terrace and Mary's Abbey in the north inner city, the public inquiry into the project has been told.

The route of the light-rail system would cross a prehistoric site which had parallels to sites in the Boyne Valley, the inquiry also heard yesterday.

Outlining the land and property requirements along the 14 km dual line between Middle Abbey Street and Tallaght Town Centre, Mr Michael Sheedy, the light rail project manager, said it was not possible to build a light rail transport (LRT) system without acquiring private property interests.

He also said it was "quite likely" that items of archaeological interest would be identified during the construction phase, especially in the historic Mary's Abbey.

Mr Sheedy said one such site, at Ballymount in south Co Dublin, had already been identified.

The "archaeological complex at Ballymount" contained evidence of prehistoric activity in the form of ditches and banks from which animal bones and smelting waste had been extracted.

It also included evidence of medieval occupation and a 17th-century manor house.

Much information on Ballymount was available to the Luas team as a result of excavations and surveys conducted as part of the preparation for the M50 motorway. But while the M50 was moved to avoid the complex, it was not proposed to move the LRT track.

According to the environmental impact statement (EIS) associated with the inquiry, the proposed alignment of the LRT at Ballymount is "along the eastern section of the enclosure noted as a cropmark on aerial photographs".

The cropmark referred to was examined by Ms Geraldine Stout in 1982 and found to contain a two-tiered earthen mound on which the remains of a 17th century building were located. The EIS noted this was likely to be a prehistoric mound and "parallels for this site are to be found in the Boyne Valley".

The EIS also notes the space between the existing 17th century buildings on the site is limited and some construction difficulties are expected, particularly where large machines and lorries require access.

The project team will retain an archaeologist to monitor excavations in order to preserve any finds. Any archaeological discoveries of significant interest will be excavated and recorded and provision for such happenings has already been built into the timescale for the work.

According to Mr Sheedy, the project team recognises the importance of Ballymount. He said: "The works in this area will be carefully monitored and extreme caution will be exercised to avoid damage to the existing standing monuments. The excavation will be supervised by an archaeologist and any findings recorded. It is considered unlikely at this stage that any further significant archaeological finds will be uncovered in this area."