A group of conservationists who are opposed to the building of the M50 motorway through the archaeological site of Carrickmines Castle in south Dublin, yesterday claimed a State agency warned of the danger of a "any interference with the ancient sites" at Carrickmines Castle in 1983.
The conservationists also questioned why the warning - contained in a report from An Foras Forbartha and heeded by Dublin County Council for 15 years - was subsequently overturned by Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council in the drafting of the 1998 County Development Plan.
Mr Ruadhan MacEoin said the 1998 decision to move the road has led to one of the State's largest compensation claims which may amount to €118m for 22 acres required from Jackson Way Propertied Limited for the motorway - "and we have legitimate questions about taxpayers' money".
In addition to the 22 acres required for the motorway, Jackson Way Properties also owned about 24 acres of land to the north and 60 acres to the south of the new route. The 1998 County Development Plan also rezoned the northern lands for "industrial and related uses" while the southern lands remained for the development of agriculture.
Jackson Way Properties subsequently sought between €96 million and €118 million from Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council in compensation for the loss of its 22 acres to the motorway.
In January of this year, the council won an injunction on the arbitration of the compensation claim pending the conclusion of investigations into Jackson Way Properties by the Flood Planning and Payments Tribunal. The High Court decision was subsequently the subject of an appeal to the Supreme Court by Jackson Way Properties. The ownership of Jackson Way has not been revealed.
Yesterday however, Mr MacEoin told The Irish Times that "all this could have been avoided if the council, like Dublin County Council before it, had left the route of the motorway to the south of the interchange, away from the castle ruins."
Now the "Carrickmineders", as they have styled themselves, say they want an explanation of who decided the route of the motorway should be changed and what the reasons for that change were.
The 1983 report from An Foras Forbartha - the National Institute for Physical Planning and Construction Research - identified the fortifications to the north of the existing farmhouse which form the northwestern part of the castle complex. It detailed the extent of these earthworks, including the fosses fed by artificial watercourse, the site of a bawn, and the avenue and gatehouse.
It recommended that: "If the road was placed on the south side of the farm it would avoid any interference with the ancient sites." The recommendation was apparently heeded and the route was drawn at a remove to the castle. The 1993 Dublin County Council County Development Plan also respected the recommendation with Map 26 showing the route again away to the south of the castle site.