A chara, - Gerard Murphy, the project engineer for the Dublin Port Tunnel, stated in his letter (November 14th) that Dublin Corporation had provided me with a large amount of geological data concerning the project. While that is strictly correct, I think that your readers should know that the information was only provided after the deadline for submissions on the provided had expired.
On August 27th lay assistant made a formal request to the Corporation for data on research which it had conducted into the geological structure of Marino and its environs, the area designated for the proposed tunnel. His request was made after consulting representatives of Marino residents, who told him they had made several requests for the information, some of which were followed up by letters from their solicitor. The Corporation was asked to provide this information as soon as possible, to allow ample time to prepare a submission on the project, before the September 30th deadline set by the Department of the Environment.
On October 3rd the Corporation sent eight plastic folders of data to my Dublin office. These data were sent three days after the deadline for submissions, so I was unable to use them in my submission. The Corporation seemed to make no account of the imminent deadline.
Mr Murphy did not explain, in his letter, why the port tunnel had been presented as a fait accompli before any real consultation took place with residents of Marino and other affected areas. There also has been no explanation as to why the northern port access route (including the Marino tunnel) is the preferred option for bringing traffic to Dublin Port, Why have the other three options for the port access scheme identified by the Dublin Transportation Initiative (DTI) been ruled out?
The brief given to Ove Arup consultants, who were commissioned by the DTI to conduct a feasibility study on the tunnel in 1991, stipulated: "The public shall be kept informed at all times and affected parties shall be consulted for opinions/advice on a regular basis. Elected representatives shall similarly be consulted on a regular basis."
Both Marino residents and many elected representatives for Dublin have argued that the terms of that brief have not been complied with. - Le gach dea ghui,
MEP,
Vice-president of the Greens in the European Parliament,
43 Molesworth Street,
Dublin 2.