Carrickmines meeting to hear alternative

Conservationists opposed to plans for a motorway interchange at the site of Carrickmines Castle will tonight outline an alternative…

Conservationists opposed to plans for a motorway interchange at the site of Carrickmines Castle will tonight outline an alternative proposal for the interchange.

The plans will be displayed at a public meeting in Liberty Hall amid claims that modifications to the existing design would allow the State to resume work immediately on the interchange while also protecting the archaeological remains.

Dr Seán Duffy, head of Trinity's medieval history department, said yesterday that the plan allowed for preservation of Carrickmines Castle by bending the motorway and reducing the size of the Carrickmines interchange.

He said the alternative plan for Carrickmines was submitted to the Minister for the Environment, Mr Cullen, in May and the Minister for Transport, Mr Brennan, in June.

READ SOME MORE

Mr Vincent Salafia, spokesman for Carrickmines Castle Preservation Group, said: "Minister Cullen is faced with three choices: consent to the destruction of Carrickmines Castle, resulting in huge delays, costing millions; allow current litigation to advance, resulting in huge delays, costing millions; or adopt an alternative. We hope we can work with him to find a positive way out of the current stand-off into a win-win situation."

The public meeting will be chaired by broadcaster Leo Enright in the social hall of Liberty Hall, Dublin, at 6 p.m. this evening. Admission is free.

Tim O'Brien

Tim O'Brien

Tim O'Brien is an Irish Times journalist