The Ulster Unionist Party’s (UUP) Lord Elliott of Ballinamallard, has said that the A5 project will be “devasting for the farming community across Co. Tyrone”.
According to the UUP, the £1.6 billion A5 Western Transport Corridor is by far the largest infrastructure project ever undertaken in Northern Ireland.
UUP MLA for Fermanagh and South Tyrone, Diana Armstrong said: “Over the years multiple ministers of infrastructure have claimed the A5 is a priority for them to deliver, with the hope to prevent further tragic road accidents that have claimed too many lives.
“These are the certainties that we know of yet, for landowners and the local farming community, their only certainty is the fact that their land has been vested off them.”
The uncertainty has caused significant apprehension amongst those affected, according to Armstrong.
“The finance minister claims compensation is based on market values as of the vesting date, yet his department will not confirm what the market value for agricultural land in Co. Tyrone was at the time,” he said.
“It is crucial that we address concerns with empathy for those who have lost loved ones and also see balance towards the needs and concerns of our local farmer community.
“Landowners deserve certainty and shouldn’t be treated like a by-product of this process. Their lands are not just properties; they are the lifeblood of the rural economy and the heritage of the community,” he added.
UUP
Lord Elliott said that over 3,000ac of quality land will be “sacrificed for this single road”.
“I have met countless farmers and landowners affected by the vesting orders. Many simply haven’t [gotten] the straight answers needed to plan ahead. In one such case I know of a farmer who is losing over 100ac of their farm, some of it just to provide a flood plain. It will be practically impossible for these farmers to rebuild back what they have lost,” he said.
Lord Elliott believes that the road is creating “environmental destruction”.
“The irony of such a road expansion, is that of the environmental impact. Farmers face an unfair focus when it comes to emissions. I assume the A5 stands in contrast to current executive commitments to climate change,” he said.
“The emotional impact of this entire process is incredibly difficult for those involved; many are losing more than just land but their entire livelihoods – you can’t farm without land.
“I will await the outcome of the legal hearing, but I strongly believe that our farming community should be treated with dignity and with an understanding of how this directly impacts them,” he concluded.
