Mattie McGrath Demands Urgent Bypass for Tipperary Town
Mattie McGrath urged the minister to prioritise a bypass for Tipperary Town in the review of the National Development Plan, citing rising heavy freight traffic and severe town centre congestion. He pressed for the bypass to be advanced as part of wider N8/N24/M24 upgrade options and highlighted strong local campaigning.
Request to prioritise bypass
McGrath told the minister that the bypass must be the first priority in the NDP review, pointing to increased heavy freight flows since Brexit that have 'choked' the town. He argued the bypass could be incorporated into the N8 or M24 project or prioritised immediately within N24 upgrade planning.
Community engagement and local campaigners
He thanked the minister for engaging with People for Tipperary, Councillor Anne Ryan, Jobs for Tipperary, March for Tipperary and the Chamber, and said local groups were prepared to work with Government but would mobilise again if necessary. McGrath described the community as dedicated and ingenious and said they wanted the heavy trucks removed so the town could trade and thrive.
Minister's response and consultation process
The minister responded that there have been extensive discussions and agreed the bypass was the sort of project that should be prioritised. He said the recent public consultation on wider N24 upgrade route options showed that TII was listening and had not ruled out immediate prioritisation of a Tipperary Town bypass, with potential to link the road as upgrades proceed.
Precedents and anticipated benefits
The minister cited Cashel and Care as examples where a similar phased approach worked effectively. Both speakers emphasised the expected benefits - removing heavy goods vehicles, reducing smog and congestion, and bringing shopping and residents back into the town centre so Tipperary Town can thrive.
We publish thousands of recordings to make Irish politics transparent and resistant to manipulation. Spotted an error? Report it — together we are building a reliable archive of Irish politics.
Minister, I want to thank you in the first instance for your engagement with the People for Tipperary, Councillor Anne Ryan and indeed Jobs for Tipperary, March for Tipperary and the Chamber. And would you please, with the review of the National Development Plan, ensure that the first priority is a bypass for Tipperary Town. And I know you're clear on that and I know you're leaning towards bypasses. If that's part of the N8 of the M24 project, all the better. But the bypass for the town, it's been choked, especially since Brexit, with the increase in heavy freight traffic from the west to the east, it's huge. So, I'm pleading with you, again it is vital time to give priority to that, to ensure that the community groups, wonderful people in Tipperary, they were forced onto the streets in March for Tipperary two years ago, they'll do it again if they have to, but they'd rather work with you. That's the way they want to work. They're good people, they're dedicated people, they're ingenuitive, but they cannot survive any longer without this, the heavy trucks being taken out of that town, from the smog, but above all from the congestion. They want to trade and be allowed the town to thrive, and we're depending on you. Thank you. Deputy, we've had very extensive discussions of this in a whole range of different fora, and I agree. I think that the bypass of Tipperary Town is just exactly the sort of project that I think should be prioritised. And I'm encouraged that in the recent public consultation, on looking at the wider, longer N24 upgrade route options, as I understand that TII very specifically within that consultation process was listening to, and also not ruling out an immediate prioritisation of a bypass of Tipperary Town as an example of what could be done, and then the road subsequently, as it further upgrades, can link into that. I think the example given was that in both Cashel and Care, a similar approach had been taken, and that had worked very effectively. So, yes, I would agree with you. I think Tipperary Town as an example, many beautiful, stunning Irish market towns, we need to bring life back to the centre, we need to take the heavy goods vehicles out, and bring shopping back, and people living in the centre town back, and Tipperary Town will thrive in the back of that. Thank you. Independence. . . . . . . . . . .
Thank you for downloading 🙏
If you publish this material on social media, we would be very grateful if you tagged VideoParliament. It helps us reach more people and keep building a transparent archive of Irish politics.
