Planning permission approved for Slane bypass
An Bord Pleanala approved the project for the construction of a 3.5km bypass around the Meath village, including a dual carriageway as well as a 258 meter long bridge over the historic River Boyne.
Advertisement
The development has been welcomed by Cathaoirleach of Meath County Council Wayne Harding who has long been campaigning for a new route to replace the road which takes about 17,000 vehicles daily and has taken 23 lives over the years.
A previous application was refused 13 years ago amid claims by An Bord Pleanala that it would affect the World Heritage site of Bru na Boinne.
Cllr Wayne Harding said: "The announcement that the Slane bypass has finally received planning permission has been met with great excitement. For decades there has been a campaign to get the very dangerous N2 out of Slane village.
"The road through the village has bee scene of countless accidents causing the deaths of 23 people.
Advertisement
" A 2012 decision to refuse the bypass was met with deep anger and frustration. But since then an application has been painstakingly rebuilt by Meath County Council and Transport Infrastructure Ireland.
This decision today is not just on the N2 north/south bypass, but will also see millions of investment in a public realm plan which will completely transform Slane."
"All aspects of village life across all generations are impacted by the road.
"Every child in Slane village must use the road to enter their school, as do the members of the very popular Slane men's shed. The campaign has gone on that long that different people from the community picked up the baton to keep the need for the bypass at the forefront of all national decision makers over many years. I want to particularly mention John Ryle and Michele Cullen Power today. "
"The approved project will also include a village park and interpretive centres."
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Telegraph
2 hours ago
- Telegraph
Ask Rachel: My wife has kicked me out of bed to make room for our cavapoo – it's ruined our sex life
Have a sex or relationship question? Ask Rachel about it using the form below or email askrachel@ Dear Rachel, My partner of 20 years (female) has informed me (male) that she wants our cavapoo to sleep on our bed with her, and for me to sleep on the floor beside the bed – effectively in the dog's bed. We are in our 50-60s and have weekly daytime sex. We are both very fit and healthy, neither of us snore, sleepwalk, etc. However, we have both recently started wearing a night-time mouth guard to stop teeth grinding. Our dog does snore a bit. I don't mind the dog sleeping on the bed near our feet. However, she often starts the night by our feet and come morning she's sharing my pillow and I'm effectively falling out the bed. I don't think she, the dog, is trying to push me out off the bed. In fact, our dog always prefers myself to my partner. How can I convince my partner that I should stay in our bed? – Anon Dear Anon, Do you want the good news first or the bad news? The good news, then. Congratulations that after two decades you still fancy each other and find time for weekly daytime sex. I could do a whole column on how rare this is, so well done, both, and for maintaining a regular health and fitness regimen as well as a sexual one – so the foundations of your relationship are pretty sound. The bad news is that your partner is borderline abusive and instead of standing up to her you are writing to me. In fact I think your question is so bonkersly British that I am confident the New York Times will pick up on it and do a whole, humourless, fact-checked feature all about mad dogs and Englishmen and the midday sun off the back of it. It's also so bonkers but also British that I have taken the liberty of outsourcing it: this time not to my crack team of psychotherapists, but to the great and the good. We will come to the hot and spicy takes of the historian Lord (Andrew) Roberts, columnist Sarah Vine and property guru Kirstie Allsopp etc shortly. My instinct here is to be indulgent to your partner's fetish to prioritise your cavapoo over you (the English famously prefer their pets to people) but only up to a very limited point, and only as I can see how this happened. When we got Ziggy, a blonde cockapoo, she was supposed never to go upstairs. Now of course she sleeps on our bed during the day on a wildly expensive Welsh blanket I specially bought for her, so I know all about canine mission creep. I can also see where your partner's coming from. As men get older they tend to 'flump' in bed (that's what I call it anyway) and make nocturnal repeated trips to the bathroom, whereas dogs tend to stay quite still, so in terms of bedmate I can see why she prefers the dog. But it's not healthy for your relationship, hence your letter. Your wife is using the pet as a weapon in some proxy war or power game, to see how far she controls you. In asking you to take second place to your dog she is seeing whether you accept becoming your bitch's bitch. No proud red-blooded male could agree to her proposal that you sleep on the dog's bed on the floor beside the marital bed. Unless this is some kind of fetish your wife has, that's out of the question. That would be the counsel of despair, it's a Home Counties version of Jacques Brel's Ne Me Quitte Pas, the song of heartbreak where the man, who is singing, imprecates and begs a woman, don't leave me, I'll do anything, don't leave me, let me become – laisse-moi devenir – the shadow of your shadow, the shadow of your hand, and ends, abjectly, 'l'ombre de ton chien,' the shadow of your dog. Is that where you want to be with this woman? So my advice would be this: ask your wife whether she'd like a divorce. If the answer's no, tell her partners always come before pooches, and an intrusive, possessive dog is coming between you and belongs downstairs in the dog bed. Dogs are pack animals and respect leaders but so do human beings – assert yourself, man! Sarah Vine agrees this is about precedence: 'Dogs are pack animals which means they will always try to get close to the alpha. In this circumstance it's clear that the wife is the alpha, and therefore it may be that the husband needs to assert his authority over the dog and reclaim his position as main bitch,' says the author of How Not to Be a Political Wife. 'The fact that she is evidently very happy with the arrangement might indicate that there are some underlying marital issues.' She adds, however: 'I personally sleep with my cat on the right and the dog on the left. Neither appreciates it if any of us deviates from that. The new dog sleeps in her crate downstairs.' Kirstie Allsopp, national treasure and Location Location Location star of 25 years, is puzzled by the whole living arrangements of your dwelling as you would expect. 'Does she mention why your dog bed has to be on the bedroom floor? Can I take it for granted that there is a spare room that you can co-opt? This is a golden opportunity to create His and Hers bedrooms,' she continues. 'Some couples swear by the benefits of this and certainly having your clothes arranged your way can make getting in and out of the house much simpler and easier. Once this is established I suspect the cavapoo will go back to its correct place in the family packing order, which is third. It is incredibly bad for dogs to believe they have a more senior ranking.' So far we have agreement from our star responders, and Andrew Roberts, Churchill's biographer, also sees this as a power struggle, with the cavapoo being used as a pawn in some greater game of marital risk. 'Why doesn't he realise that of course the dog is trying to replace him?' Lord Roberts opines: 'Pure Stockholm Syndrome.' I can't name all the great and the good who 'leant in' to this question but a top civil servant was full of questions. 'Has he never actually married her? Does the dog really prefer him? How old is dog and how long has there been this unspoken tug of love over dog? Why don't they just upsize to an emperor bed…?' Most of my respondents agree that you need to put both your partner and your pet in their place, and assert yourself, and your own precedence in the hierarchy here. Don't allow yourself to be pussy-whipped by your own poodle-cross, for pity's sake. Here's the choice you have to make: you're either going to need a bigger bed, or bigger balls, or a different partner. Over to you! Ask Rachel anything…
The Sun
4 hours ago
- The Sun
Huge fire erupts at railway arches with ‘gas cylinders exploding' & smoke billowing through air sparking commuter delays
AN ENORMOUS fire has broken out in a set of major railway arches sparking huge delays for commuters this morning. A number of gas cylinders are also believed to have exploded during the early stages of the fire under the London Underground Piccadilly line tracks in South Harrow, fire crews said. The London Fire Brigade (LFB) received its first call about the inferno shortly after 1.15am this morning, with around 100 firefighters currently working to control the blaze. Crews say they are "likely" to be at the scene well into the morning. In a statement, LFB said: "Fifteen fire engines and around 100 firefighters were called to a fire near Roxeth Green Avenue in South Harrow. "The fire occurred at a range of four railway arches, housing businesses including vehicle workshops and other commercial uses. "The properties have been severely damaged by fire. "Firefighters have worked hard to bring the fire under control but the Brigade is likely to maintain a significance presence on scene for several more hours." No injuries have yet been reported at this time. As a result of the blaze, there is "severe disruption" westbound on the Piccadilly line between South Harrow and Acton Town. The route has also been part suspended between South Harrow and Uxbridge. Commuters have been advised to take alternate routes, including using local bus services or by using the Metropolitan line between Uxbridge and central London. is your go-to destination for the best celebrity news, real-life stories, jaw-dropping pictures and must-see video. Like us on Facebook at and follow us from our main Twitter account at @TheSun. 1
The Guardian
5 hours ago
- The Guardian
Double wibble wobble: Helen Goh's recipe for strawberry jelly panna cotta
There's a certain charm to jelly in summer: its playful wobble, its glassy sheen, its ability to delight adults and children alike. This dessert leans into that charm and the unbeatable pairing of a softly set strawberry jelly with a silky vanilla panna cotta. It's light and cool, and ideal for long, warm evenings when no one wants anything too heavy: simple but balanced, the berries bright and tangy, the cream smooth and gently sweet. Best of all, everything can be made ahead, so all that's left to do is unmould and enjoy the wobble. Prep 10 min Chill 6 hr+ Cook 1 hr 20 min Makes 6 For the strawberry layer500g strawberries, washed and hulled, plus extra for serving200g caster sugar 40ml lemon juice 1 vanilla bean pod2 tsp almond oil, or sunflower oil3 leaves platinum-strength gelatine For the panna cotta layer300ml double cream 100ml milk 50g caster sugar 2 leaves platinum-strength gelatine Put the strawberries in a food processor and pulse a few times until coarsely chopped. Transfer to a medium saucepan and add 50ml water, the sugar and the lemon juice. Split the vanilla pod, scrape out the seeds (save these for the panna cotta) and put the empty pod in with the strawberries. Put the pan on a low heat and cook, stirring gently, for about two minutes, until the sugar dissolves. Turn up the heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes. Strain the mixture through a fine sieve set over a bowl, allowing it to drip naturally – avoid pressing the pulp, because that can cloud the jelly (if your sieve is small, work in batches). You should end up with about 400ml strawberry juice (save the strained pulp to stir into yoghurt for breakfast). Meanwhile, lightly oil six dariole moulds or small glasses (150-200ml) with a paper towel dabbed in almond or sunflower oil, and put on a tray. Soak the gelatine leaves in very cold water for five minutes. Warm the strained strawberry juice (do not let it boil), squeeze the excess water out of the gelatine, then stir the leaves into the warm juice until dissolved. Divide the jelly between the moulds (about 60ml each) and refrigerate for about three hours, or until just set. Once the jelly has set, make the panna cotta layer. Combine the cream, milk, sugar and reserved vanilla seeds in a small saucepan. Heat gently, stirring, until steaming (do not boil), then take off the heat. Soak two gelatine leaves in cold water for five minutes, then squeeze out the excess water and stir into the warm cream until fully dissolved. Cool for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Carefully pour about 60ml of the panna cotta mixture over the set strawberry jelly. Refrigerate for at least three hours, or overnight, until set. When ready to serve, run a small knife around the edge of each mould just enough to break the seal. As air slips in, a soft bubble should form between the panna cotta and the mould. Invert on to serving plates, wait patiently and the panna cotta should release in one smooth, satisfying sigh. Serve immediately, garnished with the extra strawberries.
