DfI officials start to meet A5 landowners

Officials from the Department for Infrastructure (DfI) are planning to hold on-farm meetings with over 300 landowners who are impacted by the A5 western transport corridor.

At Stormont on Monday, Infrastructure Minister Liz Kimmins said 14 meetings took place last week and more meetings are scheduled for this week.

The Sinn Féin politician said DfI officials are “actively engaging” with landowners to discuss the options for almost 2,000 acres of land which was vested for the A5 road last year.

Ownership of the land went back to the original landowners in June 2025 following a High Court ruling, although DfI is now appealing the judgment.

“My department is absolutely committed to keeping landowners informed and to working constructively with them and their agents and will arrange meetings with landowners to discuss the next steps,” Minister Kimmins said.

Work on NAP group

There has not yet been a formal meeting of a new Nutrients Action Programme stakeholder group, a DAERA spokesperson has confirmed.

Back in June, Agriculture Minister Andrew Muir announced that a stakeholder ‘Task and Finish Group’ with an external facilitator, would be set up to consider responses to a public consultation on controversial DAERA proposals to update NAP. The group is to make new recommendations ahead of another public consultation.

There has not yet been a formal meeting of a new Nutrients Action Programme (NAP) stakeholder group, a DAERA spokesperson has said.

“The initial discussion was constructive, and the first formal meeting of the group is expected to take place in the coming weeks. The membership and terms of reference will be confirmed at that point,” said the spokesperson.

It is understood that an external facilitator is close to being confirmed, although on enquiry, the DAERA spokesperson said the process was still “ongoing”.