A family farm near the scenic village of Slane, Co Meath, would be “negatively impacted” if the current route of a proposed bypass of the village is allowed to stand, a property consultant told an An Bord Pleanála hearing into the project on Thursday.

Tom Corr was speaking at the hearing conducted by An Bord Pleanála inspector Rachel Gleave O’Connor on behalf of Carla, Marie Therese, John and Emma Meade of Cashel, Slane, who had objected to the implementation of a compulsory purchase order (CPO) for a portion of their lands.

They said the proposed acquisition of their lands appeared to be surplus to what the bypass project required, inadequate drainage details had been given by the authorities, there was insufficient detail about access to their lands and there was “inadequate” screening and planting being proposed.

A roundabout for the bypass is planned for the east side of the village and the Meade family contended that a less damaging route could have been chosen.

Stud farm

Mr Corr said that the family had a residential stud farm of 12 to 13 acres. The loss of many trees that had been planted and carefully looked after over many years was a major consideration for the family.

He said that a land “take” for the scheme was very high at 40%, although this was contested by Meath County Council, which said that it was more like 16%.

The Cashel area itself was “a very scenic, very attractive” rural area, which probably benefited by its proximity to Slane village which was still mainly rural, Mr Corr said.

“All of the family have noticed down the years that there are brown hares in the area. A photograph of a brown hare was taken recently when county council officials were at the farm. That is unusual, because hares are normally nocturnal. It has a lot environmental positives and the new road is going to negatively impact on all of that.”

Dairy farm

Mr Corr also represented farmer John Kealy, Janeville, Slane, at the hearing. He made the point that dairy farms were not that often hit by CPOs.

In Meath, there was not a high number of intensive dairy holdings, there would be a lot more in the south of the country, he said.

Mr Kealy’s farm had 200 cows in a completely commercial operation. The difference in profitability in dairy farming as opposed to all other forms of farming was the difference between day and night, he said.

Dairy farming was a business that gave a good return, it needed very good management, there was a high workload for the owner and it was not an easy life for the owner, the hearing was told.

In other forms of farming, you either had to have a very high acreage or off-farm employment in order to support a family.

This farm was being hit in a very negative way by this road project, Mr Corr said. John Kealy was not against the bypass and he could see the reason for it, but he would have preferred a route chosen that wasn’t so severe or create so much risk for his future.

The bypass was proposed because the old route through Slane village, which is located in a steep north-south incline towards Slane Bridge, was the scene of 22 road deaths over the years.

The Slane Bridge Action Group was set up in 2001 following the death of two-year-old David Garvey in an accident involving a truck and two cars.