Tara : the iconic worst case example of Citizen Participation

Tara and the M3 motorway

The story of Tara and the M3 was to many Irish people a line in the sand, a real tragedy, not just for heritage but for the capacity of the ordinary citizen to have their  voice heard. People from all around Ireland and indeed the world have asked ‘how did it happen?’: ‘In the 21st century how could anyone think of running a motorway through such a unique archaeological landscape?’ But happen it did.  My experience as a member of a local group ( Bellinter Residents Association) may help to explain why.

The issue: In December 1999 Meath County Council announced plans to ‘re-align’a 60km. stretch of the N3 from north of Dublin at Clonee to north of Kells. In time this ‘re-alignment’ changed to a 4 lane tolled motorway, due to the decision to fund the project through  Public Private Partnership.

 A short section of the route runs close to Ireland’s most important ancient  sacred site - the Hill of Tara and  it bisects the Tara archaeological landscape.
The route for this sensitive section was chosen from a choice of 6 possible routes, 2 of which did not go through the Tara landscape.  From the earliest Route Selection reports commissioned by Meath County Council, their own archaeological consultants advised against a route through this area, acknowledging  it as “ one of  the richest archaeological landscapes in Europe”. Their advice was ignored.

Throughout the public consultation process , there was widespread opposition to this route from local people, Meath Archaeological and Historical Society, Dalgan Park,An Taisce  and most significantly from Conor Newman of the Discovery program who since 1992 has been  engaged in a major research study of Tara and its surrounding landscape and  is the acknowledged expert on the area.

The wider issues of transport and commuting  were also highlighted in many submissions, with fears expressed that, with a tolled motorway, the long promised train service to Navan would never happen. The need for investment in public transport over motorways was passionately argued by Fr. Sean McDonagh, Columban missionary, as he warned about climate change, soaring carbon emissions and diminishing oil supplies.

Despite compelling cases made by all of these sectors and others to the Bord Pleanala Oral Hearing, the Bord in August 2003  gave the go ahead to the route as was.

What we did – phase 1.

From the outset in 1999 many local residents and heritage groups were engaged with the process which initially involved  going to public displays , filling in a questionnaire about preferred routes etc. There was total dismay and incredulity  when a route opposed by  the majority of those consulted was chosen. In fact  70% of respondents to the  questionnaires were against the chosen route. As early as November 2000 our group  presented a logical alternative motorway proposal to the NRA but  were told our proposal was two years too late as their plans were already too far advanced.

We carried out exhaustive research into the Route Selection reports and  the Environmental Impact Study  based on which we   presented a strong case against the chosen route at the Bord Pleanala oral hearing in 2002. We outlined to the inspector the  difficulties we had experienced in getting information and how we had discovered that information was mysteriously altered between  documents.

We contested many of the criteria used to select the ‘preferred route’. We highlighted inconsistent and inaccurate information in the route selection reports, which had it been corrected would have clearly shown the proposed route was far from the preferred option. These inconsistencies were acknowledged by the inspector but were never corrected.

We concluded , based on our extensive research and study of the reports ,that  there was indisputable evidence that information and statistics in the various reports were manipulated to justify a pre-ordained route. We still hold this view.

Phase 2:

Despite all, in August 2003  An Bord Pleanala gave approval to the route as proposed .
As the efforts of locals, heritage groups and the Discovery Program had  failed to influence the decision, a national campaign to save Tara commenced - Save Tara Skreen Valley.

Some of the local people continued on, initially as part of the new wider group but in time formed a loose alliance of local groups  called the Tara Heritage Preservation Group who  worked closely with Meath Archaeological and Historical Society. 
We  continued to highlight how a flawed  planning process had failed to protect the integrity of Tara.

These  groups engaged in a wide range of awareness raising and educational activities to awaken the public and polititions to the destructive impacts the motorway would have on Tara and its unique landscape. We ran seminars addressed by key academic, heritage and transport experts, presented to Oireachtas Committees and attempted to engage in every possible manner with Meath County Council, the National Roads Authority, polititions and the media.

The response of the system.

National and Local Government continued with plans to build the M3 as proposed , citing the Bord Pleanala ruling and the “extensive public consultation  process” as justification.  They dismissed all : the views of the acknowledged experts on Tara as well as widespread national and international academic opinion, the Director of the National Museum, Meath Archaeological and Historical Society and the many ordinary citizens who were appalled at our governments willingness to destroy such a unique part of our heritage.

How did it happen?

• This motorway proposal was treated as a local planning issue despite having major implications for our national heritage.
• The earliest advice to avoid a routing through the Tara Skreen valley was ignored and the importance of the landscape was progressively downplayed  throughout each stage of the Route Selection process and the Public Consultation process.
• The findings from the public consultation process were completely ignored ; it constituted  no more than an expensive cosmetic exercise.
• The  Bord Pleanala oral hearing was not equipped to address the substantive issue that the wrong route had been chosen.
• An Bord Pleanala gave the go ahead to the route based on outdated information, despite having available the up-to-date findings of the Discovery Program’s extensive Tara research project .
• The local citizen groups who objected from the beginning were ignored. We did not have the profile needed to be taken seriously, despite presenting a damning submission to the oral hearing which pointed to manipulation and flaws in the Route Selection process.
• The strategy of offering 6 different routes to begin with resulted in division between communities with local interest taking precedence over the bigger concern of protecting Tara.
• With the development of the national campaign to save Tara, business interests responded by  launching an unresearched and  aggressive  campaign using the plight of the commuter in a divisive  fashion to  promote the M3 as was.  Likewise local polititions , many of whom had previously expressed reservations about the damage to heritage, decided their electoral futures were best served by supporting vested interests and proceeded to brand anyone objecting to the road as ‘anti progress’, serial whingers’ etc.
• It is worth noting that An Bord Pleanala has never turned down a motorway proposal. It is committed to implementing government policy.

What we learnt.

• Small groups without a profile or major public support can achieve very little, no matter how strong and well researched their case. The profile is needed early on in the process when there is the most possibility of influencing the decision.
• High profile and influential journalists and celebrities did not speak out in time .
• If the issue has national implications it needs a national campaign.
• All local groups concerned with an issue need to work together from the outset with an agreed commitment to the common good. This will not only create a strong and  effective campaign but will  help build community as opposed  to promoting division.
• The public consultation process was merely a cosmetic exercise to comply with regulations.
• The brief of the Oral Hearing was so narrow as to make it meaningless. It had no competence to look at the wider context of the proposal.
• The seeking of a Judicial Revue is a very limitted option for two reasons – a) the costs are prohibitive and b) it is merely about  procedures and points of law and not about the substantive issue itself.

Current status
 
The motorway is well underway and the Tara archaeological landscape is a vast muddy building site. Multiple archaeological sites on the route have been excavated and bulldozed.  A new national monument discovered in the path of the road at Lismullin was excavated and destroyed with Government approval, despite the fact that a case is awaiting a hearing at the European Court of Justice for failure to comply with EU regulations.

The M3/Tara campaign has had a long and varied history over the past 9 years.  Other groups and many people took up the baton to save Tara and between all there were legal challenges, complaints and petitions to the EU, canvassing during election, TV and radio debates and documentaries, celebrity and artists support , endless newspaper articles and letters to the papers, a Tara vigil group camped out on the hill,  protest groups, arrests, and a high profile direct action with  a protestor burrowed in under the road in a tunnel to prevent construction near Rath Lugh, another national monument in the Tara valley.
 
For those of us who tried so hard at the early stages to raise the alarm about the impact of this motorway, it is painful to witness  the devastation all around. What  happened was  put into powerful words by Poet and Nobel Laureate Seamus Heaney in a BBC documentary on Radio Ulster on 1st March 08 when he described the M3 motorway as a ruthless desecration of the sacred landscape around the Hill of Tara. He explained Tara’s significance; “The traces on Tara are in the grass, in the earth. They aren’t spectacular like temple ruins in Greece but they are about origin, they’re about beginning, they’re about the mythological, spiritual source- something that gives the country its distinctive spirit.”

The M3 motorway has done more than destroy our ancient heritage -  it has also devoured huge tracts of beautiful countryside, trees and hedgerows, prime farming land. It will go down in history as testament to what happens when the voices of people who care are dismissed . And it will surely  stand forever as a monument to a society that has lost its way and  forgotten its place in the scheme of things.  

Claire Oakes