By Alan Rodgers

THE North’s Infrastructure Minister Liz Kimmins has confirmed that an appeal against the quashing of planning approval for the long-awaited A5 dual carriageway will be heard in December.

The A5 is a major primary route in the North of Ireland. It links the city of Derry with Aughnacloy, county Tyrone via the towns of Strabane and Omagh. The project has huge significance for Donegal too, as well as the wider north west region. Just south of Aughnacloy is the border with the Republic of Ireland, where the A5 meets the N2 to Dublin.

The Irish government committed €600 million in February 2024 to the Shared Island projects including the long-awaited upgrading of the A5 road link to the north west.

Speaking at the Stormont Assembly, Ms Kimmins, of Sinn Fein, said her department’s priority was to prepare ‘as robust an appeal as possible’ to progress the £1.7 billion scheme, which has faced years of delays, legal wrangling and mounting frustration.

SDLP MLAs Justin McNulty and Daniel McCrossan accused the Department for Infrastructure (DfI) of a ‘calamitous failure’ to deliver the project.

Mr McNulty branded the A5 ‘a shameful embarrassment’ and asked whether responsibility lay with departmental officials, Ms Kimmins herself, or her Sinn Féin predecessor John O’Dowd.

The Minister dismissed claims of incompetence, insisting staff were committed and working tirelessly.

“Many of them live in or are from the area and are passionate about the scheme,” she said. “Have respect for the people who have put their heart and soul into delivering it. My focus now is on delivering for those families who have lost loved ones and for the communities along the A5. I will not be distracted by petty party politics.”

Sinn Féin MLA Declan McAleer welcomed the Minister’s commitment, highlighting the project’s importance for the north-west’s economy and road safety.