'Fair compensation needed for displaced A5 landowners' - says union

The deputy president of the Ulster Farmers Union (UFU) has said farmers and landowners on the A5 route have been left in a state of uncertainty and must be compensated fairly. John McClenaghan said some landowners have not accepted any compensation although they have "not been able to use their land" since last October. On Monday a High Court judgeruled the construction of the new dual carriageway project should not go ahead in its current form, because the plans do not legally comply with Stormont's climate change targets. He urged officials to make"concerted efforts" to address issues so a safer road can be built. Infrastructure Minister Liz Kimmins said it was an"extremely disappointing day" but added she was not giving up on delivering a safer A5. More than 50 people have died on the A5 since 2006 and campaigners have called for the road to be upgraded. The road is the Northern Ireland part of the major arterial route that connects the north-west of the island - Donegal and Londonderry - to Dublin, via towns including Strabane, Omagh and Aughnacloy. The dual carriageway scheme was first announced back in 2007, but has been beset by a number of delays. The 58-mile (94km) £1.7bn project was given the green light by Stormont ministers in October last year. Speaking toBBC's Good Morning Ulster programmeMr McClenaghan said "land was taken away" from farmers last October and "they have not been able to use that land....the level of compensation has not yet even been determined and farmers have been reluctant to accept offers which may have been made because they don't know what the final costs will be". "Our feeling is that if our farmers are to be displaced they should be fairly compensated," he added. "Twenty years this has been going on and the important thing is that the A5 is safer for all the people that use it". "We need to get on with improving the A5 road and we do not disagree with that. "It's ridiculous how long it's been left," he said. He said there are 330 farmers affected. "This is there home where they've lived, there's an attachment on the land that goes passed any value or compensation amount and there are other farmers that want to get on with their business. Stephen Kelly's father Terry was killed instantly when the van he was a passenger in left the road at Bready, on the stretch of the A5 between Strabane and Derry. Mr Kelly said he was disappointed by the decision, which he described as "the latest episode" in the "disaster" of trying to deliver a critical piece of infrastructure. He said the judge's comment that the delay would cause more loss of life was "chilling". "The judge is trying to make clear there is a strong moral case for this to be done … but as a family member, to hear a member of the judiciary saying it's very likely more people are going to die as a result of his decision yesterday didn't go down very well with me certainly." Mr Kelly said the judge's request for the department to provide more information "did leave the door open" for the scheme to progress in the future, which was "one thing to take away". The Chair of Stormont's Infrastructure Committee, Deborah Erskine, said there were worries over how new road projects will be delivered. "We are going to have to look at climate change legislation. It has huge implications for major road infrastructure projects across NI," she told Good Morning Ulster She added that there were "major questions" going forward for the Department for Infrastructure. "Why was land ripped up and made unrecognisable while a high court judgement was underway? And when will these farmers received this land back? "I've had farmers who've been chatting to me, very worried about those facts," she said. The High Court judgement blocking the upgrade of the A5 road - because the plans do not comply with government climate change targets - shows the reach and impact of Stormont's climate change legislation -but the judgement is clear that shortcomings in the project can be remedied. Justice McAlinden urged officials to make"concerted efforts" to address them so a safer road can be built. A solicitor for the Alternative A5 Alliance campaign group, which brought the successful case, said his clients' efforts had been"vindicated" and it was an important day for the environment. Safety campaigners from the Enough is Enough group said they weredisappointed with the decisionbut added the judgement provides a "roadmap" for how the upgrade could proceed. Kieran Kennedy, chair of Strabane Business Improvement Districts group, said Monday's judgement was a shock. "We in the north west depend on infrastructure to carry goods along the A5 corridor...this is just a severe blow to business in Strabane and the north west in general," he toldBBC Radio Foyle's North West Today programme. "I think about the families who have lost loved ones. There are obviously going to be more families affected in the future by this judgement." Mr Kennedy said it is now time to "work to try and make sure we get everything lined up, to make sure this road can go ahead." He he it was a set back but "not the end".