Approval for roundabout at accident blackspot in County Limerick

A ROUNDABOUT designed to cut vehicle collisions at an accident blackspot in County Limerick has been given the green light by An Bord Pleanala.
Limerick City and County Council have long planned to build a roundabout at O’Rourke’s Cross in Bruree.
The busy crossroads has been the site of many collisions, with council data provided to the national planning appeals body revealing the scale of incidents at the junction.
Between 2014 and 2023, there were 19 material damage collisions, four minor and one serious collision, and one fatality, Deirdre Clarke, an executive engineer with council stated in evidence to An Bord Pleanala.
O’Rourke’s Cross has more than twice the number of collisions that would be expected in a section of national road, Ms Clarke added.

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Council is planning to construct a new roundabout, and new approaches on the N20 to the junction. A new cycleway and footway are proposed plus the relocation of bus stops.
In order to do the work, council needs to buy land on a compulsory basis, which is why it sought the ruling of An Bord Pleanala.
Councillors had initially approved the plans, a move which was rubber-stamped by An Bord Pleanala in 2021.
However, the scheme has attracted opposition from James Beechinor, who owns the N20 Service Station at the junction.
He is concerned about an inability to develop his business further with the roundabout in place, and effectively being left cut off by the development. Mr Beechinor expressed the view in the past that a fifth arm to the roundabout would accommodate a seamless movement in and out of his service station without impeding safety.
He appealed An Bord Pleanala’s 2021 decision to approve the compulsory purchase of land to the High Court.
A judge quashed An Bord Pleanala’s ruling, forcing council to resubmit the application.
Now, following an oral hearing, the national planning authority has once again ruled in favour of the council's bid to compulsorily acquire the land.
A council spokesperson said they will now liaise with TII in a bid to secure fresh funding for the project to take it to the detailed design and construction stages.

Cllr PJ Carey said the junction can be “treacherous” and welcomed the news.