Fr Adrian Egan, who has been in the parish for five years, says the community is unhappy with the planned changes as they’re getting rid of the roundabout outside Our Lady of the Assumption Church.
He believes the impact of these changes in Ballyfermot is very significant, and many residents feel the changes will be to the detriment of the community, businesses, history and heritage.
“If you ask anyone where in Dublin is Ballyfermot, they’ll say ‘you know, the big church at the roundabout’. It’s one of the characteristics that gives Ballyfermot its identity,” Fr Egan said.
“It’s been there since the very beginning. It’s a major feature of how people describe Ballyfermot and talk about it. It’s just part of the geography and of the heritage of the place.
“There’s a huge concern among a lot of people. I’m part of a group that have issues with some aspects of the plan.
“The identity of Ballyfermot is being taken away and people feel very strongly about that.
“I’ve been here five years now. My house is outside the church on the roundabout there, so I know it intimately.”
Fr Egan submitted formal objections to the removal of the roundabout in front of the church, and to the compulsory purchase order of the area immediately in front of the main gates.
He explained that both objections were turned down in the initial process and in the subsequent appeal process, and all the planning permissions required by the NTA have now been granted.
But as the impact of the changes became clear, he says more and more residents and businesses began raising their opposition.
“It’s also a roundabout that works. There’s major traffic going through it every day, yet rarely will you see a tail back there,” Fr Egan said.
“It actually does the job it’s meant to do and to take that away and put a junction there would create all kinds of traffic issues.
“Heritage level, it’s an issue and at a practical level, it’s an issue. There are three major primary schools on the roundabout and a secondary school.
“Businesses and residents also have major issues around some of the layout of the new route.
“Ballyfermot strip is to become one way and that will mean a lot of parking will be taken away from local shops and businesses along there, they fear that.
“It’s going to create dangers on some of the residential streets off the main strip, the traffic will have to detour and go through, increasing traffic levels for kids living and playing there.
“We all agree we want to see better bus services and better routes. We all support that.
“But it has to be balanced with the impact on the community as well. We think this is too much and we don’t feel that we’ve been consulted with properly.”
Fr Egan and other members of the community will be marching from the Ballyfermot roundabout at 1pm on Saturday, October 5, and making its way to the new bus hub at Liffey Valley Retail Park.
A spokesperson for the National Transport Authority (NTA) said: “The Liffey Valley to City Centre Core Bus Corridor Scheme forms part of the major infrastructure element of the overall BusConnects Programme.
“It runs from the Liffey Valley Shopping Centre to Dublin City Centre via Ballyfermot, Inchicore, Kilmainham and Thomas Street/James Street.
“It will provide significant transport improvements in the form of upgraded bus priority, which will greatly improve both the reliability and journey times for buses along the route.
“There is an opportunity for collaboration between the NTA, businesses and residents to develop the final scheme details in a manner that enhances the public realm areas along Ballyfermot Road.
“NTA met with a number of local public representatives two weeks ago and have committed to a follow up meeting with key community members.
“It is worth noting there were three rounds of non-statutory public consultation conducted during 2019 and 2020, which included engagement in the form of Community Forums, local public information events and meetings with individual residents groups.
“[Planning] consent was received from An Bord Pleanála for the BusConnects project on December 19, 2023.
“There was a two month period during which An Bord Pleanála’s decision could be appealed. No such appeals were submitted during this period.
“It is expected that the Scheme will bring significant benefits to businesses and residents along the along the route in the form of much improved bus, cycling and walking infrastructure, including those in Ballyfermot.”