I am making this submission on behalf of [Redacted - Personal Information], who is intellectually and physically disabled and a full-time wheelchair user.

We must commend you and your team on acknowledging and making safe the main and secondary roads of the village of Grange. Well done.

We urge you to address the dangerous junction between Chapel Road and the N15 before permitting any additional vehicular traffic arising from the proposed Part 8 development: Proposed Housing Development – 12 no. units at Harte’s Court (Cúirt Uí Airt), Grange Townland, Grange, Co. Sligo.

Please consider the following:

1. Accessibility & Disability Rights Obligations

At present, there is no continuous, accessible footpath linking Chapel Road to the N15 footpath. A wheelchair user must pass through private church grounds to access the village. This route:

Is not public infrastructure
Can be closed at any time
Cannot be relied upon as safe or lawful pedestrian access
Access through while a Funeral or Wedding is in progress is not possible

This situation does not appear to meet the accessibility and equality standards set out in disability, equal status and planning legislation.

A development that increases traffic at a location where disabled persons cannot safely access public footpaths raises serious compliance concerns. Even at present, it takes two of us to go to the Park, Shops, Post Office, Medical Centre or Pharmacy, one of us manoeuvres his wheelchair as he is unable to do so himself, while the other watches, manages the traffic and the crossing at this junction. If both of us are not available for him, then he cannot go to any of these places in his wheelchair.

2. Road Safety & Traffic Obligations

The junction is a staggered junction with traffic approaching from four directions and two bus stops located in close proximity on opposite sides of the road. There have been minor collisions and at least one pedestrian incident that I personally know about.

As late as last Saturday at 10am while stopped myself, I witnessed a car travelling in the opposite direction failing to stop at the pedestrian crossing located outside the church, the Red stop light was illuminated. Two children had just, and I mean just completed the crossing, while a mother and two other children were in the process of completing the crossing. Everyone was lucky that there wasn’t a fatality. Unfortunately, this is a regular occurrence. Had a car been making a manoeuvre at the junction of Chaple Road and the N15, they may also have been collided with.

Road authorities have a statutory duty to manage road safety, including ensuring that new developments do not increase risk for pedestrians and vulnerable road users.

The objectives of this Active Travel Scheme specifically include improving connectivity and safety for all road users. That must include wheelchair users accessing the village from Chapel Road.

The safety assessment appears to have focused on the immediate development boundary rather than the wider pedestrian approach to the junction.

Increasing vehicle movements from Phase 2 Development before resolving pedestrian safety conflicts with national road safety policy and the principle of sustainable development.

3. Public Sector Equality & Human Rights Duty

Approving a development that increases traffic at a location where wheelchair users cannot safely access public infrastructure raises equality and human rights implications.

4. Planning Principle – Proper Planning & Sustainable Development

Under the Planning and Development Act 2000, the planning authority must ensure that development:

Is in the interest of proper planning
Protects public safety
Provides adequate infrastructure

A development cannot be considered sustainable if a wheelchair user cannot safely travel from their home to the village.

It is not consistent with proper planning to increase vehicular traffic at a known unsafe junction without first upgrading pedestrian infrastructure.

Preventative action is always better than regret after a serious incident. The responsible course of action is to resolve the pedestrian and junction safety issues before permitting this phase of development to commence.

Please explain in detail using Plain Language (in the spirit of The Plain Language Bill that was proposed back in 2019, but never enacted) how and when the above concerns will be mitigated, and that safe wheelchair accessibility will be guaranteed.

Thank you

N15 Grange Active Travel Scheme - Submissions

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