Court hearing appeal against ruling which stopped upgrade

The A5 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 hit by a number of delays.

More than 50 people have died on the road since 2006 and there has been a long campaign to upgrade it.

The ruling in June which blocked the upgrade came after the project was challenged by a group of residents, landowners and farmers.

The umbrella group, known as the Alternative A5 Alliance, contended it would breach legislative targets to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.

The Department for Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (Daera) has been given permission by the Court of Appeal to intervene in support of the DfI.

Environmental group Friends of the Earth has also been given permission to intervene and will argue the DfI’s application of the Climate Change Act is inconsistent with rational climate change decision making.

Meanwhile campaign group A5 Enough is Enough will continue to have similar participation status at the legal battle in support of the upgrade.

The appeal hearing is due to last for three days.