COMPULSORY PURCHASE ORDERS for the Lucan leg of the BusConnects scheme have been submitted by the National Transport Authority (NTA).

It has applied to An Bord Pleanála to CPO parcels of land 9.7km in length stretching from west county Dublin into the city centre. 

The NTA recently submitted its planning application for the €80 million to €120 million bus corridor scheme, which it said will provide infrastructure improvements for cycling and walking once finished.

The scheme is part of the Government’s plans to deliver to transform public transport for Dublin City by providing a “faster and more efficient” bus service.

Route of Lucan BusConnects route

There has been strong local opposition to the BusConnects plan in certain areas, as trees, parts of residential properties, and other spaces may be removed to make way for expanded bus routes and cycle lanes.

Property owners affected by the plan are set to be fully compensated up to €25,000 each.

Some of the land being targeted for CPO is for permanent use while other sections are for temporary use for the duration of construction. 

According to the CPO documents published on the Lucan BusConnects website, there are 53 parcels of land currently owned by another organisation or entity, including the HSE and South Dublin County Council, which has been hit with a CPO for permanent use.

The proposed bus route for Lucan commences at the N4 Junction 3 and is routed along the R835 Lucan Road to the roundabout serving the Lucan Retail Park and also the N4 Lucan Road eastbound on-slip.

The core bus corridor is then routed via the N4 – passing the Liffey Valley Shopping Centre – as far as Junction 7 of the M50 and via the R148 along Palmerstown bypass, Chapelizod bypass, Con Colbert Road and St John’s Road West. It ends at Frank Sherwin Bridge where it joins traffic on the South Quays.

There are a total of 16 core bus corridors linking the busiest routes in and out of the city centre which are entering the planning process.

Some corridors already submitted include Clongriffin, Belfield and Blanchardstown. Following Lucan, the NTA said it intends to next apply for planning for core corridor routes connecting Swords and Ringsend to the city centre.

The final decision on the Lucan CPO application is to be determined by 16 March next year.

The NTA has said BusConnects is a key measure to deliver on commitments within the the Transport Strategy for the Greater Dublin Area (2016-2035) and the Climate Action Plan (2021).

A copy of the application documentation may be viewed and downloaded free of charge at lucanscheme.ie.

All previous documents regarding BusConnects are still available on busconnects.ie.