Latest news with #InfrastructureMinister
BBC News
09-08-2025
- BBC News
New bus route to Manx beauty spot goes into service
A new bus route travelling to a Manx beauty spot "fills a big gap" in services between the west and south of the island, the infrastructure minister has daily 8S route, which has a journey time of one hour and 15 minutes, has been launched from Peel to The Sound, with a stop at the Cregneash folk village along the Haywood said as well as allowing those without a car to get to the visitor attractions, the new year-round route provided additional access to the airport.A service to the southern tip of the island was scrapped by the department last year on the grounds it was "not financially viable", leading to a campaign to reinstate them. That public backlash, spearheaded by pressure group Save Our Cregneash Bus and local authorities in the area, prompted the minister to commit to a review of the 8S service is scheduled to run every two hours, with the first leaving from outside Peel Town Hall at 09:05 service will travel via St John's, Foxdale, Silverdale, Ballasalla, the airport, Castletown, Port Erin, Port St Mary and Cregneash. The 8 route, which starts at The Sound, will operate hourly, beginning at 09:40."As the population of Peel and the west has grown, there has been greater demand for a link to the airport, from residents and visitors alike," explained Haywood. Read more stories from the Isle of Man on the BBC, watch BBC North West Tonight on BBC iPlayer and follow BBC Isle of Man on Facebook and X.
BBC News
08-08-2025
- General
- BBC News
Minister questions value of restoring Jersey sea pool
The future of Jersey's 128-year-old Victoria Marine Lake remains uncertain after a ministerial response to a public petition calling for its restoration and than 1,400 signatures backed the petition, but Infrastructure Minister Tom Binet said the pool had not been fully operational for decades. A £315,000 restoration project in 2014 failed to attract sustained public use, largely due to persistent sea lettuce in St Aubin's minister acknowledged the lake's historical significance but questioned whether there was enough public demand to justify the substantial investment required to restore and maintain it. Instead, the government is focusing on other swimming facilities, including the Havre des Pas Lido and a proposed 50m outdoor pool on the Binet confirmed short-term safety improvements were being considered, including lowering damaged sections of the lake wall. He also welcomed interest from external parties willing to co-invest or lease the site.A public meeting to discuss the lake's future will be held at the Old Magistrate's Court in the Town Hall on 5 September.
BBC News
22-06-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
A5: Judge to rule on future of road scheme
A judge is due to deliver a decision on the future of the A5 road scheme later on 58-mile (94km) £1.2bn project was given the green light by Stormont ministers in October last the following month a group of residents and landowners began judicial review proceedings against the dual work had already started on parts of the long-delayed road scheme and in March this year the Infrastructure Minister visited a location where some advance works were underway. More than 50 people have died on the A5 since 2006 and campaigners have called for the road to be scheme was first announced back in 2007, but has been beset by a number of delays.A group of local residents, landowners and farmers mounted a fresh challenge against the decision to begin construction work. Long read: A5 crossroads The umbrella group, known as the Alternative A5 Alliance, contended it would breach legislative targets set out in the Climate Change (Northern Ireland) Act 2022 to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by of the case centred on Planning Appeals Commission recommendations against proceeding with the scheme unless the department was satisfied it would not undermine those goals. What is the A5? The A5 is a vital artery of the Northern Ireland road network. More than 58 miles (94km) long, it has more than 200 side roads connecting to road is single carriageway for most of its length, with overtaking lanes in some links Londonderry with Aughnacloy in County Tyrone and passes through towns like Sion Mills, Omagh and is the main north-south route in the west of Northern Ireland, providing a link between County Donegal and Dublin, via the N2 in County road has remained largely unchanged since the 1960s, with the exception of some town bypasses, but there has been a huge rise in the number of cars, lorries and agricultural vehicles using it since it was first statistics show there has been about a 10% increase in traffic on the road in the last 10 years alone. An increase of about 30% is forecast over the next 25 years. Concerns A plan for a new A5 dual carriageway was first proposed nearly 20 years been at the centre of a raging debate ever since, between those who say a new, modernised road is needed to save lives - and others who worry about the impact on farmland and the 1,200 hectares of land, impacting more than 300 working farms would be required for the construction of the full 85km A5 like the Alternative A5 Alliance (AA5A) have repeatedly raised concerns about losing land that has been in their families for had called for the existing A5 road to be improved and pointed to the environmental impact of constructing such a large-scale project, as well as unresolved issues about building the new road near potential flood police figures have shed light on the cause of crashes on the A5, putting focus on driver error is the most common cause of fatal road traffic accidents on the A5, but it is also the most common cause of fatal accidents on the majority of roads across Northern Ireland. A previous investigation by BBC News NI found that between 2012 and 2024, the A5 had the highest rate of deaths per kilometre of any road in Northern April this year Justice McAlinden heard arguments at the High Court from barristers representing the AA5A as well as from bereaved families and the Department for judge had previously said it was important the case reached a conclusion "as quickly as possible".A decision is expected later on Monday morning.
