The Minister for Transport, Séamus Brennan, has welcomed the decision by the High Court to dismiss the latest legal challenge to stop the demolition of medieval ruins in Carrickmines in South Dublin.
In a statement the Minister said he hoped that work could now proceed on completing the Southern Eastern Motorway as a matter of urgency.
The National Roads Authority has called for reform of the heritage laws to prevent a repeat of the Carrickmines controversy. The NRA says the dispute meant €10 million in extra cost and a delay of nearly one year for the M50 extension.
Mr Justice Paul Gilligan ruled that an application for a judicial review of the decision by the Minister for the Environment, Martin Cullen, to go ahead with demolition of castle ruins, was not made promptly enough.
He also rejected a claim that the director of the National Museum was not properly consulted, and he found that the minister was entitled to make the order.
