The Irish government is to introduce new laws relating to compulsory purchase orders of underground land to reduce the cost of building subsurface rail, road and sewerage links according to reports in newspaper The Sunday Times in Ireland.
A bill is set to be introduced next spring to strengthen the powers utilised by state agencies and local authorities to buy the land required for schemes. The move comes as the government is expected to announce plans for underground rail sections in Dublin’s city centre.
Environment minister, Dick Roche, said that experiences on the Dublin Port Tunnel had highlighted ambiguities about the compulsory purchase order process for below ground schemes. He said surface values did not equate to below ground rights, saying the current rate of 125% of the surface value was not appropriate.
