Ruling to come on future of A5 road project

Last year a judge ruled against the long-delayed A5 road project going ahead in its current form, upholding a legal challenge taken by a group of landowners

The judge said the plans breached Northern Ireland climate change targets and criticised "an inadequacy of information"

The 58-mile (94km) £1.7bn project had been given a fresh green light by Stormont ministers in October 2024 but a group of landowners brought a legal challenge in 2025

Today we'll find out if the appeal, from Northern Ireland's Department for Infrastructure (DfI), has been successful with the judge due to deliver a judgment

More than 50 people have died on the A5 since 2006 and campaigners have long called for the road to be upgraded

Lady Chief Justice Dame Siobhan Keegan is delivering the judgment.

We aren't sure how long it will take but one of the first things she said was that it was "no overstatement" to say the litigation history of the A5 project was "long and tortuous".

Keegan is working her way through the four main grounds of this challenge.

Dealing with first one – the judge's quashing of the A5 project on grounds of EIA (Environmental Impact Assessment) obligations – the Court of Appeal has found the trial judge erred in his analysis of EIA compliance.

The Court of Appeal has found in favour of the appellants, the Department for Infrastructure, on EIA grounds and has reversed the decision of the trial judge on this aspect of the challenge.

Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharing The court's decision on the future of one of Northern Ireland’s largest road projects is due later.

Proposals to build a new dual A5 dual carriageway between Londonderry and Aughnacloy go back almost 20 years, but have been beset by funding and legal issues.

The improvement scheme was given the go-ahead by Stormont ministers in October 2024.

But last year, a court ruled the Department for Infrastructure's plans for the road did not comply with climate change targets.

Today the Court of Appeal in Belfast will decide on whether to uphold or quash that High Court judgment.

Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharing We are expecting the judgment on the future of the long-delayed A5 road project today.

We will hear whether the Court of Appeal will uphold a 2025 High Court decision that the plans breached Northern Ireland's climate change targets.

The Department for Infrastructure is challenging that decision.

Stay with us and we will bring you the latest from court and all the background to the case.