Announcing that work on the A5 will begin, DUP Deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly noted how vesting homes and farmland became a highly emotive issue. It led to years of delay while costs ballooned, as is often the case.

So why not take a fresh look at how vesting is done? Paying market rate for houses does not even cover the owner’s financial loss, let alone compensate for the trauma of losing their home. An additional ‘home loss payment’ can be claimed but only up to 10 per cent of market value, capped at £45,000. This would be £20,000 for the average house in Northern Ireland, which scarcely covers the cost of moving.

It would be cheaper to offer homeowners multiple times market value if it avoided even brief delays to major projects. Guarantees could be given that a suitable replacement dwelling will be found, or built if necessary. This could include exemption from planning restrictions on one-off housing in the countryside.

Conversely, a more robust approach could be taken with farmland. Farming is a de facto nationalised industry, with farmers receiving 90 per cent of their income as a basic grant, paid per hectare. They may own the land but frankly, Stormont owns them.

Brónagh Diamond: Is church losing Mass appeal because it’s... just no craic?

Patrick Murphy: Sinn Féin is pushing a united Ireland further away

As farming is the main source of pollution in Northern Ireland, with little enforcement of environmental regulation, perhaps rather too much indulgence is shown when farmers make environmental objections.

Farming is a de facto nationalised industry, with farmers receiving 90 per cent of their income as a basic grant

**

Mike Nesbitt has published his plan........

© The Irish News