Mayo County Council has not ruled out the use of compulsory purchase orders (CPOs) on the proposed Belclare to Murrisk greenway, but it insisted that its preference is to build the route with the consent of the landowners affected.
“It remains an objective of Mayo County Council that this project will be delivered by negotiation and agreement with the affected landowners, with the use of compulsory purchase orders being an option of last resort,” Mayo County Council told the Irish Farmers Journal.
However, the council pointed out that it remained “a condition of funding by TII [Transport Infrastructure Ireland] that this greenway will be constructed to a particular standard on land owned by the local authority”.
“Permissive access is not an option,” the council maintained.
In relation to the route, the council maintained that it had considered routing the greenway along the main road from Westport to Louisburgh (R335) but this option did not meet current greenway standards.
“Constructing this facility along the regional road, with the Clew Bay SAC abutting the road immediately to the north, would prove very challenging from an engineering and environmental perspective and it is estimated that it would have a profound effect on residential properties located along the road,” the council stated.
In terms of the inland route, which was described as the “emerging preferred option”, the council claimed that it would be a “safer option” as it’s “removed from traffic”.
It would also provide “a more pleasant experience due to its elevated nature and would be less vulnerable to coastal erosion concerns”, the council maintained.
“In accordance with the strategy for the Future Development of National and Regional Greenways this greenway will be compliant with the five ‘S’ criteria which require it to be scenic, sustainable, substantially segregated and shared use, strategic, and offer lots to see and do,” the council explained.
Issue
However, local resident Lucy Fabby took issue with the council’s claim that the Belclare to Murrisk greenway will be sustainable.
The Owenwee River in flood in the Cloonagh Valley between Belclare and Murrisk, Co Mayo.
She pointed out that the Cloonagh Valley is flooded regularly in winter by the Owenwee River, but this does not appear to have been factored into the route choice.
The Owenwee is a renowned salmon river and the whole valley is a pearl mussel sensitive area, Fabby said.
How could building a greenway across such a sensitive habitat be classed as sustainable, she asked?
From a practical farming perspective, the greenway will also create difficulties, Fabby maintained.
The fields run in strips down the side of the valley to the river, she said, but these are now going to be cut in two by the proposed greenway.
“My neighbour has six of these fields. He’ll need 12 gates to access the bottom portion of his land,” Fabby pointed out.
Allowed
“The council do not know the lie of the land in the valley because they haven’t been allowed into it,”
she said.
Meanwhile, in relation to consultation, the council said it had held two public information meetings locally regarding the proposed greenway and had written to all the affected landowners offering to consult with them individually.
“The project team will continue to engage constructively with landowners in the hope that a mutually satisfactory outcome will be achieved. The objective of Mayo County Council will be to seek planning consent for the development in 2026,”
it stated.
The Owenwee River in flood in the Cloonagh Valley between Belclare and Murrisk, Co Mayo.
The Owenwee River in flood in the Cloonagh Valley between Belclare and Murrisk, Co Mayo.
Mayo County Council has not ruled out the use of compulsory purchase orders (CPOs) on the proposed Belclare to Murrisk greenway, but it insisted that its preference is to build the route with the consent of the landowners affected.
“It remains an objective of Mayo County Council that this project will be delivered by negotiation and agreement with the affected landowners, with the use of compulsory purchase orders being an option of last resort,” Mayo County Council told the Irish Farmers Journal.
However, the council pointed out that it remained “a condition of funding by TII [Transport Infrastructure Ireland] that this greenway will be constructed to a particular standard on land owned by the local authority”.
“Permissive access is not an option,” the council maintained.
In relation to the route, the council maintained that it had considered routing the greenway along the main road from Westport to Louisburgh (R335) but this option did not meet current greenway standards.
“Constructing this facility along the regional road, with the Clew Bay SAC abutting the road immediately to the north, would prove very challenging from an engineering and environmental perspective and it is estimated that it would have a profound effect on residential properties located along the road,” the council stated.
In terms of the inland route, which was described as the “emerging preferred option”, the council claimed that it would be a “safer option” as it’s “removed from traffic”.
It would also provide “a more pleasant experience due to its elevated nature and would be less vulnerable to coastal erosion concerns”, the council maintained.
“In accordance with the strategy for the Future Development of National and Regional Greenways this greenway will be compliant with the five ‘S’ criteria which require it to be scenic, sustainable, substantially segregated and shared use, strategic, and offer lots to see and do,” the council explained.
Issue
However, local resident Lucy Fabby took issue with the council’s claim that the Belclare to Murrisk greenway will be sustainable.
The Owenwee River in flood in the Cloonagh Valley between Belclare and Murrisk, Co Mayo.
She pointed out that the Cloonagh Valley is flooded regularly in winter by the Owenwee River, but this does not appear to have been factored into the route choice.
The Owenwee is a renowned salmon river and the whole valley is a pearl mussel sensitive area, Fabby said.
How could building a greenway across such a sensitive habitat be classed as sustainable, she asked?
From a practical farming perspective, the greenway will also create difficulties, Fabby maintained.
The fields run in strips down the side of the valley to the river, she said, but these are now going to be cut in two by the proposed greenway.
“My neighbour has six of these fields. He’ll need 12 gates to access the bottom portion of his land,” Fabby pointed out.
Allowed
“The council do not know the lie of the land in the valley because they haven’t been allowed into it,”
she said.
Meanwhile, in relation to consultation, the council said it had held two public information meetings locally regarding the proposed greenway and had written to all the affected landowners offering to consult with them individually.
“The project team will continue to engage constructively with landowners in the hope that a mutually satisfactory outcome will be achieved. The objective of Mayo County Council will be to seek planning consent for the development in 2026,”
it stated.
The Owenwee River in flood in the Cloonagh Valley between Belclare and Murrisk, Co Mayo.
The Owenwee River in flood in the Cloonagh Valley between Belclare and Murrisk, Co Mayo.
SHARING OPTIONS