Mayo Greenway landowners praised for taking the fight to TII

LANDOWNERS living along the preferred route for the Westport to Murrisk Greenway have reiterated their objection to the Greenway running through their land.

A protest against the preferred route for the Greenway to Murrisk took place on Saturday afternoon at the Octagon in Westport where speakers said there will be no 'land grab' or the Compulsory Purchase Order (CPO) of land to make way for the Greenway.

A large crowd attended the protest with speakers including local councillor Brendan Mulroy and John O'Malley as well as Chris Maxwell, a local Independent candidate and Gerry Loftus of the Rural Ireland Organisation.

All the speakers gave their backing to the landowners who are opposed to the Greenway going through their land while there were also concerns regarding the Greenway going through a flood plain.

The preferred route option will see the Greenway go off road from Aughavale Cemetery via the townlands of Cloonagh, Kiladangan and Deerpark towards Murrisk and will cut through land at the foot of Croagh Patrick.

The landowners have also accused Mayo County Council and Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) who are delivering the project of not consulting with the landowners before deciding on the preferred route option.

Gerry Loftus of Rural Ireland Organisation told the protest the landowners will not be bullied by the TII with talk of the CPO of land. He criticised the farming organisations who negotiated the 'Greenway code' with the TII which allowed for the CPO of land for greenways.

“You have shown tremendous courage to take this fight to the TII,” he told the landowners. 

“It is an absolute disgrace that in 2024 a government agency can look at a computer and run a line through it and decide that is where we will put the Greenway without any consultation with the people who own the land. That is the Ireland we have today.

“We all know that a CPO has to be there for roads and something that is essential for rural Ireland but it is bloody well not essential to put a greenway at someone's back door...[or] down through someone's garden,” he told the protest.

Mr Loftus said that the west of Ireland was being turned into a national park but believes people are now rising up and demanding they are listened to.

He also called on the four local county councillors to stand united in support of the landowners opposed to the Greenway going through their land.

“It is a shame that the four county councillors in this municipal district cannot agree on one thing and if they were in full agreement the TII would not have half as much backbone,” he said.

The landowners opposed to the Greenway going through their land have called on the council and the TII to develop a walk and cycle path along the main road to Murrisk which they believe will benefit all the community.

“I am calling on the four councillors to come together to agree that route on behalf of the people they represent and who put them in Mayo County Council. They have a duty to stand with the people never mind standing with TII,” Mr Loftus commented.

Fianna Fáil councillor Brendan Mulroy and Independent councillor John O'Malley have both given their backing to the stance taken by the landowners while Fine Gael councillor Peter Flynn and Independent Cllr Christy Hyland have called for more consultation between all the different stakeholders.

The option of developing a greenway along the main road to Murrisk is not a preferred option for the project team as it will have to be six metres wide in order to comply with TII guidelines for any Greenway going along a public road. As a result, it is claimed it will become a 'major project' and almost double the cost of the preferred option.

Cllr Flynn said that route has not been set in stone and urged landowners to sit down with the project team and see if anything can be agreed before ruling out going through their land.

“I would say to people to at least have a conversation with the team before ruling everything out. No matter what route you go someone will be impacted and there is no simple solution. There is no black and white solution and that is why it is really important that the landowners sit down with the project team and see if there is a way of doing it by minimising the disruption of the landowners,” he said.