Mayo councillor claims Greenway resident's concerns being brushed aside

A WESTPORT councillor has accused Mayo County Council and the TII of 'brushing aside' the feelings of local landowners living along the proposed controversial Murrisk Greenway.

A delegation of landowners and residents living close to the preferred route option of the Westport to Murrisk Greenway met with Minister of State, Jack Chambers last week to voice their concerns regarding the proposed route.

The meeting was arranged by local Fianna Fáil councillor Brendan Mulroy who hascome out strongly against the greenway route from Belclare to Murrisk which is currently proposed by Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) and Mayo County Council.

“I was pleased to be able to show Minister Chambers the proposed route and the difficulties that can be avoided by investing in the existing cycle and walkway. The Minister was able to meet a delegation of those impacted and hear from them personally and their concerns. What is troubling is that no rationale, no cost benefit analysis or multi criteria assessment has been made available to any of the affected landowners despite repeated requests for this information. None of the affected landowners and homeowners were notified of the project before the maps showing their properties bisected with the planned routes were made public.”

Cllr Mulroy, who is seeking to retain his seat on Mayo County Council in the local elections in June, said does not understand the stance taken by TII and Mayo County Council in light of the local opposition.

“I find it incredible that such local feeling is being brushed to one side. The Minister for Transport himself, Eamon Ryan said earlier this year that ‘whilst these projects are great tourism amenities, greenways are first and foremost for locals so that they can visit neighbours, get to school or into their local towns safely.’ It is clear that the emerging preferred route from Belclare to Murrish is not in keeping with Minister Ryan’s own view on greenways in Ireland.”

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.

Cllr Mulroy said he is backing the stance of the local Belclare to Murrisk Committee who oppose the preferred route option but want the greenway developed alongside the R335 Westport to Murrisk road.

“The current R335 cycle and walkway is the principal route used by most people and if this were to be enhanced, upgraded and developed – there lies the solution. I am very concerned on a number of levels. The landowners and residents affected by the preferred route will suffer loss of privacy, loss of residential and land amenity. It will impact on residents and landowners/farmers adversely when an improved cycle and walkway along the R335 would avoid all of this.

“The R335 is already the main public access route to Murrisk and sundering land and fragmenting habitats with a new route will devalue property, complicate farming and divide the community when something as important as this should be uniting the community.”

Councillor Mulroy said that such an important link to the tourism and recreational infrastructure of Westport and West Mayo should not railroad people when there is no need to do so.

“The proposed brand new three-metre-wide road with an additional metre and fence on either side will not result in more people cycling to school or work when they have to go up and around hills. It is better to keep the cycle and walkway on the flat which is not only the most direct route but also is immediately available by improving and augmenting what is currently along the R334. From a scenic point of view, that main road route runs alongside Clew Bay and the infrastructure needed just has to be supplemented.

“I am against compulsory purchase orders (CPO) being used. A new State policy has been introduced in the past six months where CPOs can be used for these types of projects. This mechanism should only be triggered for essential infrastructure projects and whilst this walkway/cycleway is key, it is not essential,” he said.

Councillor Mulroy said that greenways cannot be constructed at the expense of people’s safety, livelihood, privacy and property rights and least of all when a more appropriate option is available. “I do not wish to see a situation where opposition grows further; where there will be community conflict, objections to planning, appeals and possibly the matter going before the Courts. The solution is the existing R335 and the focus now needs to be switched to that route.”