Mayo Greenway landowners told to show TII the door

Landowners affected by the preferred route option for the Westport to Murrisk Greenway have been advised not to engage with the TII or Mayo County Council and to ‘show them the door’.

Up to 70 registered letters were sent out last week to landowners by the project team developing the Greenway from Westport to Murrisk, advising them of the next phase of the project. This is the landowner consultation stage of the process.

A public meeting, organised by a committee opposed to the preferred route of the Greenway, was held in Lecanvey Community Centre on Friday evening. The landowners present were advised not to engage with project team members if they call to their homes and to stand united against the project.

Peter Shanley, Chairman of the Belclare to Murrisk Committee, said that the committee has composed a letter in response, outlining the objections to the route. He said this letter should be distributed and sent back ‘en masse’ to the project team.

“Our advice to you, the people affected, is not to invite engineers from Mayo County Council or TII [Transport Infrastructure Ireland] onto your land or visit them in their offices.

“You are under no obligation to meet with these people or talk to them – you are better to reply, and this is the reply [letter] we have composed for you and we strongly recommend you use it and get it off as soon as possible,” he said.

United response

Patrick Slevin, another committee member, explained that the letter outlined the objections to Option 2 (the project team’s preferred route) and the threat of compulsory purchase orders, as well as landowners’ preference that a walk and cycleway be instead developed along the R335, Westport to Louisburgh road – which is Option 1.

Mr Slevin also pointed out that any compensation given for land for the greenway would be subject to capital gains tax.

“Our objective of this letter is a swift, robust and united response from all the affected property owners and anyone who wishes to support their cause,” he added.

“Another objective is we work together. CPOs must be approved by An Bord Pleanála, and they will not approve a project if an overwhelming majority of us reject the proposal. If we do not meet the representatives of MCC, TII or NRO [National Roads Office] then this [route] will die a death. If any Greenway project team members come knocking… we suggest you show them the door,” he said.

Westport councillor Peter Flynn was heckled after speaking in favour of Greenway project

Lone voice

The Murrisk Greenway project is being developed by Mayo County Council in conjunction with Transport Infrastructure Ireland. The preferred route option (Option 2) would see the Greenway go off road from Aughavale Cemetery via the townlands of Cloonagh, Kiladangan and Deerpark towards Murrisk and would cut through land at the foot of Croagh Patrick.

The overwhelming majority of those who filled the community centre were against the preferred route.

The meeting was addressed by a number of local politicians and election candidates.

The only political voice who came out in favour of the project was that of Fine Gael councillor Peter Flynn, who received a hostile reaction from some of the crowd when he outlined some of the benefits of greenways.

Cllr Flynn was the last of the four local councillors to be given a platform to speak. He had not been asked to speak initially, given his current stance.

“This is a protest meeting,” he was told by Mr Shanley when he asked to speak. However, this prompted Independent councillor Christy Hyland to intervene, saying “Let the man speak.”

When given the floor, Cllr Flynn said that as a public representative, it was important to put the ‘real facts’ of the project on the table rather than ‘pretend to get the crowd riled up and be the most popular person in the place’.

He pointed out that the Greenway between Westport and Achill has been the ‘one of the most fantastic success stories for the region’, adding that the section between Newport and Achill is the most popular because it is off road.

However, Cllr Flynn was interrupted by a number of people who pointed out that this section was built on an existing railway line without the threat of CPO.

Hostile reaction

Despite the hostility of some of the crowd, Cllr Flynn continued to speak about the benefits that greenways bring to an area, and he urged the people to sit down with the project team to try to find a solution to their concerns.

“The code of best practice for the delivery of greenways is signed off by farming organisations, and they don’t talk about CPOs. They talk about voluntary acquisitions and working with the project teams and sitting down to find the solutions,” he said.

“I could say to you tonight that confrontation is the only answer… but consultation is the only answer. I recommend to all of you to sit down and try to find the solution and work in a way that works best,” he said, amid cries for him to sit down.

Responding to Cllr Flynn’s comments, independent councillor John O’Malley said, “That kind of talk annoys me.” He added that the less people use the greenway than when it first opened.

Oireachtas members Rose Conway Walsh TD and Senator Lisa Chambers were also among those who spoke on the night, as well as the four sitting local councillors and three local candidates, Keira Keogh of Fine Gael, Karen Gallagher of Sinn Féin and Independent Chris Maxwell. The latter indicated he was willing to go to prison to stop the contentious route being developed.

Deputy Conway Walsh commented that nothing seems to have been learned from the Corrib gas controversy regarding the need for early consultation with landowners. She added she has submitted a question to the Minister for Transport to outline the reasons Option 2 is preferred ahead of Option 1.

‘No justification’

Fianna Fáil councillor Brendan Mulroy said he is fully behind opposition to the current preferred route and believes that legally there can be no justification for acquiring land for it by CPO.

He pointed out the reasons for the CPO of land for a greenway in Kerry was due to the lack of an alternative route, as well as the economic and population decline in that part of Co Kerry.

“There is no population decline in this area and there is no economic decline, so a precedent has not been set. If this sham goes through… a court of law will throw it out in my view,” he said.

Senator Chambers said she was there to listen to the views of the local people, while Cllr Hyland said he would not support a greenway if it meant land being ‘sterilised’ for future development. This stance was also taken by Fine Gael candidate Kiera Keogh, but she said she could not give her full backing for Option 1 either, as it would affect other landowners.

Cllr O’Malley said supporters of this greenway do not understand the affection that farmers have for their land, and he urged landowners not to sell property for the greenway. Karen Gallagher of Sinn Féin said she would not support the CPO of land for greenway projects.

Gerry Loftus of the Rural Ireland Organisation, who is running as a candidate in the Castlebar Electoral Area, urged the people to stay united and not allow the TII or the Council to ‘divide and conquer’.

“They will try their best to divide and conquer this community. If one of you or two or you talks to TII, this campaign is over. It is critical that nobody talks and then they are left in the situation where they will have to CPO every single landowner, and that won’t happen,” he said.

No benefit to farmers

Comments were also taken from the floor with the majority of the speakers speaking out against the greenway going through their land.

One person did say he could not see a greenway going along the R335, and he suggested sitting down with the project team, saying people should not to keep their ‘heads in the sand’. His views were given short shrift by the crowd, however.

Another person, who lives along the existing greenway between Westport and Newport, said the only people not to benefit financially from it were the farmers whose land it goes through.

Close to the end of the meeting, Mr Shanley said that it would be naive for anyone to think the landowners would be able to talk to the TII without the threat of CPO.

“The [Great Western] Greenway is a great success, but let’s not forget it was built on an old railway line that was already there, and it was done through consultation,” he said.

“The TII have full compulsory purchase powers backed by statutory powers, and they will use it. They have said they will consult but added ‘don’t forget we have CPO in our pocket and money in the other’. It is naive to suggest CPO is not on the table.”