Mayo councillor clashes with engineer over Murrisk Greenway comments

A WESTPORT councillor has accused a senior engineer with the Mayo national roads office of engaging in 'divide and conquer' tactics regarding the Murrisk Greenway

Fianna Fáil councillor Brendan Mulroy accused Paul Hyland, Senior Engineer in the Mayo National Roads Office of deliberately trying to drive a wedge between neighbours in the Murrisk area by stating that up to a dozen landowners have spoken to the project team.

A high profile campaign has been launched by a number of landowners along the proposed preferred route from Westport to Murrisk who recently called on their fellow landowners not to engage with the Greenway project team which is led by Mayo County Council and Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII).

Mr Hyland was present at the monthly meeting of the Westport/Belmullet Municipal District to talk about speed limit reductions on the new N5 but was asked by Cllr Peter Flynn to comment on issues surrounding the preferred route option.

Mr Hyland accepted that the preferred route will have an impact on landowners but the project team believe it is the most feasible route option from an 'environmental perspective and engineering perspective and on the impact on landowners'.

He explained that they are currently looking to talk to landowners and encouraged them to engage with his office regardless of whether they are in favour or against the route.

“When it comes to consultation, to date we have complied with the code of best practice and our office and TII have not gone out rogue with an idea,” he told the meeting on Tuesday afternoon.

“We have said on record and written to the landowners who are potentially affected that our office and the team is willing to talk to everyone of those individual landowners in confidence.

“Our office met with up to a dozen landowners to explain exactly what the process is and by giving them the information. If landowners want to engage with us, that does not prejudice their position. If they are still opposed to it, that can remain their position but by not talking to the office they have no ability to affect change.

“We have been out there and talked to at least 12 landowners to date who now have a different view of this project by getting the information rather than listening to certain things,” he explained.

However Cllr Mulroy, who has supported the landowners opposing the route, took exception to Mr Hyland’s comments and stated he would not have any faith entering into negotiations with his team or the TII.

Cllr Brendan Mulroy claimed comments by a council engineer will create a divide in Murrisk community

“If you are willing to come in and say 12 landowners have negotiated with you so far, what are you doing to the landowners out there? You are trying to divide and conquer and that is not confidentiality.

“Why would you throw that across at a public meeting with the media present in the room? That to me is a way of driving a wedge between that community. If you were being serious about confidentiality you would not have mentioned 12 people. What is going to happen is it will create a divide in the village and people will say it is not me.

“Your intention to come here today was to do that and I have no doubt about that whatsoever because you wouldn't have said it,” he said.

Mr Hyland rejected any suggestions that he was trying to divide the community and stated he was explaining the facts around the process and did not identify anyone. He also denied saying they were negotiating with landowners and reiterated that it was just talks about the process.

“I said everyone of the landowners are welcome to talk to the office and I said they can retain their views and opinions and all we are trying to explain and give out is facts. That is a fact and if you want to interrupt it as divide and conquer then that was not the intention and all I am giving is facts,” he said.

Cllr Mulroy reiterated his opinion that Mr Hyland had come into the meeting to sow seeds of doubt amongst the community and he had now created a problem.

“You threw a curve ball in there and you knew exactly what you were doing,” Cllr Mulroy concluded.