On-road Westport to Murrisk Greenway route would affect 50 percent more properties, says Mayo County Council’s Head of Roads

ALTERING the route for a controversial greenway in West Mayo would affect 50 percent more properties than the current preferred route.

Numerous local landowners and local representatives have opposed the preferred option for the extension of the Great Western Greenway from Westport to Murrisk.

The current preferred option, Option 2C, would see the greenway go off road from Aughavale Cemetery, through the townlands of Cloonagh, Kiladangan and Deerpark towards Murrisk and cut through land at the foot of Croagh Patrick.

Concerns have been raised locally about the environmental impact and the potential CPO of farmland.

Options 1A and 1B which would see the construction of a roadside greenway next to the R335.

Paul Dolan, Mayo County Council’s Head of Roads said Option 1, said would impact 50 percent more properties than Option 2; including houses, driveways and front gardens.

Mr Dolan said the local authority was taking on board the various concerns raised about Option 2. He said that the exact route was still being refined and would be ‘fine-tuned’ throughout the summer.

“It’s not the final preferred route but it’s the emerging preferred route and it’s based on criteria that we are required to assess in terms of the project management guidelines and the greenway code of practice,” Mr Dolan said.

The Westport to Murrisk Greenway is being developed by Mayo County Council in conjunction with Transport Infrastructure Ireland.

Cllr O’Malley, Cllr Brendan Mulroy (Fianna Fáil) Cllr Christy Hyland (Independent) and Independent local election candidate Chris Maxwell have all signed a petition rejecting the preferred route.

Mayo County Council has received a total of 23 submissions relating to the proposed greenway route.

An option selection report for the greenway is due to be compiled based on the various criteria.

The project will then be subject to further consultation before requiring Part 8 approval from elected representatives.

Cllr O’Malley said that Option 2C would divide farms and suggested that Option 1 be chosen instead.

Speaking at Mayo County Council’s Roads SPC, Cllr O’Malley said the local people were ‘totally against’ the proposed route which had caused ‘an awful lot of upset’ in the area.

He also raised concerns of the impact of machinery on households who aren’t signed up to the Murrisk group water scheme.

The Independent councillor also said anti-social behaviour would arise on the greenway if it was situated behind houses.

Many landowners he spoke to said they would move their fences to accommodate a roadside greenway rather than have the route behind their homes.

“All of the people are totally against it the whole way out. I can’t see why they can’t just go along the road or down the other side of the sea, where they were going to go first was down by the sea,” he said.

Cllr O’Malley added that the preferred route would affect pearl mussels in the Owenwee River.

“The whole area is a flood area, and its pearl mussel sensitive, and that’s a directive of Europe. So everything points against going up there through their land. I think it’s an awful wrong thing to be doing. It’d be a different thing if it wasn’t infringing on their farms, if it was going along the edge, but it’s going up the middle because of a flood plain.”

Mr Dolan said that having the route cross the Owenwee River would have ‘no impact’ on pearl mussels as the bridge would have foundations ‘quite a distance back from the river edge’.

He maintained the Clew Bay Special Area of Conservation was being taken into account in the process.

“It’s the same as every other project that we do. There’s an assessment done of the various options and a preferred route option comes out of that assessment. And that’s where we’re at,” he said.

Gary Smyth, Mayo County Council’s acting Road Safety Officer, said removing road access for greenway users would be preferable from a road safety perspective.

Separately, Sinn Féin councillor Gerry Murray called on the IFA to ignore CPOs made for greenways or ‘substandard’ roads.

Cllr Murray made his remarks at the monthly meeting of Mayo County Council, which also heard concerns about the proposed route for the Westport-Murrisk Greenway.