Mayo Greenway users would face hostility from locals warns councillor
Cllr John O'Malley warned that there will be no peace if the Murrisk Greenway goes ahead through Compulsory Purchase Orders
A WEST Mayo councillor has warned that if the Murrisk Greenway is delivered through Compulsory Purchase Orders (CPO) people using it will face hostility and could end up with 'a lump of dung' in their face
An update on the Westport to Murrisk Greenway was delivered to local councillors who were informed that the final route selection will be made before the end of the year.
The monthly meeting of the Westport/Belmullet Municipal District was informed that the final route will be off-road and the final decision on planning approval will be made by An Coimisiún Pleanála.
The Murrisk Greenway is the first greenway in Mayo to be developed using the TII's Code of Best Practice for the delivery of Greenways which involves land acquisition and CPO as opposed to permissive access from landowners.
In a lengthy and at times division debate on the subject, the meeting heard claims from Cllr Peter Flynn that he has been abused because of his stance on the project and was almost assaulted while walking with his wife.
However, Cllr John O'Malley told the officials from the Mayo National Roads Design Office that if they decide to continue to go through people's land without their support, they will cause divisions and hostility towards those using the greenway.
“If you CPO something people are against, how do you think that is going to work out for anybody walking or cycling that route. There will be hostility the whole time and it will go into the next generation and is that any good for us.
“You might have tourists going up there thinking everything is alright and the next thing they will get a clout with a lump of dung in the face. This is the reality. There will be hostility towards anyone using that greenway.
“I know all about talking to people and permissive access is the way to go. Get it into your head that CPO of people's land against their will is against the grain and it will not work. If it was me I would defend it to the death and would die.
“You cannot force that on people because if you do it will never work. There will never be peace in it and an area where people will be warned to be careful because those people will never forget about that or the next generation,” he said.
The Murrisk Greenway project is being developed by Mayo County Council in conjunction with Transport Infrastructure 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.
Westport-based councillor Peter Flynn is the only councillor in the municipal district to publicly support the proposal to bring it off-road but said he has been abused for his stance.
“In all my time in politics and I have been in it since '99 I have never got anything like the threats, the abuse. I came very close to where an individual put his head into my face when I was out walking with my wife and threatened me. Only for a member of the public came to stop him there would have been an altercation.
“There have been anonymous letters in the paper where they are naming council employees and councillors but nobody has the courage to put their name at the bottom of the letter. It is cowardice at its highest in relation to both staff and councillors who have a particular view on it and it is not right,” he said.
An update of the project was given by Paul Hyland, Senior Engineer with the National Roads Design Office and Hugh Kelly who is the Senior Executive Engineer working on the Murrisk Greenway.
Mr Hyland informed the meeting that his office was not happy with the delays the project has faced in the last two years and accepted the concerns of the landowners involved.
Cathoirleach of the Westport/Belmullet Municipal District, Cllr Brendan Mulroy suggested that councillors were thrown a curveball in May when it was revealed that An Coimisiún Pleanála would have the final say on whether the project goes ahead and not the local councillors through the Part 8 planning process.
However, Mr Kelly rejected this saying that given the location of the project to the Clew Bay Special Area of Conservation, the council were legally obliged to perform environmental studies and as a result they had to make an application to An Coimisiun Pleanála.
Mr Hyland also confirmed to Cllr Flynn that a proposal to bring the Greenway along the R335 was not an option they will be considering due to 'its profound impact on property and the environment' and would cost significantly more than the €6.5 million which the off-road option is expected to cost.
Councillors opposed to the off-road option stated that they did not believe that bringing the greenway along the road would be as problematic and that there would be more goodwill from landowners if this option was chosen.
Mr Kelly confirmed that the decision on the final route selection will be presented to councillors later in the year.