Mayo councillors warned that Greenway along Louisburgh road could cost €200m

The cost of upgrading the R335 road to Louisburgh to incorporate a Greenway would cost in the region of €200 million and involve the CPO of 44 houses, a senior engineer has claimed.

At yesterday's monthly meeting of Westport/Belmullet Municipal District, local councillors were give an update on the Belclare to Murrisk Greenway by officials from the Mayo National Roads Office who are delivering the project.

Members were informed that staffing issues had delayed the advancement of the project and it will be the middle of 2026 before the design and environmental evaluation of the preferred route is completed.

This stage will largely determine whether planning for the preferred route for the Greenway is approved by local councillors or passed onto An Coimisiún Pleanala and this decision is unlikely to be decided within the next 12 months.

In a lengthy debate on the project, councillors opposed to the current preferred route option which will see the Greenway go off road from Aughavale Cemetery again called on the TII to change their plans and bring the route along the main R335 road to Louisburgh.

Louisburgh-based councillor Chris Maxwell said all the people in the area wanted an upgrade of the road and would be happy with a 'little Greenway' running alongside it.

However, in response to this request, Paul Hyland, Senior Executive Engineer with the National Roads Office outlined that his office calculated that incorporating a greenway built to TII standards with an upgrade of the road would cost in the region of €200 million.

Residential properties

“It is an approximation but over that section of road you are going to affect approximately 200 residential properties in some shape or form and we did not look at how many farms or agricultural holdings which will be affected.

“That is the level of impact on the existing residential properties along that route. Based on the impact we anticipate this intervention will have, we are looking at the acquisition of 44 houses and 159 gardens will be affected.

“When we are looking at this we don't make the decision lightly. We make them based on science and facts and the impacts that would arise if we were to upgrade the road.

Landowners are opposed to Greenway going through their land

“The cost would be in the region of €160 to €200 million similar to the investment on the N59. If you take the houses on their own you are looking at €20 to €30 million of public money invested to acquire those houses. That will probably cover the cost of a Greenway all the way from Belclare to Roonagh,” he said.

Mr Hyland described claims that his office is forcing CPOs through land as a 'mistruth' and that his office is always willing to engage and listen to the concerns of landowners and are prepared to compromise to lessen the impact on landowners.

However he added they had to work within the parameters of the TII's code of best practice for the delivery of greenways and have to apply the standards that are currently in place.

Earlier this month when speaking about greenways in the Dáil, An Taoiseach Micheál Martin said that the TII 'needs to ease up on the spec' when it comes to Greenways. He also added that 'once you get into the CPO, you are in trouble in terms of any greenway'.

Taoiseach intervention

Independent councillor John O'Malley who is opposed to the current preferred route option said that he believes the Taoiseach will intervene when it comes to greenway specifications which he feels will allow it to go along the road.

“If he gives the order to cut back on the spec that will change the whole thing. This has to be thought about and if it will be another year and a half then maybe the Taoiseach will have it cut down by another meter or metre and a half. If that is the case we will be in glory land and have the greenway along the road and the job done,” he said.

Cllr O'Malley added that he also knows of elderly people who did not want the Greenway going behind their house as they would be afraid of being burgled.

Westport-based councillor Brendan Mulroy who is also against the route, agreed with Cllr O'Malley that the Taoiseach would intervene when it comes to changing the specifications for the width of greenways.

He also criticised the delays in choosing the preferred route option saying that they were informed the route would be chosen last March and should have been informed that the timetable was not achievable.

“We won't have an update for another year and that is going to cause all sorts of problems on every side of this debate,” he said.

Achill-based councillor Paul McNamara said that the original Greenway was delivered using the permissive access model and felt that every solution must be made to find a solution to deal with obstacles and not go down the road of CPO.

Impossible

However, Mr Hyland felt it would be impossible to deliver a public infrastructure project by permissive access.

“The only alternative and sustainable way of doing that is by compulsory acquiring the land. I have been at this for 30 years and I know you will not get the agreement of every individual to volunteer their house or their land when it comes to that level of impact,” he said.

Cathaoirleach of the Westport/Belmullet Municipal District, Cllr Peter Flynn who is the only councillor to speak in favour of the preferred route, said he did not care how the Greenway gets to Roonagh but they had to be realistic on what will be the most viable and realistic option.

He also expressed disappointment with the timeline saying it was becoming a drawn out process which was not helping things locally.

Erris-based councillor Gerry Coyle said it was important that whatever side of the debate landowners are on they should engage with the process and listen to everything that is said.

Director of Services, Joanne Grehan said that people had to be mindful the extension of the Greenway is likely to attract 700,000 extra visitors to the county over the next ten years and deliver an extra €16 million to the local economy.

Part 8

Meanwhile, councillors have agreed to the Part 8 planning process for the development of the Greenway through Newport but expressed shock it will be February 2028 before it is completed.

The new proposed 1.1km route will see the development of a new 3-4 metre wide greenway through Newport town to link up with the existing Great Western Greenway.

The development will see the realignment of the N59 along Medlicott Street with an improved segregated greenway as well as the construction of a four-metre-wide greenway ramp leading up to the Newport railway viaduct where the greenway will cross the Newport River.

The route then crosses Castlebar Street and carries on a segregated route through the car park, west of the old railway station and east of the oratory to the iron bridge. The Greenway then goes through the ‘chalet’ site east of the inhabited dwelling to link to the pedestrian crossing across the N59 on the Mulranny Road.

Tommy Sheridan of the National Roads Design Office explained that the detailed design of the project is likely to take 12 months to complete and construction is expected to begin in February 2027 and take 12 months to complete.

Cllr Flynn said he welcomed the development which he said will transform the west Mayo town but was surprised by the timeline involved. Mr Sheridan explained that the aspects of the project such as the ramp from the playground to the viaduct mean that extra time will be required during the design process.