Mayo Greenway landowners to deny access to land for survey

A GROUP of landowners along the preferred route of the controversial Belclare to Murrisk Greenway say access to their land to carry out an environmental survey will not be permitted without a court order.

Last week, up to 70 landowners along the preferred route option for the Belclare to Murrisk Greenway received a registered letter from Mayo County Council outlining that environmental surveys will be carried out on land to help determine the final route design.

The letter, which was seen by The Mayo News, informs the landowners that these walkover surveys will commence in late March and will continue for the remainder of the year.

A spokesperson for the Belclare to Murrisk Committee, a group of landowners opposed to the preferred route option, told The Mayo News that there is anger in the community regarding the environmental surveys which they feel is the first step in the Compulsory Purchase Order of their land.

As a result, he said they will not allow anyone onto their land and the council will have to get a court order to do so.

“No way will they be allowed on people's land,” the spokesperson said. “The majority of landowners are not prepared to sell. There will be no co-operation and they are completely opposed to Mayo County Council sending anybody to do surveys on their land. It is private property and they have no right to be on their land.

'Stage one'

“This is stage one of a compulsory purchase order. That is what it is about. They have to cover themselves when they do go for a compulsory purchase order and this environmental survey is part of the process. They are lying if they say they are not and this will end up going to court.”

Some landowners along preferred route are opposed to greenway going through their land

The letter signed by Hugh Kelly of the National Roads Office of Mayo County Council was posted on March 23 and states that Egis, consultant engineers have been appointed to assist in a series of seasonal environmental surveys which will be required over the coming months.

“The purpose of these surveys is to ensure that the Greenway is designed in a way that protects the local environment and respects the natural features of the area. The information gathered will help inform the final route design and identify any environmental constraints so that potential impacts can be avoided or minimised wherever possible.

“These walkover surveys will be non-instrusive and are anticipated to commence in late March 2026 and will continue for the remainder of the year within the recognised ecological survey seasons,” Mr Kelly wrote.

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Landowners were also informed that certain specialist surveys such as bat monitoring will require the deployment of seven static monitoring devices along the route but will be 'non-instrusive' and installed for short periods.

Mr Kelly stated that Mayo County Council would appreciate the co-operation of the landowners in facilitating the surveys and that identification will be carried by personnel while walking the lands and will have their own public liability insurance.

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

Preferred route

The preferred route option, which was revealed in early 2024 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.

The spokesperson for the Belclare to Murrisk Committee, which was set up in 2024, said that they are not opposed to a greenway to Murrisk but want it developed along the R335 road to Louisburgh and are opposed to the CPO of land for the project.

“This is the start of the CPO process which is the main issue here. We are not against the Greenway to Murrisk, we are against the CPO process. They could easily bring the greenway along the road if they want but they keep making up their own rules.

“People are very angry. This has been going on for two years and only now are they talking about an environmental survey. Why didn't they do it two years ago? They will have an answer for that but they know exactly what they are doing and what they want to do,” the spokesperson said.

A recent report on the Belclare to Murrisk Greenway by a group in Louisburgh highlighted the potential economic and social benefits to Louisburgh and surrounding communities and they urged landowners to engage in the process with Mayo County Council.

However, the Belclare to Murrisk Committee claimed the report is 'not accurate' when it comes to potential numbers using the greenway and they took exception to comments saying landowners should 'roll the dice'.

“The Louisburgh report figures are not audited and are inflated beyond belief. There is no way those numbers of people will use the greenway and or the money involved.The numbers are not there. Take local people off the current Greenway and there is virtually nobody on it. This is not going to be an economic miracle.

“The point is the majority of people who have land up here do not want to sell to Mayo County Council and it is not a question of money. They just do not want to sell.

“They are going through people's property and it's the big stick. They are saying we will negotiate with you but if you don't sell we will take it anyway. That is the point about it. To suggest for landowners to take a roll of the dice with their land is absolutely insulting and outrageous to make a statement like that about people's land.”

Timeline questioned

The letter to landowners was raised at yesterday's monthly meeting of the Westport/Belmullet Municipal District by Cllr Brendan Mulroy who questioned the timeline of the project if the survey will not be completed before the end of the year.

The Westport-based councillor said that last March he requested an update on the final route design and 12 months later there seemed to be no further clarification on the matter.

“What is going on with that Greenway? There is a lot more at play here than what we are being told as councillors. I cannot for the life of me understand how a landowner will get a letter now saying that land will be surveyed until the end of the year when we were told last March they would get back to us with a preferred date. There is something we as elected members are not being told and it is not good,” he said.

Seamus Ó Mongáin, head of the municipal district, replied that they were dealing with complex terrain but will ask the national roads office to give an update at the next monthly meeting.

Cathaoirleach of the municipal district, Cllr Peter Flynn, said the communication process around the Murrisk Greenway has been frayed from the start and it would be helpful if elected representatives were kept informed of the process involved.