Construction of the South Kerry Greenway will take at least three years to complete, according to Kerry County Council.
An Bord Pleanála granted planning permission to the local authority for the 27km greenway from Glenbeigh to Caherciveen, along with the accompanying Compulsory Purchase Order (CPO) for the land needed, in November 2020.
The council had originally sought permission for a 31km route to include Renard, but the planning board decided to omit two sections of the scheme when it granted permission.
A spokesperson for Kerry County Council has confirmed to Agriland that consultants are due to be appointed in the second quarter (Q2) of this year in a bid to secure planning for the omitted sections.
Greenway
In response to a recent motion from Fiánna Fail councillor Michael Cahill, council management said that construction works are underway at two locations on the greenway: Glenbeigh and Mountain Stage.
There are plans to commence construction at a number of other locations on the route throughout the year.
“The construction works will be ongoing for at least three years with sections opening in the interim as they are completed,” the council said.
The local authority previously stated that the first section of the South Kerry Greenway is expected to open in 2024.
In 2014, the estimated cost of the greenway project, which Cllr. Cahill has said will be “a gamechanger” for the region, was €4.5 million, however, this didn’t include land acquisition.
It is estimated that around 180 land plots will be needed for the scheme, which involves 170 landowners.
By 2019, the estimated cost had risen to over €20 million.
A spokesperson for Kerry County Council said that the revised scheme cost estimate, which will account for inflation since the original costings were done, is being finalised with Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII).
That estimate is due to be published “in the coming months”.
In February 2022, the Supreme Court rejected two legal challenges relating to the project which paved the way for the greenway to proceed.
One of the challenges was taken by a group of landowners who were opposed to the use of CPO for the project.