Cork County Council has announced the signing of a €2.8 million contract to examine further sections of the West Cork Greenway.
The local authority has appointed RPS Consulting Engineers as technical advisors to progress a further 40km section of the greenway.
The will include from Crossbarry to Bandon, Bandon to Clonakilty and another section to Timoleague.
The contract will take the project from the phase 1 concept and feasibility stage through to the phase 4 statutory process.
Greenway
Mayor of the County of Cork, Cllr. Frank O’Flynn welcomed the appointment of consultants to the project.
“Funded by Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII), the €2.8million contract offers an opportunity to develop a plan for safe, scenic, off-road routes that will connect communities with a convenient and enjoyable means of travel.
“As we work to progress the greenway network in Cork county, we are presented with an opportunity to improve our community’s wellbeing, while further boosting our rich and varied tourism offering,” he said.
The preliminary phase of the project will go through various stages, including feasibility; route option selection; public consultation and ultimately the statutory process before progressing to construction.
The project will be subject to TII approval at key stages, as well as being subject to planning permission, the usual statutory consents and the ongoing availability of funding.
Chief Executive of Cork County Council, Valerie O’Sullivan said that, subject to approvals, the proposed West Cork Greenway has the potential to connect with the proposed Cork to Kinsale Greenway.
This could ultimately provide a greenway route from Cork city right through to Clonakilty in the heart of West Cork.
“Initial feedback from the public consultations has been very positive and we look forward to further engaging with stakeholders in the respective study areas over the coming months,” she said.