Farmers in Co. Cork have expressed “fears and concerns” at a recent meeting with the Irish Farmers’ Association (IFA) over planned greenways for the west of the county.
The IFA met with senior officials from Cork County Council (CCC) over the proposed greenways, with planning for three regional projects ongoing.
The plans include: A route from Cork to Kinsale; West Cork to Skibbereen section; and West Cork to Bandon section.
IFA infrastructure chair Paul O’Brien said that greenways should be “predominantly developed on public lands and should avoid private farmlands”, in line the 2018 Strategy for the Future Development of National and Regional Greenways.
“The meeting provided the IFA with the opportunity to set out the fears and concerns of farmers regarding the proposed greenways and how they could impact very significantly on farmers, their property and businesses,” O’Brien said.
Greenways
All of the greenways are at an early stage of development with the council and Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII), with the Cork to Kinsale project expected to undertake a third public consultation in the second quarter of 2025.
The West Cork to Skibbereen Greenway involves three different sections from Skibbereen to Baltimore, which is 13km long; Skibbereen to Schull which is 23km long; and Skibbereen to Drimoleague, 13km in length.
O’Brien said that the strategy was “clear” in stating the following: “The preferred model for future greenways is to use lands already in the undisputed ownership or control of the state, either through government agencies, government departments or local authorities.”
O’Brien said that the West Cork greenways “do not follow” the approach outlined in the strategy.
“They are predominantly proposed on private farmlands. This is extremely difficult and causes major disruption to farmers and the agriculture sector,” O’Brien said.
IFA Munster regional chair Conor O’Leary said the association also told the council that it is “opposed to any severance of farms or compulsory purchase orders” (CPOs) for amenity projects.
O’Leary said it appears that some parts of the proposed greenway routes being considered would follow old, abandoned railway lines.
However, he said that abandoned railways are now part of private farmlands and are actively farmed with developments, including roadways and farmyards. He said such routes are “totally unsuitable” for a greenway.
The chair added that “serious concerns” were also raised over “many other issues”, including privacy; security; litter; environment; and other issues.