A county councillor in Co. Galway has said that she believes local farmers “will not accept” the route for the new Galway to Athlone greenway cutting through their land.
A number of options are on the table for the greenway, which will link Ballyloughan beach in Galway City to Athlone Castle, with locals in the various communities along the way anxiously awaiting confirmation of the final route.
Many have expressed serious concern over the past 12 months after it emerged that some of the route options could cut through a number of the farms in various localities around Galway, which led to the staging of a number of protests.
Speaking to Agriland, Councillor Geraldine Donohue, who serves the Gort Kinvara area, said that the people in these communities have “very normal concerns”.
“I’m a farmer myself; I have a small farm so I understand this,” she said.
“It’s the west of Ireland, it’s primarily smallholdings, they’re not making any more land so we need to hold on to every bit that we have in order to be viable.
“I visited a couple of smallholdings and sure they’re going to be destroyed if that’s what’s to happen.
“I believe they will not take it if the route that severs their land is chosen. I believe they will challenge it and that they will do what it takes,” she added.
The county councillor said that in addition to people’s fears about farm severance and how that could impact their livelihoods, they are upset about the lack of communication from the project team and the local authorities.
Many of the residents that could be affected by the routes claim that they were not informed of the options being considered and how these would impact their lands.
“People here are not against a greenway, they just have very normal concerns and want a logical approach taken here,” added Cllr. Donohue.
“They have certainly gone about this the wrong way in dialogue and in talking to landowners, homeowners and businesses.
“The project team came to a public meeting in January and there were residents there who would be affected who hadn’t been met with.
“They hadn’t been spoken to even though this [greenway] could go very near to, or through their land,” she stated.
Greenway route
Five broad ‘route corridors’ were originally identified for the cycleway and after two public consultations the fifth option, known as ‘the red corridor’ emerged as the preference.
This corridor stretches across the Oranmore; Kilcolgan; Kinvara; Gort; Eyrecourt; Derrybrien; Portumna; Meelick; and Shannonnbridge areas, however the exact route within this region has yet to be confirmed.
A large number of the local landowners, including Cllr. Donohue, made submissions during the consultation phases, and also banded together to call for “a more logical approach”.
“The people weren’t being heard so I spoke to them and I went out and walked the lands with some of them and I can see firsthand on the ground what is being envisaged for the greenway and it doesn’t make sense,” she said.
“There are so many grass verges along the motorways and other public land options that they could use if they wanted to sit down and be imaginative about it.
“If they really tried, they wouldn’t have to sever farms,” she added.
The greenway project team has stated that it expected the final route to be published within quarter three of 2023, a deadline which would leave only one month until the decision is announced.
“We’re well into 2023 now and the potentially affected homeowners and landowners still don’t have answers.
“The concerns they have are very normal concerns about privacy, insurance, their livelihoods; they’re valid.
“It’s not down to money, I’ve spoken to farmers and they’ve said no I don’t want the money. They’re out in the country trying to do the best. They have so many questions. They’re trying to say ‘here’s an alternative, can you meet us half way?’ and they just want to be listened to.”