TII to appear at Oireachtas committee on impacts of greenways
Representatives from Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) will appear before the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture and Food this week to discuss the impact of greenways on farmers.
In September 2021, TII became the approving authority for greenways on behalf of the Department of Transport.
TII is investing €60 million a year in greenways, national cycle networks and national road active travel up to 2030.
The authority is supporting local authorities to deliver 990km of the National Cycle Network, along with selected other active travel and greenway projects.
Greenways
The committee will also be addressed on Wednesday afternoon (June 10) by the County and City Management Association (CCMA).
The CCMA is the representative voice of local government management. Its members are chief executives of the county and city councils and the assistant chief executives of Dublin City Council.
Last month, the committee heard from landowners who slammed current greenway policy and the use of compulsory purchase orders (CPOs) to secure land for projects.
Speaking ahead of this week's meeting Committee cathaoirleach Deputy Aindrias Moynihan said:
"In our previous meeting, with representative groups, the committee discussed the impacts on farmers and the rural community on the use of compulsory purchase orders (CPOs) to acquire land for transport projects, in particular greenways.
“We will emphasise to both Transport Infrastructure Ireland and the County and City Management Association that losing productive land can seriously impact the financial viability of the farm enterprise through loss of income, right and access to adjoining lands to a greenway.
"Stakeholders have outlined to the committee that the use of compulsory purchase orders is a very significant issue causing anxiety and serious concern, among rural communities.
"Stakeholders have told the committee that despite engagement by rural communities, farmers in particular, they feel that there is too quick a readiness by local authorities developing greenways to use the compulsory purchase order option," he said.
Deputy Moynihan added that the committee will raise the concerns discussed at a previous meeting about greenways routed through farmland by the local authorities.
"We will look to the officials attending on Wednesday to outline how they plan to mitigate the serious impacts to farmers and the rural communities on the future development of greenways," he said.
