Mayo property owners vow to resist plans for contentious greenway

Hold on to your land and under no circumstances engage with or invite planners or engineers from Mayo County Council onto your properties, delegates at a packed protest meeting against the proposed extension of the Great Western Greenway route through Murrisk were told on Friday, April 19.

The packed event in Lecanvey Community Centre heard from a long line-up of political representatives and election candidates, most of whom opposed the proposed route (option 2), which would see pedestrians and cyclists make a sharp turn left off the West Road in Westport at Aughavale Cemetery and gain access across some of the most scenic back roads and private residential grounds through Cloonagh and Prospect and running parallel with the Great Western Way. The project is a joint initiative between Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) and Mayo County Council.

Emotions and feelings ran high over the 90-minute meeting with references to Ireland’s history of control by the Black and Tans and landowners having their lands trampled over, which protestors vowed must never happen again.

Chairman Peter Stanley outlined that a small committee set up in February last regarding the compulsory purchase order (CPO) process on the Greenway still meets every Wednesday in the local Shebeen pub at 7pm.

“Our sole aim is to try and prevent this greenway proposal from going through. We are now down to having to face the potential of CPOs being issued on all of us affected by this project. It affects over 44 landowners and 26 commonage owners, to whom about 70 registered letters were sent out and received yesterday (Thursday, April 18) and the people who own the properties are expected to negotiate, after being advised their properties are nominated and the council wishes to take sufficient land to build a greenway. This will be about 10 metres in width and heavily tarmacademed and will be 6km in length and run through flood plains, pristine lands, hills and woods.”

Mr Shanley added that there is already an existing cycleway on the Louisburgh Road that could serve the greenway extension “that only needs upgrading so that those walking and cycling can benefit”. However, the preferred option 2 by TTI and the county council was to “build on the slopes of Croagh Patrick”, which was “an outrageous proposal, ecologically destructive and probably, like the Great Wall of China, would be visible from Space”. Such a development would “split the community and make the area more vulnerable to rubbish tipping”.

To those in receipt of the letters, he said the committee’s advice was not to invite engineers from the council onto their land or visit them in their offices. Rather, the committee had very carefully compiled a letter in response that was being distributed at the meeting, which suggests people just fill in their name and address, put it in an envelope and send it to the council.

“That effectively will be your response to their demands and what happens after that. You are under no obligation to meet or talk with these people but you are advised to reply and get that letter off as soon as possible, if that is your wish, although it is your prerogative what you decide. But remember, under this proposal, you will have your land sterilised forever. No planning will ever be allowed where there is a greenway.

“Also, it will impinge very severely on the Aughavale graveyard, which is a very busy graveyard and chaos would ensue with mourners, and a hearse there. It is nothing but disrespect to run cycle races through the location of a funeral; this is something that hasn’t been thought about, cyclists flying past and heading for the hills.”

Special guest and researcher, Professor John Bradley, said the registered letters had brought the matter to a head and told those present:

“You are not alone in this. The Galway to Athlone Greenway has run into serious trouble, from issues of CPO but also as a result of going through special areas of conservation (SPCs).

“The particular track for option 2 is not designated as an SPC but deserves to be designated as one and it would be an absolute abomination to allow a cycleway go though this.”

Committee member Patrick Slevin added: “If we do not answer this letter they will attempt to divide and conquer by making individual contact with landowners and, please note, the standard CPO money will be offered and then the standard capital gains tax will apply, so it will then be taken back.

“The greenway project team has supported only option 2 from the beginning and we reject this offer and suggest you do too and stop this threat of CPO for non-essential infrastructure. We ask that they put the upgrading of the existing cycleway back on the agenda which would benefit the entire community and be a better use of public funds, and we also ask that they be transparent as to why they have chosen option 2.”

He then asked for “a swift, robust and united response from all affected property owners and anyone who wishes to support their cause, with a single page letter”, adding: “If we work together, accept no money, and do not see them, this will die a death. We suggest you show them the door.”