Claims that CPO is still on table for Greenway

A GROUP campaigning against the proposed walking and cycling greenway through East Galway are now of the opinion that an attempt will be made to acquire their lands by compulsory purchase order.

Farmers met with Galway County Council and National Roads Authority representatives and felt that their concerns and suggestions were not being taken on board.

It is proposed to bring a greenway across farmland from Ballinasloe to Aughrim, Kilrickle, Loughrea, Craughwell, Kilcolgan, Clarinbridge and Oranmore. There is stiff opposition to the move.

Last week the NRA and Galway County Council met land owners and home owners to assess their views of the preferred corridor for the greenway.

Adrian Kelly of the Greenway Action Group said that the meeting was just “a box-ticking exercise” and believed that every effort will be made to ‘CPO the land’ over the coming months.

He said that the NRA and Galway County Council met with them for an hour and a half but omitted to take any note of their concerns, suggestions or alternative proposals.

“The landowners and homeowners from our group who attended the meeting are calling for a properly designed National Cycle Network.

“Our group is of the opinion that cycling needs to be promoted as an acceptable mode of transport.

“The way to achieve this is not by locating a cycle route in the back and beyond of rural Galway as the NRA are attempting to do.

“A properly designed National Cycle Network, similar to the Northern Ireland model, would benefit the entire of County Galway health wise, environmentally, and financially,” Mr Kelly said.

He went on to say that there was no satisfactory response to queries as to why no farmer or community representative was contacted when deciding on the preferred route.

Mr Kelly went on to say that the IFA were being blamed at the meeting for allowing the route of the greenway through farmland but it became evident that this was not the case at all.

“We were told that any finalised cycle route would zig-zag across farmland following farm boundaries.

“However, a senior engineer close to the project told us recently that, in reality, this will not be the case as there will have to be a smooth flow to the route.

“This will lead to farms being split. This project, despite the large sums of money being spent on it, is in disarray,” Mr. Kelly added.