Objectors to the proposed Dundalk Bay to Carlingford Greenway gathered outside County Hall in Dundalk on Monday to voice their anger over the proposed routes that they claim will have hugely negative affects on their lives. The proposed greenway will seek to connect with the existing Carlingford Lough Greenway, facilitating a continuous cross-border greenway from Dundalk in Co. Louth to Newry in County Down.
Close to 100 people stood outside County Hall carrying ‘No To Greenway’ signs as councillors and Louth County County officials attended the monthly meeting of Louth County Council. Matthew McGreehan a representative for Louth in the Irish Farmers Association was one of those objectors and he says there is anger in North Louth over the way they have been dealt with by those involved with the Greenway project.
“There is a huge amountsof anger up here and we won’t accept it,” stated Matthew. “ I’m delighted the way people have come out today and stuck up for themselves. There is no proposed route that won’t have a negative impact on landowners. There will be farms split in two and carved up. There will be mass intrusion on people’s land. There are no big landowners up here. Just mainly small family farms who don’t want to see their land split up. There are going to be privacy issues, crime issues, litter issues, issues with dogs attacking sheep and so much more.
“We feel very let down. We know what it’s going to be like because we already have people coming up to North Louth walking on private property and leaving litter behind them and we have pleaded with the local authority for help but have been ignored. We will not allow this Greenway to go ahead and have those problems multiplied. We won’t accept it and I really can’t see a way that this project is going to go ahead,” stated Matthew.
Morgan Hart, a Senior Design Engineer with Roughan and O’Donovan, is the Project Liason Officer for the proposed Greenway and speaking to the Dundalk Leader yesterday he said the negative reaction received so far in some quarters was not unexpected and understandable.
“We’ve seen the negativity out there and it’s not unexpected. It is understandable that people are going to be angry when the greenway is planning on going through undisturbed countryside. People are rightly concerned about what that will mean for them if they are living close to one of the proposed routes. I will say however that the written responses we have received to date have been a lot more balanced and not nearly as negative as what we have been seeing and hearing over the last few days.
“I would say that we are still pretty early on in this process and we are at the stage now where we want to hear about objections to routes and reasons why people feel they will not work. We are reading every submission and looking at ways to improve the project and make sure we do it in the most respectful way possible. We want to keep people informed. As we get further on in the process the route will be more refined and I guess that as it gets more refined we will see less resistance when it becomes clear exactly what the final plan will consist of. That would be typical for most projects. The consultation period has been extended until 6th September and we encourage people to send in their submissions and comments about the project. Our objective is to complete this project. We have been asked to do that. It’s not for me or Roughan and O’Donovan to decide if this gets stopped or not. This is being led by Transport Infrastructure Ireland who are working with local authorities across the country as part of the National Greenway Project,” explained Morgan.
Louth County Council issued a statement asking people to note that submissions can still be made up to September 6th outlining any objections or comments regarding the proposed Greenway.
“An in person public consultation was held at the Ballymascanlon Hotel on Wednesday 19th June between 3pm and 8pm with staff from Louth County Council, the TII and the consultants in attendance to answer questions and explain the process.
The public consultation was advertised on radio station LMFM, local newspapers including – The Argus, The Dundalk Democrat and the Drogheda Independent, on the Louth Consult Website and on social media.
“Nearly 200 people signed the attendance sheet on the day of the event with many more in attendance.
“Drawings and brochures were on display at the event, with this information also available on the dedicated website for the project www.dundalkcarlingfordgreenway.ie . There is also an Interactive Map on the website to allow members of the public to zoom in on specific areas.
“Submissions can be made to the team via e-mail, online or by post. The closing date for submission has been extended by five weeks to Friday 6th September 2024.
“The public are also able to contact the dedicated Project Liaison Officer directly should they wish to discuss the project further (details available on the dedicated website).
“This public feedback will be used to assist the design team in determining the Preferred Route Corridor which will be presented at the Third Public Consultation, envisaged to take place later this year,” read the statement.
