Have Your Say On Greenway Route by 13th February East Coast Greenway Committee

Wicklow County Council has published its emerging preferred route for the Wicklow to Greystones Greenway and the joint greenway sub-committee of the Wicklow and Greystones Town Teams are urging the public to have their say by the deadline for this round of public consultation on Friday 13th February. Amid some negative feedback about the proposed route from local landowners and environmentalists, the committee are urging everyone to give the project a chance to see how these issues could be overcome and to realise the huge potential this greenway still has.

“We started lobbying for this project all the way back in 2016 when the Wicklow Town Team was first started by Pascal Burke and Dave Shannon,” said chairperson of the committee Ciarán Lally. “At long last we finally have an emerging preferred route. Its not exactly how we envisioned it when we began and I think there’s more work to be done on it, its particularly disappointing that there has been no progress on the much-trumpeted coastal defence plan with even more of the Murrough washed away after recent storms. But we still believe this greenway could be absolutely transformative for all the communities along its route.

“26 of the 32 counties in Ireland have now developed off-road cycling routes, what are commonly called greenways, and with very good reason. One of the first developed, the Waterford Greenway, has transformed the communities and local economies along its route with an estimate of over 100 local jobs supported and over €5 million spent in the area each year because of it.

“The impact is felt not only in the starting points of Waterford city and Dungarvan, but also along the smaller villages along the route. This is very relevant to our proposed greenway because as it stands there is considerable housing planned or already built in Greystones, Kilcoole, Newcastle and Wicklow Town but a serious lack of amenities or local jobs to accompany them. Without this, there is a very real fear they are becoming dormitory towns.”

Local councillor Danny Alvey is also a member of the committee and is urging the public to not give up on the project, speaking about the potential benefits he said: “Another common complaint in both Greystones and Wicklow Town is the lack of a hotel to provide badly needed accommodation and space for local community events. Discussions with hoteliers have revealed they don’t believe there is the demand in the area to justify the investment a new hotel needs. But a greenway, open all year round, would certainly change that. Dungarvan, a town with a population smaller than both Greystones and Wicklow Town, now has four hotels.

“One of the biggest challenges of the emerging preferred route, along the inland section that avoids the most biodiversity-sensitive areas on the coast, is engagement with local landowners. Many of them were surprised to see the current preferred route running on the boundary or straight through their land and its easy to understand their initial fear and anger. Wicklow County Council have pledged to offer each landowner, most of which are farmers, the free services of an independent agronomist to assess exactly what positive and negative impacts such a greenway would have on their farm business. I would urge all of them to at least take the proposal this far, as we’ve seen elsewhere in the county with the Arklow to Shillelagh greenway that there is now nearly unanimous support and a real desire for it from all the landowners along that route.”

Cllr Stephen Stokes is also a member of the committee and spoke strongly in support of the proposed greenway: "This is an excellent opportunity to promote active living and boost tourism. Of course Wicklow County Council will need to engage with stakeholders, especially landowners in a spirit of partnership. It is important to note that the general feedback I regularly receive is that people are crying out for more amenities and outdoor pursuits. Anything that we can do to enhance cycling and walking should be actively considered."

Ciarán Lally concluded by saying: “There’s no denying there are considerable issues that still need to be worked out with parts of the route that may need to be further changed due to biodiversity concerns and potential for flooding. But this project is a once in a generation opportunity and I really hope we can find the right balance to make it happen. I would encourage anyone who wants to support this greenway, highlight additional issues that have been missed or make suggestions for improving the route to complete the public consultation on www.wicklowgreenways.ie by Friday 13th February.”