Kiltimagh greenway petition opened

A CAMPAIGN has been launched to establish a walking and cycling trail along part of the old railway line in Kiltimagh.

The line is currently being cleared for a few kilometres either side of the town for a new velorail project.

The planning status of this project is being questioned by the Sligo Mayo Greenway Campaign whose online petition for a free open to the public pathway alongside it has been signed by over 550 people to date, many of them locals.

Writing on Facebook, the Sligo Mayo Greenway Campaign page stated that if the velorail project goes ahead without a cycling and walking trail alongside it, the result will be that a private company will control the entire disused rail alignment around Kiltimagh for 12 years at least, and longer if they decide to extend the lease after that. Access to this publicly owned property will be at their discretion, and only guaranteed to their paying customers.

The opportunity to give all local people access to a place where they can walk and cycle in safety will be lost.

A further post on the page explains: “We are not against the velorail, but for the sake of equality and social inclusion the project must include a free to use walking and cycling track alongside the closed railway.”

A notice has been served on Mayo County Council's planning department claiming that work on the velorail project is 'unathorised'. It queries if planning permission has been obtained for a change of use from a railway to a leisure facility.

The notice questions if an environmental impact statement has been prepared and also queries if the impact of the spread of Japanese Knotweed has been assessed along the route of the closed railway.