Call on public to make submissions on east Mayo greenway
THE East Mayo Greenway Group has called on people in the area to act now to meet the deadline to make a submission on the new Mayo county development plan in support of the East Mayo Greenway project.
The group supports placing a greenway on the closed railway from Claremorris to Charlestown until such time as a railway might be possible.
Swinford resident David Malee has recently been appointed chairman of the East Mayo Greenway Group and he explained about making submissions: “We have made it easy for people to make postal submissions by creating a standard submission on a postcard, which emphasises the key points of our campaign. People can add personal views on the back of the card, add their name and address, and just send it off to Mayo County Council.
“Many people have already used this method to make a submission. If people want to make a submission using these cards we can be contacted on our Facebook page, East Mayo Greenway Group.” (https://www.facebook.com/groups/1984279158467256)
The deadline for submissions is March 16.
Group PRO Michael Maye, also from Swinford, added: “We are really trying to impress on the council the difference between the closed railway line north and south of Claremorris.
“The route south of Claremorris, which runs down to Tuam and Athenry in Galway, is the only part of the closed railway that is being considered as a potential railway line, even though two recent government reports said this was highly unlikely to happen.
“North of Claremorris through to Charlestown is not under consideration to be re-opened and would make an ideal greenway route.
“It is this part of the closed railway which we are focussed on protecting with a greenway until such time as a railway might be possible. It is very important that both councillors and members of the public understand this difference.”
Mr. Malee added: “Sligo County Council has the full support of the Department of Transport and Minister Ryan to develop a greenway from Collooney, near Sligo town, to the Mayo county border at Bellaghy/Charlestown. We will be faced with the very real situation in a few years time that the Sligo greenway on the closed railway will terminate in Charlestown and not go any further into Mayo.
“We want to see Mayo County Council work in cooperation with Sligo County Council to make sure the Sligo greenway continues on into Mayo, at least as far as Swinford in the first phase.
“If Mayo councillors don’t act now to amend the draft county plan and accept that a greenway on the closed railway is the best way to protect the route until such time as a railway is possible, we will have lost an opportunity of a lifetime.”
Mr. Malee said the council have approved a velorail project for the closed railway six kilometres north and south of Kiltimagh, and there has been a huge expression of public opinion asking for a greenway to run alongside that velorail project.
He stated: “We want to work with Irish Rail and Mayo County Council to develop a greenway alongside the velorail route so the people in the Kiltimagh area can also enjoy free to use access to this important publicly owned route for leisure purposes until such time as a railway might open.”