Farmers reject Cork to Kinsale Greenway plan

More than 100 farmers and landowners attending an IFA meeting in Carrigline have criticised the proposed Cork to Kinsale Greenway, describing the emerging preferred route put forward by Cork County Council as unsuitable for the project.

Attendees said the Council had failed to take the views of the local farming and rural community into account. Several local TDs and County Councillors spoke against the proposed route and said they would formally raise their objections with the Council.

Cork County Council are in the early stages of developing the Cork to Kinsale Greenway. The project, which is funded by Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII), will provide a Greenway between Cork City and Kinsale. Arup has been appointed by Cork County Council to provide multi-disciplinary engineering and other specialist consultancy services to progress the project through the design process.

IFA Infrastructure Project Team Chair Paul O’Brien said the organisation had challenged the Council on its approach. He said the plan to impose a Greenway on private farmland ignored state-owned lands and was contrary to the Government 2018 Strategy for the Future Development of National and Regional Greenways.

“The strategy clearly states that the preferred model for future Greenways is to use lands already in the undisputed ownership or control of the State,” he said. “Greenways should maximise the use of state-owned lands and minimise the use of private farmlands. On the Cork to Kinsale Greenway there are little or no state-owned lands in the emerging preferred route corridor.”

IFA Munster Regional Chair Conor O’Leary said imposing a Greenway on private farmland is unacceptable and could cause major disruption and threaten the viability of some farms. He added that IFA had made it clear to the Council that it opposes farm severance or compulsory purchase orders for amenity projects such as Greenways.

O’Leary said parts of the proposed route follow an abandoned railway line, which is now part of active private farmland with roads and farmyards, making the route unsuitable for a Greenway. The Council has agreed to review the project and extend the submission deadline to Friday, August 29th. Farmers and landowners are encouraged to make submissions.

The meeting also highlighted concerns over the risk of disease to livestock, including TB, and raised issues around privacy, security, litter, environmental impact, and project costs.

Paul O’Brien said visits to farms along the route confirmed its unsuitability. “We presented these details to the Council and made the strong views of farmers and landowners very clear,” he said. He added that engagement with the Council was frank and informative.

The meeting was also addressed by IFA agricultural consultant Kevin Kinsella, Cork Central IFA Chair Matt Hurley, and West Cork IFA Chair Tadgh Healy.