Emerging plans for north Wicklow greenway slammed amid concerns about the impact on farming – ‘Landowners are up the walls’
The Wicklow PeopleCouncillors in Wicklow have strongly criticised emerging plans for a proposed greenway that will link Greystones to Wicklow town.
Consultants working on the project have identified potential route corridor options and the public are now being asked to have their say.
Chris Fay of AtkinsRéalis Ireland provided the elected members with a presentation on the greenway at January’s monthly meeting of Wicklow County Council.
A potential route corridor has been identified by the project team through a review of the identified study area. A route corridor was taken to be an area approximately 600 metres wide.
The primary consideration when identifying this corridor was the definition of a major linear feature or theme that could be consistently followed by the greenway through all or most of its length. In total, three different route corridors were identified for evaluation.
They included a coastal route corridor, a field boundary route corridor and a regional road route corridor.
The study area was also divided into three sections and the Stage 1 Assessment was completed on a segment-by-segment basis with each segment being evaluated independently of the others.
The extents of the scheme corridors, divided into three distinct sections is broadly Greystones to Kilcoole, Kilcoole to Five Mile Point, and Five Mile Point to Wicklow.
Following the Stage 2 assessment, the Emerging Preferred Route was identified. The route is approximately 24.8 kilometres in length, with around 83pc delivered as an off-road shared path, providing a high-quality and largely traffic-free experience for users.
It combines coastal and inland sections to balance scenic value with environmental sensitivity, avoiding designated habitats where feasible. The Emerging Preferred Route also “integrates with key transport nodes, connecting directly to Greystones, Kilcoole, and Wicklow rail stations, and links with existing and planned active travel infrastructure, ensuring strong connectivity for both recreational and commuting purposes.”
In conjunction with Transport Infrastructure Ireland, Wicklow County Council have been progressing the development of the project, which is currently at Options Selection Stage (Phase 2).
In a lengthy and impassioned speech Cllr Shane Langrell said he will strongly oppose the greenway in its current form, as local landowners will be affected.
“I am not against a greenway. I am for a greenway but not this one. I'm a farmer, worked with my dad on the farm and I get what these landowners are thinking. There's anxiety. They're up the walls. What's going to happen with our land? There's a percentage of people out there who do not understand farming life. They do not understand the dangers of farming.
“If this greenway was to go ahead, the public will let their dogs off their leads, and it happens, I have seen it first-hand, out of the car, off the dog goes, not a care in the world. And me for one, I know what damage dogs can do on livestock. I understand the anxiety the landowners are going through over that. I would ask the consultants to go back and revisit this. Because the landowners are totally against it.”
Echoing those sentiments his district colleague Cllr Paul O’ Brien said the proposals need to be revised.
“I guarantee you if you were to go around the town here and ask them which way the greenway is going, they'd say the coast route because that's what we were told. And the reality is I get that the area of special conservation must be preserved.”
“If we don't do something on the Murrough there's not going to be an area of special conservation to save. This greenway will end up going to Rathdrum and down to Greystones by the time we're finished. Because we're not going to have a Murrough. That's the reality of it."
“The stakeholders now are being misled because we've been told it's going up the coast, along the coast. That's the reality of it. And here we are now being told something different again. Something that should be positive for the area is being turned into a negative.”
Cllr Graham Richmond questioned the ultimate benefits of the project.
“If there's going to be a coastal section of the route, how does the coast look in 2027? I think this needs to be revisited. Yes, I see the potential benefits, tourism wise with the area with a working greenway. From my point of view, I see too many variables. I really think it needs to be revisited.”
Cllr Gail Dunne called for better communication between the various stakeholders.
“I am very concerned this is a secondary route because we basically ran out of space and I think that's so unfair that people who are impacted by this have not been contacted, and according to Councillor Langrell the people are saying they haven't been. Surely consultation is where you start.”
Meanwhile Cllr Danny Alvey welcomed the next phase of public consultation.
“I am interested to see what comes out of the next public consultation. There's a wide variety of issues that need to be addressed in any such greenway running from Wicklow to Greystones, but I think it is fair to say that we know without any doubt that greenway that proposals through an Special Area of Conservation that will not absolutely get through An Bord Pleanála. So, there is our greatest challenge.”
Meanwhile members of the Greystones District raised concerns about access to the greenway and what parking will be available.
Cllr Orla Finn believes more space will need to be found to accommodate those looking to use the amenity.
“I feel that more and more parking spaces are being taken away in Greystones and I think a figure of thousands of people are expected to use the greenway, and they will need somewhere to park if they are starting in Greystones, and no mention is made of that or where all of these people are going to go. They're potentially going to need parking for a huge number of hours every day. And where's that going to be facilitated?”
Cllr Lourda Scott outlined how she has difficulties with this project on several levels.
“I struggle to see the benefits. Yes, there may be more tourism benefits probably just to Greystones and to Wicklow, but I am worried that our villages, particularly my area Kilcoole and Newcastle will be forgotten and that people won't be able to access them and bring much needed economy in those villages from the greenway."
“We've also got a breeding colony on Kilcoole beach. I would be very mindful of any construction works happening in there inland that they do not disturb this critically important colony. There's a lot of challenges.”
“The irony of discussing the long-closed Bray to Greystones Cliff Walk while we're now discussing a greenway, I'm not sure how many people want certainly on our side of the greenway is not lost on me.” she added.
Concluding the discussion, Cllr Tom Fortune encouraged the consultants to rework their proposals.
“There’s lots of issues with this project. Some people would like it. Obviously, the farming problem that's been articulated is a serious one. So, farmers are going to be affected if this is to go ahead. Because you can't run the greenway as Councillor O'Brien was saying along the coast because of the erosion.”
All stakeholders and interested parties are invited to attend and view information on the scheme at upcoming public display events, before the project team look to move to the next phase of planning.
Two public display events will be held as follows:
Tuesday January 20, 2026, from 4pm to 8pm in Greystones Library, Mill Road, Greystones.
Thursday January 22, 2026, from 4pm to 8pm in Wicklow Library, The Mall, Main Street, Wicklow town.
Members of the Project Team will be available to provide guidance and to answer questions.