Transport chief urged to avoid CPOs for south Wicklow greenway
The Wicklow PeopleThe Oireachtas Transport Committee has heard the Arklow to Shillelagh Greenway cannot be subject to any further delays, as protestors have demanded CPOs not be used for the project.
Sinn Féin TD for Wicklow-Wexford Fionntán Ó Súilleabháin attended the meeting this week where representatives from the National Greenway Action Association (NGAA), the Irish Farmers Association, and TII were present.
Deputy Ó Súilleabháin spoke with Geraldine Fitzpatrick, head of the roads and greenways capital programme for Transport Infrastructure Ireland and TII chief executive, Lorcan O’Connor, and stressed the urgency of moving ahead with the greenway. He also cautioned against the imposition of compulsory purchase orders (CPOs) on private landowners and farmers for the greenway.
Deputy Ó Súilleabháin was also at a protest outside Leinster House with the farming community and National Greenway Action Association (NGAA), voicing their concerns about CPOs and the effect it would have on their land.
A spokeswoman for the NGAA said they are not against greenways.
"We welcome initiatives that promote tourism and active travel, but using compulsory purchase orders to forcibly take private land for non-essential infrastructure is wrong,” they said.
“This isn’t about politics — it’s about people, their future, their livelihoods. We’re calling for an immediate review of the greenway code of practice, with all greenway projects put on hold until a revised code is agreed.
“We deserve meaningful consultation as a key stakeholder in greenway development.”
Deputy Ó Súilleabháin believes residents in south Wicklow have waited too long for this facility.
“Plans for an Arklow to Shillelagh Greenway were first raised as long as 14 years ago, it has been full of promises and paperwork but has seen little progress.
“I raised this directly in the chamber with Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe, and while I welcome the recent announcement that it is moving to Phase 3 of 7, at the current pace, it could still take up to 10 years to complete.”
At the protest, the farming community and private landowners said: “It is not just wrong but disrespectful to consider imposing a CPO on their land without looking at using State land first, or without any kind of meaningful consultation.”
Deputy Ó Súilleabháin believes mistakes of the past shouldn’t be repeated, and such impositions could also lead to more unnecessary disputes and further delays.
“The agreement of landowners and farmers is essential.” he added.
The Irish Farmers' Association's South Leinster chair Paul O'Brien said greenway projects have "serious implications" for farm families.
He said the IFA is "totally opposed" to the use of CPOs for greenway projects.
"The IFA's position is clear and constant, greenways should wherever possible be developed on public lands and not on privately owned farm land," he said.
"Many proposed greenway routes are being planned across privately owned farmland," he said.
"This approach is deeply problematic and is causing significant anxiety and hardship for farm families whose livelihood depends on those lands."
Lorcan O'Connor from TII said the preferred method to acquire land is "by way of voluntary agreements".
"However, compulsory purchase mechanisms are allowed, albeit as a last resort to ensure the delivery of a continuous route," he said.
He said when efforts to arrive at a mutually agreeable solution fail, a CPO "may need to be considered".