Objections to the proposed route of the Royal Canal Urban Greenway in Dublin 15 could push the cost of the 8km project to €30 million.
Local residents, backed by Tánaiste Leo Varadkar, are
objecting to a 1km stretch of the greenway running along the north bank of the
canal. They argue, among other concerns, if the greenway goes ahead there it
will run very close to their back gardens.
They want that 1km section, between Coolmine and Castleknock, to be switched to the south bank
of the canal. The contentious 1km forms
part of an 8km urban greenway planned along the Royal Canal.
That 8km Royal Canal Urban Greenway will run from Castleknock to the boundary between Fingal County Council’s catchment area and Co Kildare. The 8km section is referred to as the “missing piece” in a much larger greenway route from Dublin to Galway, many parts of which have already been upgraded and launched.
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However, the Dublin 15 urban greenway has been beset with delays and objections over recent years and now the deepening dispute over the 1km section on the north bank looks set to further add to those delays.
Switching the contentious 1km section to the south bank
of the canal would be more complex than
pressing ahead with the current plan for
the north bank. There is a deep sinking section on the south bank which poses a
much more significant construction challenge.
Large sections of
greenway would need to be placed on a boardwalk and construction would be
complicated by the proximity to the Maynooth rail line, which would also limit
access onto and off the greenway.
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While the full 8km Royal Canal Urban Greenway planned by
Fingal County Council looks set to cost around €24 million, the changes the
objectors are pushing for would cost between €2 million and €6 million extra.
That could increase the cost of the full 8km project as high as €30 million.
Political journalist Michael Brennan broke the news the
weekend before last on businesspost.ie that Mr Varadkar was now supporting
local residents in their objections to the greenway in its current form.
And now the same newspaper last Sunday revealed figures prepared by Fingal County Council estimate the changes the objectors are seeking would add between €2 million and €6 million to the cost of the project.
Mr Varadkar said, as a local representative and resident,
he was echoing the objections of other residents in the area. While he has been
criticised by some politicians and cycling campaign groups, other people
clearly agree with him and he is also not the only politician objecting to aspects of the current plan.
Cllr John Walsh
of the Labour Party told businesspost.ie many people in the area believed
access to the greenway on the north bank would be opened via local residential streets. This could create issues
with anti social behaviour as well as parking problems in those streets.
Minister for State Jack Chambers (FF) who, like Mr
Varadkar, also represents Dublin West, also opposes the 1km section of greenway
in its current format.
Paul Donnelly of Sinn Fein, another TD for the area, has
questioned why the north bank is assumed as the preferred option, on
environmental and aesthetic grounds.
Minister for State Roderic O’Gorman TD (Greens), another local representative, is in favour of pressing ahead with the plan as is currently proposed.
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