Jimmy Deenihan (Kerry North-West Limerick, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank Deputy Humphreys for raising the matter and for her continuing and strong interest in advancing the project. Her colleague, Deputy Smith, has a similar interest.

The Ulster Canal is a total of 93 km long and extends from Upper Lough Erne to Lough Neagh. It runs through counties Armagh, Monaghan and Fermanagh. It was originally opened in 1841 to link the northern navigation systems to the western and southern systems via Lough Erne and the Ballinamore and Ballyconnell Canal. Due to operational and financial difficulties the canal struggled to be viable and was finally abandoned in 1931.

As canal re-opening progressed in the 1980s and 1990s, and following the success of the re-opening of the Shannon-Erne canal, a number of studies were carried out into the re-opening of the Ulster Canal or parts thereof. The studies concluded that the restoration of the Ulster Canal from Upper Lough Erne to Clones would be likely to have direct economic benefits and also encourage economic regeneration in the area by providing construction jobs through restoration and maintenance, increasing property prices, encouraging investment in the local area, increasing private consumption and creating long-term employment through increased tourism, construction, hospitality and the multiplier effects of increased spending.

It is anticipated that the re-opening of the Ulster Canal from Clones to Upper Lough Erne will also provide significant direct and indirect benefits in the areas of tourism and heritage. The canal is an invaluable heritage and cultural resource as it formed an intrinsic part of the development of the localities through which it passed. Its strategic value lies in its potential contribution to rural development in a disadvantaged area on the Border and in its key link within the existing inland waterway network across the island.

The outcome of these studies was that in July 2007, the North-South Ministerial Council, NSMC, agreed to proceed with the restoration of the section of the Ulster Canal between Clones and Upper Lough Erne, a distance of approximately 13 km. The Government at that time agreed to cover the full capital costs of the project, which were estimated to be of the order of €35 million. It was also agreed that Waterways Ireland would be responsible for the restoration of this section of the canal and following restoration for its management, maintenance and development. The annual maintenance costs, which are of the order of €300,000, are to be met by the Northern Ireland Executive and the Government.

Canal restoration projects have previously been shown to act as a catalyst for significant regeneration of rural communities, including tourism growth. As the waterways often run through less developed areas, their potential for acting as regeneration catalysts in this manner is considerable. The Ulster Canal project is a long-term investment in the economic regeneration of the surrounding rural communities in Cavan, Fermanagh and Monaghan that will reap long-term dividends. Evidence of the impact that projects such as this have on the ground can be seen from the very positive effects gained from the restoration of the Shannon Erne Waterway in the 1990s at a cost of IR£30 million.

Planning applications were lodged by Waterways Ireland with Monaghan County Council, Clones Town Council and Cavan County Council on 25 October 2011 and with the Department of the Environment, DOE, planning service in Northern Ireland on 28 October 2011. Cavan County Council granted planning permission on 14 December 2011. Clones Town Council and Monaghan County Council granted planning approval on 4 April and 8 April 2013, respectively. They are now in the four-week waiting period allowed for the possibility of an appeal to An Bord Pleanála. If no appeal is made, Clones Town Council and Monaghan County Council will issue grant of permission in early May. Planning permission has also been given by the Department of the Environment planning service Northern Ireland and announced by the Environment Minister, Mr. Atwood, in a press release of 25 April 2013.

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