Mr. Lorcan O'Connor:

I am grateful for the opportunity to appear today to discuss TII’s role in delivering active travel and greenway projects. I am acutely aware of how sensitive this issue is from listening to the previous speakers, and not least from the number of people outside Leinster House this morning.

I am joined by my colleagues Geraldine Fitzpatrick, TII’s head of roads and greenways capital programme, and Mary Flynn, regional manager. I am heartened, notwithstanding some of the feedback earlier this morning, that there seems to be a consensus generally on the merits and value of having greenways. What we need to do is try to ensure they are delivered in a fair and balanced way. We will certainly try to identify ways to improve that process during the course of this morning’s interaction.

The committee has my opening statement. I appreciate the time pressure the committee is under, so I might summarise the statement that we submitted. To begin with, that would be to clarify TII's role with regard to greenways. Unlike TII's remit for national roads, where TII has a legal remit set out in law, our remit in relation to greenways is as directed by the Minister for Transport and extends to that of an approving authority. The delivery of the greenways is ultimately the responsibility of local authorities as sponsoring agencies. That means TII does not own the greenway asset or have responsibility for its long-term maintenance.

To turn to the policy context, in 2018, the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport, as it then was, published a strategy for the future development of national and regional greenways. Under that strategy, greenways would qualify for funding provided they were strategic, scenic, sustainable, segregated and with lots to see and do, which were ultimately known as the 5S criteria. The strategy also sets out the consultation process and standards required, and requires TII to devise a code of best practice for greenways. This was developed through a working group comprising the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport, the Department of Rural and Community Development, rural recreation officers and representatives of various landowners. That is the code we have been hearing about this morning.

The strategy recognises that despite everybody's best efforts, there may be instances where voluntary agreement cannot be reached and an economically feasible alternative route that meets the requirements of greenway users in terms of gradient, access and things to see - to go back to the original criteria - does not exist. In such circumstances, and when efforts to arrive at a mutually agreeable solution have been exhausted, the purchase of the land using the available legal mechanisms may need to be considered.

The greenway strategy complements the national cycling network, which was developed by TII and published in 2024. That plan proposes approximately 3,500 km of cycle network connecting the main populations, transport, tourism and employment and educational hubs, and proposes making use of existing and proposed cycling infrastructure wherever possible.

I turn to the code of practice, which has been discussed already this morning. That was published at the end of 2021 and was agreed through a working group consisting of the IFA, ICMSA, ICSA, various Departments, Sport Ireland, Fáilte Ireland, local authorities and TII. Regarding compulsory purchase orders, the code outlines that the preferred mechanism to acquire land is by way of voluntary agreement. However, compulsory purchase mechanisms are allowed, albeit as a last resort to ensure the delivery of a continuous route. The code set out an agreed collaborative approach for delivering national and regional greenways aimed at achieving a balanced outcome for landowners, local authorities, stakeholders and other users. It is incumbent on the parties that agreed the code to implement it and ensure we progress greenways around the country.

A total of 186 km of greenway has been opened for public use since TII became the approving authority in 2021. TII is funding over 90 sections of greenway at various stages of delivery, 88% of which are at planning and design stage. The average funding available to the programme is in the order of €60 million each year. Greenways have been shown to offer substantial economic benefits, including increased tourism and local business growth. The committee heard about the success of the Waterford greenway earlier. Fáilte Ireland, in its greenway visitor experience and interpretation toolkit, states that the experience of Waterford, Westmeath and Mayo has been extremely positive, with transformative effects on small businesses and towns adjacent to the greenways. As stated in the greenway strategy, greenways are for everyone. They are used by pedestrians, wheelchair users, children in buggies and people on all types of bicycle. TII is committed to continuing to engage with all stakeholders to deliver more greenways across the country.