Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I assure the Deputy that I am fully aware of the concerns of landowners along the proposed route of the Dublin to Galway greenway. In an effort to investigate how these concerns can be allayed and a mutually agreeable solution reached, my ministerial colleague, Deputy Paschal Donohoe, and I met with Oireachtas members from east Galway, landowners and their representatives along with representatives of Galway County Council and the National Roads Authority. At this meeting it was agreed that members of the project team in Galway County Council should begin a process of engagement with the affected landowners. The object of the exercise is to seek a better understanding of their concerns and to establish whether it is possible to identify a broadly acceptable route for the greenway. This consultation is now under way. Given the number of landowners involved, the process is expected to take up to three months.

The delivery of this project is a priority for my Department in the delivery of a national cycle network for Ireland. The Dublin to Galway greenway corridor was identified as the ideal corridor to progress first for a number of reasons, the main one being that the extensive route when completed would make sense in its own right and also form part of the Eurovelo cycle route network, which provides ready-made branding for the project that will assist in attracting overseas visitors.  That aside, it is and always has been the wish of my Department to deliver these projects in co-operation and agreement with local communities to ensure the long term success of initiatives which are delivered with substantial Exchequer investment.

See this speech in context