Niamh Smyth (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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8. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the proposed future plans of Coillte for a forest park at a location (details supplied); if there have been any offers made in the past five years to buy the park; if so, the details of those proposals; if Coillte is planning any major investment at this site; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12191/17]

Niamh Smyth (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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I wish to ask the Minister if he has any proposed future plans for Coillte for the Killykeen Forest Park holiday village and if any offers have been made over the past five years to buy the facility. Perhaps the Minister could outline these proposals and if Coillte is planning any major investment at the site.

Andrew Doyle (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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Coillte was established as a private commercial company under the Forestry Act 1988 and day-to-day operational matters, such as the management of their forest estate and land transactions, are the responsibility of the company.

Killykeen Forest Park is located on the shores of Lough Oughter and consists of approximately 240 ha. Coillte advises that the company has no major investment plans for Killykeen Forest Park but that it is currently working with Cavan County Council to examine the way in which public recreation facilities at the park may be improved and if this may involve engaging a service provider, for example, in bicycle hire, canoe hire, etc. Coillte advises that the company is also developing a longer term management plan for the recreation facilities at this park.

Killykeen holiday village is located in Killykeen Forest Park.  The holiday village, which has 28 log cabins for guests, is located on nearly 74 acres with 1.7 km of shoreline to Lough Oughter and forms part of the larger 240 ha forest park. It was placed on the market in June 2016 by Coillte.

In the context of the sale of the holiday village within Killykeen Forest Park, I am advised by Coillte that it remains on the market. As I have previously indicated, Coillte was established as a private commercial company. The sale of the holiday village is, therefore, an operational matter for Coillte and details of any offers made are confidential.

As part of its management of some 442,000 ha of the national forest estate, I note that Coillte has more than 3,000 km of trails, 260 recreation sites and 12 forest parks across the State. Coillte forests provide a range of recreational opportunities for the general public, continuing a long tradition of open access to State-owned lands. I understand that the general public greatly values these forest recreational facilities and I am pleased to note that Coillte is actively engaging with Cavan County Council with a view to improving the public recreation facilities in Killykeen Forest Park in the short-term. I understand that there are currently four signposted walks and a family cycle trail in the forest park. I am also conscious that such recreational facilities are also very valuable resources as tourism attractions in the various regions. I apologise for going over time.

Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Ceann Comhairle)
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I am sure you are.

Andrew Doyle (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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I have some facilities of this type in my constituency.

Niamh Smyth (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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The Minister outlined some of the wonderful Coilite owned amenities across Cavan and Monaghan. When I say this, I am thinking of the Castle Lake and Forest in Bailieborough where local community groups, such as the Bailieborough Development Association and the Bailieborough Castle Lake Committee, today planted 2,000 hardwood trees to commemorate victims of the Troubles. Other amenities include: Dún na Rí Forest Park, located north of Kingscourt; Dartery Forest park, which straddles the border between Cavan and Monaghan; the Cavan Burren and the Marble Arch Caves Global Geopark, located 4 km south of the villages in west Cavan and Belcoo in County Fermanagh; and the Killykeen Forest Park. The Minister has outlined Killykeen's fantastic amenities and at 240 ha it is by no means a small project or forest park to have in our county. It has the potential to be a wonderful facility.

My point is that these are hugely important attractions in counties Cavan and Monaghan but they need investment. If the Minister of State has been to Killykeen Forest Park holiday village, then he would know it has had a huge deficit of investment. As a result, we are losing one of the most important tourist attractions in the county, and we do not have many of them.

Andrew Doyle (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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As a matter of interest, I tried to book in to Killykeen in 1988 and I could not do so.

Niamh Smyth (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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The Minister of State would have no problem getting in to stay there now.

Andrew Doyle (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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I stayed in Kilcorby instead, which is privately-owned and in Deputy Niamh Smyth's constituency and which benefited from moneys from the International Fund for Ireland relating to the Shannon-Erne Waterway. I know Killykeen and was at a barbecue there with my first cousin in 1988.

Niamh Smyth (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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The Minister of State should come to visit us again.

Andrew Doyle (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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I would be delighted to do so. As the Deputy is aware, the Killykeen Forest Park holiday village and the forestry school in Avondale were established to showcase the potential for Irish timber but, like a lot of developments of that era, they have aged and dated. I understand it was originally put on the market in 2006.

Niamh Smyth (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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It was 2016.

Andrew Doyle (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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There was no interest and no sale in 2006. In 2009, it appeared that there would be a sale but it failed to be finalised. So the holiday village has been for sale since. I understand there has been some pretty intensive and active engagement but it has not gone the full way yet. In fairness to Coillte, I would not ask for, nor would not expect it to tell me, the details of the levels of bids. The holiday village complex is, however, expected to realise a reasonable amount of money, which would be used to develop part of the overall national forest park strategy. Coillte had planned to launch the national forest recreation policy very shortly but it has had to be deferred to another date. This is a new development Coillte will be rolling out.

Niamh Smyth (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Minister of State. We must maximise the potential of the natural amenities and attraction that are on our doorstep. The Minister of State alluded to it and we can see what is happening in Ballymahon. The multi-million euro investment by Center Parcs there will create local employment and it has huge potential for counties such as Cavan and Monaghan. That template could be replicated across the State.

I have had the experience of working with local groups and it is important to acknowledge these groups. There are a number of groups in each area of the forest parks that I have cited. The Grand Gardens, for example, is a community group initiative at Kingscourt, County Cavan. The group had a project idea, had done some work with Coillte to develop one of the historical walled gardens and had completed some preparatory work and a lot of ground work to develop the garden as a local amenity in what is already a fabulous park. When it came to further engagement, however, the group could, unfortunately, only get so far with Coillte. When it came to long-term leases, it seemed to meet a brick wall. Coillte must become open to the idea of working with community groups who have so much to offer around voluntary support and work in community areas. The people in the community groups are from the areas and have a natural passion for the amenities and want to see them developed. We should tap into that. It is a missed opportunity for Coillte to not engage with community groups of that sort.

Andrew Doyle (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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First, I want to correct the record. I visited Killykeen holiday village in 1998. I am far too young to have had a family wanting to book in to Killykeen in 1988.

Second, I agree with what has been said. Coillte has almost 500,000 hectares of land. It is open for forest policy and it has great potential, so we need to engage on that. I am encouraged by the direction Coillte is taking. It is certainly true to say that it lost direction, both in its forest management and its recreation role, for various reasons. The initiative at Killykeen holiday village was initially-----

Niamh Smyth (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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It was ahead of its time.

Andrew Doyle (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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It was ahead of its time but time has now caught up with it and it needs significant investment. Coillte also needs strategic investors. The Center Parcs model to which the Deputy referred is very useful. It is, as the Deputy knows, Coillte land on which development is taking place at present.

Niamh Smyth (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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Bring it to Cavan.