From this week’s Galway City Tribune – The Government has moved to allay concerns that the planned Athlone to Galway greenway will have a “significant” damaging impact on the environment at Kilcaimin Bay in Oranmore.

Galway senator Seán Kyne told the Seanad last week that impacts on the environment had previously scuppered plans for the N59 and outer bypass, and the same rules should apply for greenways.

He said he was a big supporter of greenways but noted that they could be cause for concern for people living close to planned routes.

The Fine Gael senator told the Upper House that he had been told of concerns locally that the proposed greenway might interfere with Kilcaimin Bay and cause significant damage to an area that is protected under European habitat directives as a Special Area of Conservation (SAC), Special Protection Area (SPA) and a Maritime Protection Area (MPA).

“There is concern that the greenway will have an impact on the SAC. This is home to and a feeding ground for an extensive range of birds. There is also concern that it is not suitable due to rising sea levels and erosion, which could cause seaweed to be strewn all over the greenway, resulting in it being dangerous to cycle on and being closed for a considerable part of the year. That is the case with the road at present which is often strewn with seaweed.

“There is also concern from people currently living on the shore that they will not have access to the shore in the future. What importance and priority would the Minister of State [Malcolm Noonan, who took Senator Kyne’s question on behalf of the Minister of Transport] place on protecting the environment or SAC, SPA, or MPA above and beyond the benefits of the greenway and the construction of the greenway? That is the concern locally,”  said Senator Kyne.

(Photo by Joe O’Shaughnessy: Some of the people at the protest against aspects of the planned Athlone to Galway greenway and cycleway at an information meeting in Oranmore last month).

This is a shortened preview version of this story. To read the rest of the article, see the May 12 edition of the Galway City Tribune. You can support our journalism and buy a digital edition HERE.