Kerry greenway go-head: A game-changer for The Kingdom

Farmers remained irked by the process

The proposed 32-kilometre greenway for cyclists and walkers in South Kerry will run along the disused railway line from Glenbeigh to Caherciveen. Picture: Valerie O'Sullivan

An Bord Pleanala's decision to grant permission to Kerry County Council to construct a 32-km greenway along the former Ring of Kerry railroad has been widely welcomed in the region but farmers remain irked by the planning process.

The cycling and walking greenway will run along scenic landscapes from Glenbeigh to Renard, south of Cahersiveen and has been hailed as a 'game-changer' for local tourism.

However, the decision, permitting the council to use Compulsory Purchase Orders (CPO) to secure more than 220 landholdings across 27 townlands, has led to a note of caution from the country’s main farming organisation.

The IFA has vigorously opposed the CPO, arguing an amenity cycle and pathway was not public infrastructure in the normal sense of the term, and the council had failed to fully engage with landowners.

The IFA said they are studying the implications of the decision for landowners in Kerry and across the country.

CPOs for greenways should be avoided and consultation with farmers and the appointment of an agronomist at the design stage was the way forward, the IFA said, describing the approach in Kerry as 'adversarial'. 

An Bord Pleanala has confirmed the CPO order, saying it was for the interest and benefit of the public and community. 

The old Great Southern and Western. Picture: Valerie O’Sullivan

There was a need “to provide a catalyst for the economic regeneration of the area,” it said.

Estimated at €20 million, the South Kerry Greenway will face considerable engineering challenges.

Some of the railway line’s most impressive structures, the Caherisveen Railway bridge, the Gleesk viaduct and the Drung Hill Tunnels need significant repair works.

Underpasses of the N70 Ring of Kerry, as well as a new bridge, will also be constructed.

The Cathaoirleach of Kerry County Council, Cllr Patrick Connor-Scarteen, has welcomed the decision, saying the project represents "an enormous boost" for the county.

Cllr Michael Cahill (FF) has called it “a game-changer” for the region.

In 1893, the Great Southern railway from Killorglin to Caherciveen provided access to national markets for farmers and fishermen and brought down tourists.

The decline in population and industry led to its closure in 1960.

The council told the oral hearing their motivation for the cycleway along the old railway was similar to the initial objective in the late nineteenth century - to revitalise the region economically and socially.

Drung Hill, Mountain Stage, Kerry Way, Kells, Co Kerry. Picture:Valerie O’Sullivan

There are 11 conditions attached to the grant of planning and many concern environmental matters, including that some of the scheme affecting the Valentia estuary be omitted.

An ecologist must be employed to oversee the protection of species, including the Kerry slug, the freshwater pearl mussel and other protected species such as badgers, bats and otters.

The planning board stipulated cattle grids are to partner chicane gates at intersections with access roads and driveways, and steep gradients are to be well flagged.

Speed limits are to be reduced in sections of the N70, because of safety concerns.