Public Consultation
The Government’s Strategy for the Development of National and Regional Greenways sets out the process that all projects must follow, before a route is selected and planning consent is sought from An Bord Pleanála.
Four stages of public consultation will be held on the new Galway to Athlone Cycleway to inform the public and discuss the project before it is submitted to An Bord Pleanála.
After each stage of public consultation, a report will be published outlining what feedback was received and how that feedback can be incorporated into the development of the project design. The stages of public consultation for this Cycleway are:
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Public Consultation No.2 will start on January 25th 2021 and run for 5 weeks until 1st March 2021.
Due to current health restrictions, a physical consultation event is not possible.
The Consultation can be accessed in the Virtual Consultation Room here.
If you wish to speak to the project team, you may book a time slot for a phone call back in the Consultation Room, or arrange a Virtual Meeting if you prefer via the online booking facility.
Written feedback may be made through the
online questionnaire, in the Virtual Consultation Room, by email to info@galwaytoathlonecycleway.
| Galway to Athlone Cycleway Project Office, |
| Society Street |
| Ballinalsoe, |
| County Galway, |
| H53 T320 |
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FREEPOST
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Five Route Corridor Options have now been identified to proceed to Stage 2 of the Option Selection phase.
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View Route Corridor Options Map. View Route Corridor Option No. 1 View Route Corridor Option No. 2 View Route Corridor Option No. 3 View Route Corridor Option No. 4 View Route Corridor Option No. 5 An interactive map of Route Corridor Options is available to view in our Virtual Consultation Room and Here: |
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Route Corridor Option Development
Route Corridor Options have been developed to connect likely tourism and leisure attractions, and use publicly owned land where possible. The options use state owned lands such as flood defense embankments, forestry tracks, bog roads and Bord na Móna railways. In order to connect the state owned lands we have identified ‘Consultation Areas’ where we would like to talk to the landowners and explore possible routes.
These routes would follow existing features and farm boundaries, minimising severance.
Have Your Say
During this consultation, we are inviting feedback on the Route Corridor Options that could inform the design of the project. We welcome your feedback on any issues or information, relating to the corridors, which you think should be considered by the project team in selecting a preferred route corridor.
In compliance with current COVID-19 measures, and to provide access to project information in a safe environment, an online consultation room is available here: Visit the Online Consultation Room
Once you have reviewed the project information and route corridor options map, please complete and return the consultation questionnaire to the project team.
All feedback should be returned to the project team by 1st March 2021.
Download the Second Public Consultation Brochure and Questionaire Here.
Meet with the Project Team
The cycleway project team is available to answer any questions and provide information to assist you with your submission.
The project team can be contacted during office hours at 091 509267 (Weekdays 9am-5pm) and at info@galwaytoathlonecycleway.com.
If you would like to arrange an online consultation with a member of the project team, please contact us by phone, email, or via the online meeting booking facility. Online meetings will be facilitated during the week of 25th January & 1st March.
Should the current COVID-19 restrictions be eased during the course of the public consultation period, it may be possible to facilitate ‘in-person’ meetings, by appointment only, at a suitable venue. Strict adherence to COVID-19 guidelines will apply, in order to safeguard the health and safety of the public and staff.
Landowner Engagement
A Code of Best Practice for National and Regional Greenway Projects is being prepared in consultation with serveral farming groups. The Code sets out the process for the delivery and management of greenways and provides information on the acquisition of privately owned lands for the greenway.
We aim to route the Cycleway through publicly owned lands, and avoid working farms, wherever practicable. However, it will be necessary to build some of the Cycleway on land that is now privately owned.
During the route corridor option selection stage, an Independent Agronomist will be available to advise farmers on the project and process. Once a route corridor is selected, each farmer within the corridor may engage their own agronomist to advise them during the design of the Cycleway. This agronomist will be paid for by the project promoters.
We will work with the farmer and their agronomist to pick the least disruptive route possible, likely to be along the farm boundary. We will strive to purchase land through voluntary agreement, if at all possible.
There are a number of dedicated Project Liaison Officers (PLO’s) from the Local Authorities and Consultants.The PLO’s will be available to meet with Landowners, when public health restrictions safely allow for meetings either on their farm or in the Project Office. In the meantime, PLO’s are available to talk on the phone or by online virtual meeting.
These PLO’s will be the main point of contact for the landowner, and will ensure that the farmers interests and concerns are considered in all decisions.
The goodwill and cooperation of the farming community is important to make the Cycleway a success. Real and open engagement with the landowners and community will be central to everything we do.
