A1: Sligo County Council through the Sligo Regional Design Office are in the early stages of planning for a Greenway project entitled, ‘The Sligo Greenway’ from Collooney to Bellaghy. This project which is funded by Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) will provide a public walking / cycling trail Greenway from Collooney to Bellaghy Co. Sligo. Arup has been appointed by Sligo County Council to provide multi-disciplinary engineering and other specialist consultancy services to progress the project through Phases 1-4 of the TII Project Management Guidelines. 

A2: TII defines a Greenway as “…a cycleway that caters for people walking, wheeling and cycling in a mainly recreational environment.” Where a cycleway is “…an offline public road reserved for the exclusive use of people cycling or people walking, wheeling, and cycling. All mechanically propelled vehicles, other than mechanically propelled wheelchairs and electric bikes, are prohibited from entering except for the purpose of maintenance and access.”

A3: The width of the Study Area was developed during Phase 1 – Concept and Feasibility. At its narrowest the Study Area is ≥3km. In developing the Study Area a radius of 1.5km was set around the population centres of Collooney, Coolaney, Tobercurry, Curry and Bellaghy. 1.5km was selected on the basis that “average urban commuter cycling speeds are up to 20 km/h” which translates to a ≤ 10-minute cycle to and from the greenway to the centre of each town / village. A similar principle was then applied to the areas in between these population centres with the Study Area then expanded to capture nearby opportunities and / or constraints. During Phase 2 the Study Area was increased to include a 500m buffer from all proposed Corridor Options.  

A4: The Project is being developed in line with TII Project Management Guidelines and the Code of Best Practice for National and Regional Greenways (CBPN&RG).  
Phase 1 Concept and Feasibility identified an appropriate Study Area and a long list of route options. During Phase 1 the long list of options were examined in terms of their feasibility, conceptually and practically, to achieve the Project objectives as part of the Preliminary Options Assessment and some were ruled out.  

During Phase 2 Options Selection  the viable Corridor Options (presented during Public Consultation No.2) were evaluated by undertaking an appraisal of the quantifiable and non-quantifiable impacts. This appraisal was in accordance with Project Appraisal Guidelines Unit: 13.0 Appraisal of Active Modes under the headings of Transport User Benefits and Other Economic Impacts,  Accessibility Impacts, Social Impacts, Land Use Impacts, Safety Impacts, Climate Change Impacts, Local Environmental Impacts. The appraisal scored each Corridor Option under these headings and the Corridor with the highest score was selected as the Emerging Preferred Route Corridor.  

A5: The width of the Emerging Preferred Route Corridor varies. In most locations the Corridor is 200m wide, however in more constrained locations the width has been reduced to a minimum of 50m. The width selected provides flexibility and sufficient scope to vary the exact route of the proposed greenway to avoid constraints, allow for construction and operation of the greenway, and accommodate necessary elements such as earthworks, drainage / environmental features, boundary treatment, accommodation works and public facilities such as bins, toilet facilities, rest / picnic areas, fishing platforms, slipways, trailheads, parking areas, etc.

A6: The route of the Greenway will be developed during Phase 3 Design and Environmental Evaluation. The purpose of this Phase is to develop the design of the Emerging Preferred Route Corridor to a stage where sufficient levels of detail exist to establish land-take requirements and to evaluate potential environmental impact. Phase 3 will take place in 2025 and 2026.  

A7: As the detailed design has not begun the width of the finished Greenway is not yet known. As this will most likely be a Shared Use (2-way) facility the absolute minimum width of the finished greenway is likely to be of the order of 5-7m (paved width of 3-5m), excluding necessary elements such as earthworks, drainage / environmental features, boundary treatment, accommodation works and public facilities such as bins, toilet facilities, rest / picnic areas, fishing platforms, slipways, trailheads, parking areas, etc.

A8: Every landowner directly affected by the Emerging Preferred Corridor Option has been sent a letter as part of the third Public Consultation event.

A9: Your house is an important constraint and will be considered among all the constraints when selecting the preferred option.

A10: It is anticipated that the majority of the lands required for the Greenway will be provided through the use of state-owned lands. 

In cases where private land acquisition is necessary after the route of the Greenway has been decided, we will engage with individual landowners to negotiate a route that minimises the impact on their farm or property holdings. Voluntary Land Acquisition Agreements will be pursued wherever possible.  

Please refer to the Code of Best Practice for National and Regional Greenways for further information.  

A11: The Code of Best Practice for National and Regional Greenways sets out guidance around compensation, payments, etc. for landowners affected by a greenway project. The code is available from the tii.ie and gov.ie websites.

A12: The project is currently programmed to begin Phase 3 Design & Environmental Evaluation in 2025. Once the Phase 3 is complete a planning application will be submitted and the competent authority (an Bord Pleanála &/or Sligo County Council) will dictate the project timeline and their decision date. Subject to planning approval and funding for the project to proceed it will subsequently take time to complete the detailed design and appoint a contractor. The duration for construction is currently unknown as the extents of the project are still unknown at this Phase.

A13: You can contact the Project Team either through the “Contact Us” page on this project website, by email to info@sligogreenway.ie or by post to the Sligo Regional Design Office, Sligo County Council, Unit 1, The Embankment, Castle Street, Sligo, F91 E4XY

A14: Previous studies have assessed the viability of providing a Greenway within the railway corridor. In 2022 TII published new standards and guidelines for Greenways, and it is important to start from a blank canvas to fully understand what the issues are and what is the most optimal solution.

A15: Despite the latest design guidance and policy encouraging the use of “state-owned land”, and “disused railway infrastructure” quoted as an example we were required to formally appraise all viable alternatives as part of the TII Appraisal Process. This process ensures that the advantages and disadvantages of the various options are considered, and the Emerging Preferred Route Corridor represents the best solution. 

A16: The design team are at the very early stages in the development of a greenway in this area. The recorded (and potential) presence of protected species and habitats was identified in the Study Area as part of the Phase 1 Feasibility Report. As the design and route selection process continues, a series or robust and  

comprehensive ecological surveys will be carried out to evaluate the ecological baseline within the Emerging Preferred Route Corridor. This will inform the final selected route, the design of the greenway and the identification of appropriate mitigation measures. 

Through careful design and route selection processes, we are confident that a Greenway can be designed within the Study Area without significant impacts on Key Ecological Receptors

A17: The design team are at the very early stages in the development of a greenway in this area. The protection of the natural environment is one of the key considerations that informs the design process and even at this early stage, the various designated sites within the study area have been identified as key ecological receptors.

A18: The Sligo Greenway project will comply with all regulations relating to biosecurity and / or disease control as direct by the Department of Agriculture.

A19: Where practical farm severance will be minimised by following field boundaries. If severance to an integral part of the farm operation is unavoidable, consideration may be given to structures / crossing and/ or compensation. This will be assessed on a case-by-case basis taking account of the farm operation.

A20: The type of boundary treatment will be dealt with on a case-by-case basis and agreed with each landowner.  An example of standard fencing detail can be found here: https://www.tiipublications.ie/library/CC-SCD-00301-03.pdf

A21: Concerns will be discussed with individual landowners once the emerging preferred route has been identified. Where practical, the Greenway will be routed to stay away from houses and/or farm buildings. Where necessary, screening such as hedges, fences or other suitable screening will be used to provide adequate privacy

A22: As the route design has not begun a complete list of public facilities is not yet known. The Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport have published Greenways and Cycle Routes Ancillary Infrastructure Guidelines and facilities typically provided along Greenways can include bins, toilet facilities, rest areas, picnic benches, fishing platforms, slipways for canoes / kayak access to rivers, parking areas, trailheads and viewing spots.

A23: The development of the Sligo Greenway is envisaged to attract domestic and international visitors to come, explore and stay in the region. It aims to unlock the tourism potential of the communities it traverses and provide opportunities for the development of a local tourism-based industry in the area.

A24: No, horses will be prohibited. Use of the Greenway will be restricted to people walking, wheeling, and cycling.