Minister of State and Galway East TD, Sean Canney has welcomed the announcement from the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, Shane Ross T.D, that a public consultation process on the future development of Greenways is to be undertaken.
The Minister has published a public consultation paper on a “Strategy for the Future Development of Greenways” and is inviting submissions from interested parties on the issues raised in the paper by 14 July.
“I very much welcome the news and, as a strong supporter of greenways, I am urging the public and all stakeholders to engage with the process,” said Minister Canney.
“There has been a lot of debate in recent times on the future of greenways and this public consultation paper aims to seek the views of all those interested in the development of greenways in Ireland,” said Minister Canney.
“It is very important that the public have their say. The consultation paper discusses a wide range of issues surrounding the development of greenways and poses a number of questions to prompt further debate and inform the development of an overarching Strategy for the future development of Greenways.
Minister Canney added that the public consultation paper sets out the policy context for Government investment in Greenways, including their value from an economic, health, community and rural and regional regeneration perspective. It also references the significant tourism benefits that can accrue as well as providing a more sustainable transport option for many communities.
Minister Cannedy added: “Importantly, the paper seeks views from interested parties on some of the more contentious issues that have arisen in the development of some greenway projects and asks what approach should be taken to such issues in future.”
Minister Canney said the outcome of this public consultation will inform the development of a new Greenways Strategy to ensure that future funding is spent on the right projects, in the right areas and at the right time. “To make sure that we take the right approach in future we need as many people as possible to give us their views during this public consultation process,” he said.