LANDOWNERS and residents living along a proposed route for the Cork to Kinsale Greenway say they no longer have confidence in the council’s ability to deliver the project – a message also delivered by the Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers Association (ICMSA).

The ICMSA issued a statement after a meeting with council officials saying trust had broken down between landowners and the local authority.

Last week this paper highlighted the fact that Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) is to purchase two houses for €1m on behalf of Cork County Council located on the old railway line between Half-Way and Kileady.

A council spokesperson said at the time that the ‘future use of the properties will be determined at a later date’.

A delegation of landowners met with council officials last Thursday (May 7th) and raised concerns over what they described as a ‘consistent pattern of insufficient consultation with affected parties’.

They claim that public engagement efforts had been inadequate and that many landowners would not have been aware of the third public consultation without local volunteers going door to door to inform residents.

‘We believe the engagement process has been largely superficial, with limited evidence that community input has been genuinely considered,’ a spokesperson said.

The delegation also sought clarity on how the chosen route was determined and said it appeared to be ‘predetermined from an early stage’, particularly regarding the decision to utilised the viaduct and former railway alignment despite what they claim would result in greater impacts on private homes and farms than alternative routes.

They also criticised the potential use of CPOs (Compulsory Purchase Orders) and that it was contrary to the principles outlined in the Code of Best Practice for Greenways.

Council officials acknowledged that a lot more engagement with affected landowners would be required if the project is to progress.

The following day ICMSA officials met with council officials and Chairperson of West Cork ICMSA DJ Keohane said that ‘trust had broken down’ to an extent that it would make it difficult to repair.

‘We struggle to see how the proposed greenway can proceed. The trust between the landowners and the council has been badly damaged. I believe they have learned lessons about how to work with farmers, but I fear it is too late,’ he said.

‘Sending a general letter in the post with a phone number at the bottom of it was not the way to go about it. If you can’t visit a farm, look a farmer in the eye, walk their lands with them and get a real feel for the impact a greenway will have, they you are going to have problems.’

Chair of the ICMSA Farm Business Committee, Pat O’Brien said it was regretted that the council had not engaged in ‘face to face’ dialogue with farmers.

‘ICMSA would like to emphasise that we are not against greenways, but we are categorically against the use of CPOs for the purpose of constructing greenways,’ he said.

Cork County Council was contacted for comment but had failed to respond at time of going to print.