One cllr said he heard of the €1m purchase through the media.

A DECISION to purchase two houses for €1 million as part of the development of a controversial Cork to Kinsale Greenway is raising concerns locally.

Cork County Council confirmed that Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) is to fund the purchase of a former station master’s house that was on the market for €300,000, and a nearby three-bed house priced at €700,000.

The properties are located at Goggin Hill in Ballinhassig, which is about 10km from the city and located on the old railway line between Half-Way and Killeady.

There is no indication if the properties will be utilised, developed, or knocked, if and when that portion of the Greenway goes ahead.

But locals have noted that the old Ballinhassig Railway platform is still in-situ, and an 800-metre tunnel, adjacent to the properties, could be incorporated into the proposed greenway.

The houses are within the Carrigaline Municipal District area, where Independent local Cllr Ben Dalton O’Sullivan expressed his disappointment and anger that he, and his colleagues, only learned about the proposed €1 million use of public money through media reports.

After the preferred Cork to Kinsale route was outlined at a public consultation event, last summer, an estimated 2,000 submissions, two-thirds of which were opposed to the proposal, were made by individuals, groups and organisations.

Before going to press, it is understood that members of the Irish Farmers’ Association have already been briefed about a report that was compiled following that public consultation event and a review of the 2,000 submissions.

Meanwhile, concerned residents, along with public representatives, have been invited to attend a briefing with members of the Council’s national roads office on Thursday May 7th.

At that meeting, Cllr Dalton O’Sullivan said he will be asking why councillors had to learn about this in the media, and: ‘What will happen to these houses, and the money spent, if the Greenway doesn’t go ahead?’

The highly controversial Greenway project, plus the greenways proposed for Skibbereen and Baltimore, as well as Schull, are part of a €360 million allocation for safe walking and cycling infrastructure, and greenways.

Some concerns have been expressed in other areas, but it was the Cork to Kinsale Greenway that provoked an unprecedented backlash by farmers concerned about compulsory purchase orders, homeowners, and community groups.

On Tuesday, a spokesperson for Cork County Council confirmed to The Southern Star: ‘Cork County Council is in the process of purchasing the properties. TII will fund the purchase of the properties and the future use of the properties will be determined at a later date.’

He said: ‘The progression of the greenway will focus initially on the section from Riverstick to Kinsale with further stakeholder engagement to establish a preferred route corridor.

‘Stakeholder engagement will progress on a phased basis on the section from Cork City to Crossbarry and Ballinhassig to further evaluate the feasibility of a preferred route corridor for this section.’

The spokesperson also stated that Cork County Council is currently engaging with key stakeholders, and that ‘a report on the latest public consultation will be finalised and published in the coming weeks.’